Hardcore Cleaning

[tetz8again]

Hi, I want to raise my clean max from 225(current max) to about 1,000 +/- 725 lbs. over the summer. Basically, 275 sounds like a pretty number, but more will do.[img]/forum/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img] I was wondering what your guys' workouts are like, but only if they're hardcore and produce results! [img]/forum/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img] I Googled for for clean workouts but couldn't find much of anything.

Some background info: Pretty much, my routine needs improvement. I clean once a week and I have a habit of maxing out at least 1/2 of the time. But today, I had probably the best workout I've ever had on cleans, doing 20 reps with 205 lbs. w/ about 30-45 sec rest between each one. So since my max is only 225, you can imagine that it was pretty hard for me. Anyway, I got twenty in a row w/o failing once, which is great for me because I often times will fall forward or on my butt and drop the weight. So that means my technique is getting better and so is my balance, so I think I'm ready for my clean max to shoot through the roof. Lay the hardcoreness on me!

[God's_Warrior]

What did you do to get your clean to 225?
I can never get mine to raise a single bit. No matter how much I try, it never improves.
I don't understand because I can row the weight easy, but I can never get it to my shoulders.

Any tips?

[tetz8again]

Well, I severely injured my ankle and missed all of wrestling. Before my injury, I tried for at least a couple of months to get 205, but never was able to pull it off.

When I came back a few months later, I never took it light, I just went right into training and on my second clean workout back, got 205 out of nowhere.

To get to 225 from there, it took me about 6 weeks or so. I clean once a week usually, sometimes twice. Anyway, I've gotten into the habit of just maxing out like every other wo. That's the sort of thing I'm trying to get away from, because I think you plateau easily from maxing often, and also, they aren't even very good workouts imo.

Besides easy maxing workouts, I had one wo where I just kept doing sets of 2-3 w/ 185 until I got too tired to do it anymore. I felt like that wo helped a lot because the week after that was when I first got 215.

The week after got 215, for some reason, I just couldn't get it again no matter how hard I tried. But I didn't give up and finally got it after about 12 times or so. Even though I was mainly just failing a bunch of times I think that that workout helped me get a better pull and I ended up getting 225 for my first time the next week after that.

The workout I did today was pretty simple, my goal was to just get 205 20 times. I did a few sets of 2, but mostly just sets of 1 and took like 30-45 seconds rest. I'm pretty positive that I will get some good progress from this wo.

Besides, cleaning, I've squatted once a week as well and have done a lot of work with front squats lately. I've also had a few heavy BB shrug workouts.

Well, I hope I gave you some ideas, but we'll see what some more educated people say about cleaning.

PS. After reading my post and thinking about what I have been doing, I have observed that I seem to respond much better to higher intensity wos with more volume. I see that the pattern seems to be that I only get a new pr on the weeks after high volume wos. That's pretty interesting, I never really noticed that before.

[lifting5]

I'm sure there are powerlifting routines for cleaning that are effective. Also, applying techniques from proven routines such as the Starr 5x5 and Rippetoes would be beneficial.

[ryancostill]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm sure there are powerlifting routines for cleaning that are effective. Also, applying techniques from proven routines such as the Starr 5x5 and Rippetoes would be beneficial.

[/ QUOTE ]

Powerlifting = bench, squat, deadlift. Weightlifting = clean and jerk, snatch. So powerlifting training programs are not appropriate. In fact I would say if improving your 1RM clean is your primary goal, then I would work with reps below 5. I would stay in the 1-3 rep range. The clean is a highly technical, skilled lift and as such I would not be performing the exercise while fatigued. It should be about quality over quantity.

The no. 1 way in which you could improve your clean is by tightening up your technique. I am sure there are probably some major flaws in it.

If you wanted to film your lifts you could post them on Fortified Iron:

http://www.fortified-iron.com/forum/...hp?showforum=9

or weightliftingexchange:

http://www.fortified-iron.com/forum/...hp?showforum=9

and members would give you feedback.

[Growth In Motion]

Bro you gotta remember that olympic weightlifting is so much explosiveness. Develop explosiveness and you'll definitely see improvements in cleans and snatches

[ryancostill]

[ QUOTE ]
Develop explosiveness and you'll definitely see improvements in cleans and snatches

[/ QUOTE ]

What do you mean exactly by this? How do you develop explosiveness for cleans and snatches (besides peforming cleans and snatches and their derivatives). Are there specific exercises you have in mind?

[Growth In Motion]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Develop explosiveness and you'll definitely see improvements in cleans and snatches

[/ QUOTE ]

What do you mean exactly by this? How do you develop explosiveness for cleans and snatches (besides peforming cleans and snatches and their derivatives). Are there specific exercises you have in mind?

[/ QUOTE ]

Plyometrics possibly? Dont really have any exercise suggestions just basically explosiveness. This would obviously mean maxing out isnt something you want to do very often. Definitely have to have a day where you focus on technique and do alot of lighter repititions for speed, and in terms of derivatives things like clean pulls and such. Probably the main thing is to keep intensity low imo. I dont think olympic weightlifters do high intensity with alot of reps. As you said before it should be quality over quantity.

[ryancostill]

I personally dont thin plyometrics would transfer very effectively to improving snatch or clean performance directly.

I do definately think you are right that [ QUOTE ]
definitely have to have a day where you focus on technique and do alot of lighter repititions for speed,

[/ QUOTE ]

But even here I wouldnt have any more than 3 repetitions in a single set, but if the intensity is low, you could do multiple sets.

I would then have another day where you have higher intensity and work in single lifts or doubles and try and carryover the technique you worked on to higher weights.

Correcting your technique is really the most beneficial route however. Film yourself lifting and post to youtube and then link on the websites I listed or link here and i can give you some feedback.

[maverickBU]

I agree totally with everything that ryancostill has said.