Perhaps you’ve already been introduced to the traditional version of the clean as a fundamental weightlifting exercise. But different clean variations unlock additional potential. Every iteration of the clean zooms in on a specific aspect of lifting technique and targets a slightly different set of muscles. The following 15 clean variations can help you improve your lifting and mix up your training regime.

What is a Weightlifting Clean?

The clean is a staple in Olympic weightlifting gyms and functional fitness classes. A conventional clean performed with a barbell involves lifting the bar from the floor and catching it onto the shoulders with the elbows pointing forwards. Variations of the clean can swap out the barbell for dumbbells, kettlebells or even a medicine ball. The start and finish positions of these different clean exercises can also vary, so check out this guide to our favourite 15 variations.

1 - Traditional Clean

The traditional clean uses a barbell, which starts from the floor and is caught on the shoulders of the athlete as they drop into a squat. We will use the traditional clean as our starting point. Every variation that follows can ultimately be traced back to this one.

• Starting position - Start with your feet directly underneath your hips and grab the bar with a double-overhand grip at shoulder width. Keep your arms long, your back straight and your chest up. Hinge at the hips and bend your knees whilst maintaining a degree of tension in your hamstrings.

• Drive and pull - Powerfully extend your hips and knees. Once your legs are straight, shrug your shoulders up to your ears and pull the bar further up using your arms.

• Transition to squat - Whilst you’re pulling the bar up, quickly drop under it into a full squat.

• Catch - Catch the bar on your shoulders with your elbows pointing forwards.

• Stand up - Stand up tall whilst keeping the barbell in this front rack position. Once you demonstrate control over the bar in this final position, you have completed the lift.

A traditional squat clean is an advanced movement. It is important that you hit each phase with precision as you execute this lift. If you are a beginner lifter, practice your clean technique with an empty barbell or Technique Bar before adding weight!

2 - Clean and Jerk

This variation marries the clean with the upper-body element that sees the lifter punch the bar into an overhead position. From the finish position of the clean, the lifter will drive the bar upwards and catch it overhead as they jump into a split stance. This allows the lifter to receive the bar at a lower point. The lift is complete when the athlete can step out of the split stance and bring their feet underneath their hips again.

3 - Power Clean

The power clean is very similar to the traditional clean. The difference lies in the catch position of the barbell. In a power clean, you will catch the bar above parallel. This means your hips are positioned above your knees as the bar lands on your shoulders. To do so, you must pull the bar up higher in order to catch it, making it a great exercise to develop a strong pull.

6 - Muscle Clean

The twist with the muscle clean is that once you’ve extended your knees and hips for that initial upwards drive, they must stay that way. You can’t drop into a partial squat to catch the bar on your shoulders. Instead you will purely rely on your upper body to get the bar onto your shoulders. If building strength is a priority for you, you’ll want to add these to your training!

4 - Hang Clean

This variation involves starting the lift not from the floor but from just above knee-height. Because you can no longer rely on the initial pull from the floor to get the bar up, successful execution of the hang clean relies on a powerful extension of the hips and a strong consecutive pull.

5 - Hang Power Clean

The hang power clean is a mix of the muscle clean and the power clean - Start the exercise from just above knee height and catch the 7ft Olympic Barbell above parallel. The limited range of motion and reduced complexity of this of this lift tends to make it a suitable exercise for new lifters who are trying to get the hang of extending the hips and catching the bar on their shoulders.

10 - Split Clean

The split clean is performed the same way as the traditional clean described earlier, but rather than catching the barbell in a partial squat position, you catch the bar in a split position. The split clean requires fast footwork due to the limited time to get into position. This version of the clean is a good option for athletes with restricted lower-body mobility.

7 - Clean Pull

The clean pull focusses on the first half of the lift: the drive and (you guessed it) the pull. The goal is to pull the barbell up as high as you can – anywhere between your navel and sternum is a good target to aim for. Once you’ve hit your high point, return the barbell to the floor. Focus on keeping the bar close to your body for the most effective bar path. No need to worry about dropping into a squat or a quick turnover to catch the bar on your shoulders with this one, so it is a good way to just practice pulling the bar with good form.

11 - Block Clean

In a block clean, the athlete uses jerk blocks to adjust the starting point of their lift. Using jerk blocks can be helpful when, for example, you want to practise hang cleans but don’t want to lift the barbell from the floor repeatedly to get into position. Lifting from an elevated starting point is also a workable solution if you want to avoid putting excess stress on your lower back.

8 - Mid-Thigh Clean Pull

Similar to the clean pull, the mid-thigh clean pull focusses on the pulling element of the clean but assumes a higher starting point. Begin with the bar at mid-thigh height and focus on squeezing your glutes as you extend your hips. Once you feel that upward motion transferring onto the bar, shrug your shoulders and pull your elbows up. Return the bar to the floor once you have reached your highest point.

13 - Double Kettlebell Clean

Here, we swap the barbell for two kettlebells. Start with both kettlebells directly under your body and initiate the lift as normal. Because the two kettlebells are effectively moving independently from each other, this clean variation requires more coordination and core stability compared to a barbell clean.

9 - Dead Hang Clean

This variation starts from a dead hang position. This means you hold the bar at hip height, with both your knees and hips extended, before initiating the pull. You won’t be able to use any drive generated by the legs to help bring the bar upwards. The dead hang clean encourages the lifter to drop under the barbell with speed.

14 - Single Kettlebell Clean

This variation uses only one kettlebell, which means it is unilateral (one-sided) in nature. Your abdominal and back muscles will have to work extra hard to prevent your body from rotating. It’s a core workout as much as anything else!

12 - Three-Position Clean

A three-position clean is three lifts performed from different starting positions in one go. The most common execution of the three-lift clean is a tradition squat clean, directly followed by a hang squat clean, directly followed by a high-hang squat clean. This variation of the clean is often used to train technique under fatigue. Other combinations of cleans are possible too!

15 - Med Ball Clean

Medicine ball cleans use a med ball instead of a barbell or kettlebells. This exercise is frequently given to beginning lifters to hone their technique without a heavy load, but it is also a great exercise to add to your warmup even if you already have experience with the clean. If you're struggling, you can regress the exercise using a Medicine Ball with Handles.

The clean is a complex exercise that may take some time and effort to master. It’s important not to rush into using heavy weights. Making sure you can drop under the bar with speed and stand it up whilst keeping your back straight and your elbows pointing forwards is far more important than the weights you’re logging. Good technique will take you furthest. Trust the process!

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Tags: Equipment > Bars and Weight Plates ; Exercise Type > Strength