62 / WOMEN’S HEALTH SEPTEMBER 2019
Something
special hap-
pens when you
successfully pull off
your first power clean:
Your muscles fire on
all cylinders, and you
get that bam-pow-
dynamite feeling that
comes from lifting a
heavy barbell and
thinking, Whoa, I’m
strong. The explosive,
full-body movement,
common in HIIT
classes and CrossFit
workouts, brings
a host of other cool
payoffs too.
“If you want to jump
higher and sprint fast-
er, cleans will deliver,”
says Judine St. Gerard,
a trainer at Tone House
in NYC (pictured here).
Plus, just perfecting the
fluid motion required
for a clean offers
one serious confidence
boost. “Once you have
the basics down, you
can add plates and
build strength pretty
quickly,” says St. Ge-
rard. “It’s empower-
ing.” Sound like fun?
(Thought so.) Brush up
on what to k now to
conquer this hardcore
move. But first, its
badass benefits...
A FULL-BODY
WORKOUT, FOR REAL
Power cleans work it
all, majorly firing up
your abs, hip flexors,
glutes, and legs
while simultaneously
involving your shoul-
ders and upper back,
says St. Gerard. Plus,
cleans are a dynamic
lift, which means
they’re surprisingly
good at getting your
heart rate up and
burning fat as you
build muscle.NEXT-LEVEL
COORDINATION
Cleans require sev-
eral separate muscle
groups—like your
lower body and up-
per body, and your
posterior and anteri-
or chains—to work
together in order to
lift, flip, and “catch”
the barbell in one
continuous move-
ment. (No biggie.)
It ’s an exercise that
demands control
and balance, so
mastering it helps
you improve both.STRONGER, HEALTH-
IER BONES, STAT
This advanced move
loads the hips with
weight, causing tiny
fractures. Seems
scary, but it’s actually
a good thing. Serious-
ly. When the body
repairs those mini
breaks after you’re
done slinging weights,
your bones become
denser. On top of that,
strength training can
encourage new bone
cell growth. Boom!AMPED-UP
ATHLETIC PROWESS
Your abilit y to move
quickly, pivot with
ease, jump, and swing
kettlebells all comes
down to the power of
your hips, abs, and
glutes, which are the
main muscles in your
core. Cleans target
these areas and mimic
the explosive motions
(like hip hinging and
thrusting) that you
often perform in
strength-training
workout classes or
sporting events.Totally new
to cleans?
Before you
grab a barbell,
practice the
motion with a
broomstick or
mop handle.While cleans
do require
some upper-
body effort,
the majority of
your power
should come
from your low-
er body, espe-
cially the hips.ON ST. GERARD:
Michi top and
shorts, michiny
.com; Moeva bra,
moeva.com; Under
Armour sneakers,
ua.com