Squat Clean Guide: How to Do Squat Cleans

A squat clean is a compound exercise that works muscle groups across your upper body and lower body. Perform squat cleans by standing with your feet hip-width apart in front of a weighted barbell. Bend your hips and knees to lower yourself. Grab the barbell with a hook grip by placing your thumbs first and covering them with your other fingers. Lift the barbell, keeping it close to your body. Once the bar passes your knees, explosively push your feet into the ground and shrug your shoulders. Rotate your wrists under the bar and lower into a squat position. Catch the bar at the bottom of the squat in a front rack position with the barbell resting against your front deltoids. Return to a standing position and replace the bar to its original placement.

The squat clean and the power clean both use an explosive lifting technique, but there are differences between the exercises:

• Movement pattern: The main difference between these two weightlifting exercises is that you only dip your knees slightly when catching the barbell during the power clean rather than going into a full squat position. The squat clean puts your knees and ankles through a greater range of motion than the power clean.
• Muscles worked: Although they work many of the same muscle groups in your back and shoulders, the squat clean activates your leg muscles more than the power clean.
• Weight level: With the additional activation of your leg muscles to support the barbell, you can generally lift heavier weights when performing the squat clean.

For the squat clean, begin by using a weight that you can control for 3–5 sets of 3–5 repetitions. Choose a weight that allows you to maintain good technique throughout all sets and repetitions.

1. 1. Stand directly in front of the barbell with your toes underneath it. Your posture should be tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips with a neutral head and neck position, and your chin should remain tucked throughout the movement as if you were holding an egg under your chin.
2. 2. Evenly distribute your weight along your feet and grip the floor with your feet to create a stable foot position. Your arms should remain long by your sides with a slight bend in your elbows.
3. 3. Pre-tension your shoulders, hips, and core with a good inhale and exhale before lowering toward the barbell.
4. 4. Hinge from your hips and begin to bend your hips and knees to lower your body toward the barbell. Your shins should be close to the barbell while remaining upright.
5. 5. Grab the barbell with an overhand grip and your hands spaced just outside of your hips.
6. 6. Rotate your shoulders outward to engage your back muscles. Your chest should be higher than your hips, and your hips should be higher than your knees.
7. 7. While keeping your shoulders over the bar and the barbell close to your body, push your feet into the floor to start your upward movement.
8. 8. As you begin to stand, maintain your back position and keep your shoulders over the barbell. Your chest and hips should rise at the same time while maintaining your back position.
9. 9. As the barbell passes your knees and your upper body becomes upright, explosively push your legs into the ground as if you were jumping.
10. 10. While straightening your hips, knees, and ankles, aggressively shrug your shoulders.
11. 11. As your shoulders reach their highest point, quickly pull your body under the barbell while rotating your hands around and under the barbell.
12. 12. Quickly punch your elbows forward and rotate your wrist under the barbell to catch the barbell on your upper chest and shoulders, then lower into a front squat position.
13. 13. Your legs should finish in a full squat position lower than parallel to the floor. Only lower as far as you can maintain a level pelvis and a strong squatting position.
14. 14. Stand tall as if you were finishing a front squat repetition.
15. 15. Lower the barbell to the floor under control and set up for another repetition.

The squat clean is a comprehensive powerlifting exercise that targets most major muscle groups across your body. With proper form, squat cleans can build muscle in your hamstrings, core, glutes, triceps, quadriceps, biceps, calves, trapezius, deltoids, and lower back muscles.

Including squat cleans in your strength training program can have several benefits.

1. 1. Squat cleans can build full-body strength. By activating muscle groups across your entire body, the squat clean can increase your power during other compound exercises, like the deadlift, push-ups, and front squats.
2. 2. Squat cleans can increase your explosive power. With practice, squat cleans increase the explosive power in your leg muscles, enhancing your sprinting and swimming exercises.
3. 3. Squat cleans can improve your performance during Olympic lifting exercises. The clean is the first pull of the clean and jerk exercise. Consider using squat cleans as a warm-up to increase your strength and mobility for more challenging powerlifting exercises.

Consider some of the other squat clean variations you can include in your workout routine.

1. 1. Hang clean: Perform this variation by holding the barbell in front of your mid-thigh at the starting position. Lift the barbell and catch it with a similar movement pattern as the squat clean.
2. 2. Dumbbell clean: If you’re a novice weightlifter, consider practicing the squat clean with a pair of lighter dumbbells first until you build strength for a weighted barbell.
3. 3. Clean and press: This advanced exercise combines the movement patterns of a power clean and push press. At the top of the movement, use the slight dip in your knees to explosively push the bar overhead.
4. 4. Kettlebell clean: Perform this variation by using a kettlebell swing movement to lift a kettlebell, catching it at shoulder height.

If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

In order to see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

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