Split Clean

An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the quads, using a barbell.

Split Clean — Starting position Starting position
Split Clean — End position End position
Difficulty Intermediate
Type Olympic Weightlifting
Equipment Barbell
Primary Muscle Quads
AI Rep Counting Log manually

How to Do Split Clean

  1. With a barbell on the floor close to the shins, take an overhand 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.
  2. 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. Move the weight with control as you continue to above the knees.
  3. Next comes the second pull, the main source of acceleration for the clean. 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.
  4. 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, aggressively pull yourself down, rotating your elbows under the bar as you do so.
  5. Receive the bar with the feet split, aggressively moving one foot forward and one foot back. The bar should be racked onto the protracted shoulders, lightly touching the throat with the hands relaxed. Continue to descend to the bottom position, which will help in the recovery.
  6. Immediately recover by driving through the heels, keeping the torso upright and elbows up. Bring the feet together as you stand up.

Muscles Worked

Front
Back

Primary

Where Split Clean does most of its work.

Secondary

Assisting and stabilising muscles.

Alternatives to Split Clean

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.

  1. 1 Hang Clean

    Hang Clean

    An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the quads, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  2. 2 Hang Clean - Below the Knees

    Hang Clean - Below the Knees

    An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the quads, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  3. 3 Clean from Blocks

    Clean from Blocks

    An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the quads, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  4. 4 Clean Pull

    Clean Pull

    An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the quads, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  5. 5 Split Jerk

    Split Jerk

    An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the quads, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  6. 6 Power Snatch from Blocks

    Power Snatch from Blocks

    An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the quads, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  7. 7 Snatch

    Snatch

    An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the quads, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  8. 8 Heaving Snatch Balance

    Heaving Snatch Balance

    An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the quads, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  9. 9 Snatch Balance

    Snatch Balance

    An intermediate compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the quads, using a barbell.

    intermediate Barbell
  10. 10 Snatch from Blocks

    Snatch from Blocks

    An advanced compound Olympic weightlifting exercise that works the quads, using a barbell.

    advanced Barbell

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles do split clean work?

Split Clean primarily works the quads. The calves, forearms, glutes, hamstrings, lower back, shoulders and traps assist as secondary muscles.

What equipment do I need for split clean?

Split Clean uses barbell.

Split Clean: is it suitable for beginners?

Split Clean is rated intermediate. Movements that assume you already own the basic pattern and are ready to load it.

What can I do instead of split clean?

Hang Clean, Hang Clean - Below the Knees, Clean from Blocks train the same primary muscles and are listed with 7 more alternatives above.

Can Fitnit count my split clean reps automatically?

Not automatically yet. Fitnit's AI rep counting covers push-ups, squats, dumbbell curls, crunches and pull-ups today; split clean 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 Split Clean with AI

Fitnit automatically tracks push-ups, crunches, squats, pull-ups, and curls with advanced body tracking technology — and you can manually input any other workout too. Start free — Pro is $8.99/month.