Get warmer
■Youshouldplacethepower
cleanatthestartofyoursession
—butthatdoesn’tmeanyouwalk
straight out of the changing room,
stickacoupleof20kgplatesonthe
endofthebarandgetlifting.“Make
sure you are warmed up properly
andyourshouldersandlatsare
mobile to allow you to get under
the bar quickly,” says Wright.
“Being able to get in the front
rack position quickly is key. The
speed of the middle section is
what will make or break your lift,
so think about fast execution of
the hip drive or ‘second pull’ and
explode upwards, keeping the bar
close to your body.”Hang time
■If you usually train while
wearing tracksuit bottoms and
aren’t too bothered about growing
tree-trunk legs, you can do the
hang clean variation of the move
whichinvolvesstartingthemove
while holding the bar. The other
benefitofthatversionisthatit
improves your grip strength,
whichcan,inturn,haveapositive
effectonyourpowerandsquat
clean ability. “The hang clean,
wherethebaroriginatesfromthe
hips rather than the floor, is ideal
ifyouwanttofocussolelyonthe
upper body,” says Wright. “It’s
also a good progression up to
a power clean.”Power through
■Powercleanswillplaceahuge
energy demand on your body but
that’s no excuse to slack off once
you’vegottotheendofyourlast
set. “The two movements I like
touseinthesamesessionas
powercleansareboxjumpsand
thrusters,” says Wright. “Box jumps
will improve your speed and
power, while the thruster is like
a continuum of the movement
becauseitinvolvesgoingfrom
afrontsquattoashoulderpress.
Thrusters in particular help to
connect all the pieces of the puzzle
by strengthening the connection
between lower and upper body.”66 MEN’S FITNESS APRIL 2017
PERFECT FORM
Start with the barbell
on the floor, holding it
with a shoulder-width
grip. Drive through your
heels to lift it off the
floor, then explode up
as it passes your knees,
using the momentum to
help pull it up to chest
height and “catching” it
on your chest. Pause for
a second, then drop or
lower the barbell for
the next rep.05.Power clean
TARGE T SWHOLE BODY
This is the one move
intheseriesdedicated
to increasing power
andspeed.“Thepower
clean has been used
by athletes for years
to improve their
performance on the
field,” says Wright.
“Building power requires
improving speed against
resistance, and a power
clean allows you to
develop full-body power
by combining a deadlift
and a hang clean.”
“Develop full-body
powerbycombining
adeadliftanda
hang clean.”