how to improve Cleans

[Paulaoki]

Hi I have bought a decent bar and a few plates, to a total of about 110kgs.
so the plan is to train 1-2 times in the gym squatting in the power rack (currently 130kgs x 3 x 3 is my max) and DLing 150kgs 1-3 times. I don't have these weights at home, let alone a squat rack, so I was thinking of having a "lighter" day at home, I can do Front Squats, Press, Row, Cleans etc.
the thing is my clean now is 70kgs x 5 x 3sets and obviously this is not enough to rack some serious weight for Front Squatting efficiently.
Yesterday in the gym I managed to clean 80kgs to FSquat it 6 x 5..
Now, how do I increase the Clean to be able to front squat say 90, or even 100Kgs at home? that would be perfect, apart from the fact that Front Squat is a truly amazing exercise..

 

[JauntyAngle]

I doubt there's a secret recipe. First, I guess, nail the form. Check out the Glenn Pendlay videos on the clean progression on the CalStrength website if you haven't already. Then, practice regularly and add weight when you can.

 

[DrBdan]

http://www.sherdog.net/forums/f13/show-em-your-o-face-oly-lifts-thread-1121258/

 

[StevenH]

Like previously stated, work on the technique and form because they are very technical lifts. Other than working on the actual clean technique and progression, just do some pulls and work your speed under the bar. Also, when you say 5x5 are you cleaning the bar 5 times or just cleaning it just once and then squatting the rest of the reps? I'm assuming that you just clean it once and squat the rest of the times, but I just want to make sure just in case.

 

[spiral]

Not to discourage you in your pursuit of a heavier clean, but why not buy sawhorses for doing front squats?

 

[Paulaoki]

Like previously stated, work on the technique and form because they are very technical lifts. Other than working on the actual clean technique and progression, just do some pulls and work your speed under the bar. Also, when you say 5x5 are you cleaning the bar 5 times or just cleaning it just once and then squatting the rest of the reps? I'm assuming that you just clean it once and squat the rest of the times, but I just want to make sure just in case.

Hi, no that would be 5 x front squats, cleaning the weight. when I say clean x 5 means cleaning the weight, putting it back on the floor, cleaning it again x 5. This is why I think that I should be able to clean a bit more for the one time needed to proceed to front squat the weight 5-8 times without recurring to a rack.
yesterday I tried with 80kgs x 5 sets of 6, and the 4th time I cleaned the weight (4th set obviously) it was not good, I think the main problem is, because I am used to squatting a weight that I am fairly comfortable with and worry about good form, I dont go down enough, so I nearly bent my back as I caught the weight on my shoulders .. not good..

 

[apizur**]

i'm not sure what your goal is doing 5 x 5 full cleans... that's not really the point of olympic lifts. Maybe conditioning is your secondary goal or something and I'm just not reading it right...
Do 5 x 5 of front squats, yes. If you're doing full C+P (or just cleans from the floor) with a rep scheme like 5 x 5 your weight is going to stay low way longer than it needs to. Do way less reps, like 1 or 2, maybe 3. Look up "Limit strength" on google or w/e. Also, try taking a longer break between your sets to regain some of that explosive energy for the clean. Enjoy your lifts.

 

[StevenH]

Hi, no that would be 5 x front squats, cleaning the weight. when I say clean x 5 means cleaning the weight, putting it back on the floor, cleaning it again x 5. This is why I think that I should be able to clean a bit more for the one time needed to proceed to front squat the weight 5-8 times without recurring to a rack.
yesterday I tried with 80kgs x 5 sets of 6, and the 4th time I cleaned the weight (4th set obviously) it was not good, I think the main problem is, because I am used to squatting a weight that I am fairly comfortable with and worry about good form, I dont go down enough, so I nearly bent my back as I caught the weight on my shoulders .. not good..

Then I think you just need to work on pulls then because if you get your volume in on the cleans and you're form is up to par than you shouldn't have too much of a problem here. Most people can stand the weight up after they clean it, so just work on pulls a bit more and then you should be good. Also, if you are almost bending your back when you receive the bar, than you are probably too far out on your toes, your core isn't up to par with the rest of the body, or the bar is too far out in front of you. Without a video, only you can find out what the problem would be, so see if any of those reasons are what's affecting your clean.

EDIT: and as stated above, don't do cleans 5x5. Switch it up to either a 5x2 or 10x1. This helps keep the weight up and the intensity high. There are better ways to gain brute strength for oly lifts (squats, etc.), but since the lifts are explosive,
you want to keep the reps low.

For the technical exercises (snatch, clean, and jerk variations) choosing your reps range to maximize strength gain is not as important as choosing to maximize technical proficiency. For the first few months of training a lifter will get stronger no matter how many reps they do, within reason. I have found that a mix of reps from 1-3 per set works best when building technical proficiency in a beginner......
Strength exercises are done for slightly higher reps, because they have less skill component, and at this stage in training we are usually more concerned with building some muscle tissue than maximizing neural efficiency. The planning for strength exercises also works little differently. Because of a lesser skill component, strength gain is more linear.

Glenn Pendlay wrote this for his beginner weightlifting program. There is the explanation of the sets and reps for exercises. By higher reps for strength exercises, he means five.

 

[Paulaoki]

ok thanks a lot will read all that with more time later, just to clarify, my cleans routine is 3 sets of 5 @ 70kgs, after 2 sets of 5 with 60kgs...
if this is too much, maybe reducing this could be already a nice step forward in increasing the weight for front squatting without a rack at home...
thanks