Power Clean from Blocks
An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the hamstrings, using a barbell.
Starting position
End position
How to Do Power Clean from Blocks
- With a barbell on boxes of the desired height, take a grip just outside the legs. Lower your hips with the weight focused on the heels, back straight, head facing forward, chest up, with your shoulders just in front of the bar. This will be your starting position.
- Begin the first pull by driving through the heels, extending your knees. Your back angle should stay the same, and your arms should remain straight. As the bar approaches the mid-thigh position, begin extending through the hips.
- In a jumping motion, accelerate by extending the hips, knees, and ankles, using speed to move the bar upward. There should be no need to actively pull through the arms to accelerate the weight. At the end of the second pull, the body should be fully extended, leaning slightly back, with the arms still extended.
- As full extension is achieved, transition into the third pull by aggressively shrugging and flexing the arms with the elbows up and out. At peak extension, pull yourself under the bar far enough that it can be racked onto the shoulders, rotating your elbows under the bar as you do so. The bar should be racked onto the protracted shoulders, lightly touching the throat with the hands relaxed.
- Immediately recover by driving through the heels, keeping the torso upright and elbows up. Continue until you have risen to a standing position, and complete the repetition by returning the weight to the boxes.
Muscles Worked
Alternatives to Power Clean from Blocks
10 movements that train the same primary muscle, closest substitutes first — same kind of training, then variations of the movement itself, then a similar difficulty.
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1
Clean
An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the hamstrings, using a barbell.
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2
Smith Machine Hang Power Clean
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the hamstrings, using a machine.
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3
Clean Deadlift
A beginner compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the hamstrings, using a barbell.
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4
Power Clean
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the hamstrings, using a barbell.
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5
Power Snatch
An advanced compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the hamstrings, using a barbell.
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6
Muscle Snatch
An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the hamstrings, using a barbell.
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7
Snatch Deadlift
An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the hamstrings, using a barbell.
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8
Double Kettlebell Alternating Hang Clean
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the hamstrings, using a kettlebell.
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9
Dumbbell Clean
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the hamstrings, using dumbbells.
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10
Kettlebell Dead Clean
An intermediate compound strength exercise that works the hamstrings, using a kettlebell.
Frequently Asked Questions
What muscles do power clean from blocks work?
Power Clean from Blocks primarily works the hamstrings. The quads assist as secondary muscles.
What equipment do I need for power clean from blocks?
Power Clean from Blocks uses barbell.
Power Clean from Blocks: is it suitable for beginners?
Power Clean from Blocks is rated intermediate. Movements that assume you already own the basic pattern and are ready to load it.
What can I do instead of power clean from blocks?
Clean, Smith Machine Hang Power Clean, Clean Deadlift train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.
Can Fitnit count my power clean from blocks reps automatically?
Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; power clean from blocks can be logged manually in the app, and tracked movements are added over time.
Photographs and step-by-step instructions from free-exercise-db, a public-domain exercise dataset. Muscle mapping and alternatives by Fitnit.
Track Your Power Clean from Blocks with AI
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