Clean, Part 1, How To, Olympic Weightlifting

The California Strength Team demonstrates the first of 3 parts in learning the clean for Olympic Weightlifting. Jon North and Rob Blackwell demonstrate while Glenn Pendlay narrates and David Spitz films.
The intro is Donny Shankle hitting a lifetime personal record of 210 kg in the clean and jerk.
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[@thechuggs8997]

RIP sir, you will forever be my first coach and I believe to many also! Sending love to his family and friends.

[@ShoaibKhan-bz5qm]

RIP

[@stonedstoic]

Rest In Peace Coach Glenn Pendlay. Your contribution to the weightlifting world will live on and grow uniquely through each athlete.

[@juggaquid769]

How did he die. He looks young here. Only 40

[@jamclow]

does this work on tough stains in the bathroom?

[@damariaabdreaquinonez9023]

6gthfv

[@jordy2299]

Damn, 6 years ago was funny

[@tetsuya_ooji581]

@@jordy2299damn, 3 years ago was funny

[@jordy2299]

@@tetsuya_ooji581 damn, 9 hours ago was funny

[@ryann8348]

Much respect to people who know how to do this stuff elegantly. I've deadlifted 335 lbs for 5 with ~2 reps in the tank, but I can just barely clean 115 lbs once.

[@Morse12321]

sir, i feel this is almost impossible...i have girls in my lifting class that are barely 115/120 pounds cleaning 115, but can not for the life of them pick up and deadlift 200 once even, if you can deadlidft that much weight, even with the poorest form you should be able to even muscle up the 115 pounds into a clean sort of position, unless you have neglected all sorts of muscles and only deadlift

[@ryann8348]

zach morse My deadlift form is pretty good, I would say (/watch?v=oAjz7zY_X-M). For 3 sets of 5, I Oly squat 270, paused bench 195, strict press 125, pendlay row 200, and chin-up with 40 lbs strapped to me. I've also front-squatted 185x5 with proper rack position. Everything before and after the "jump and catch" is pretty decent, but I can't get the jumping/catching part

[@Morse12321]

Ryan N Usually i would say try incorporating front squat into your workouts, which helped my clean a ton. But you are already doing it. Since you can deadlift a pretty decent amount of weight, try shrugs with more weight. My lifting coach taugh us to explode up, shrug our shoulders, shoot elbows up into the air as high as possible and catch the weight in a squatted position, then front squat the weight up. Jon North in my oppinion has pretty great form and is who i watched a lot to try and mimick his motions (not his weight xD) one problem you may have is having too wide of a grip, for the longest time i had a very wide grip which ended up making me have poor form personally, id try having your grip at or just outside where your legs starting position is. You could also work on hang cleaning with just the bar until you get the overall motion down, then progressivly hang clean more and more weight until you get to your power clean. Personally unless im maxing, or doing 5 sets of 3reps (with heavy weights) i hang clean all my reps, not powerclean them. (Disclaimer: Im no expert, im probably giving mediocre advice, but this advice worked for me so i thought id share my input and try to help out, feel free to disagree though :D )

[@ryann8348]

Yeah, I have the grip/racking down. I think my thing is getting comfortable jumping with a bar, keeping it close, and pulling myself under it. My plan for now is to drill the jump shrug (ingrain the jump), muscle clean (learn to keep the bar close and my elbows out to the side), and perhaps I will set up a super-heavy bar in my rack and practice pulling myself under it into a front squat position. Basically, break "jump and catch" into pieces and drill them.

[@Morse12321]

TheSayNoToDrugsGuy Id like you to first look into the first second of this video, and watch this entire video. None of them use wide grip on power clean, so i dont know where you are getting the information that wide grip is better. I also said nothing about strength and power being the same thing. I simply said that if he can pause rep 195, deadlift a ton of weight ( which i assure you if you can deadlift lots of weight, you can clean mediocre weight ) , and squat lots of weight, then power cleaning minimal weight should not be a huge problem. I have seen plenty of guys go in that can barely bench 185, that can, with the poorest form, clean 135. Im not saying it is impossible that someone can deadlift 335 pounds, bench 200+ pounds, strict press 125 and squat 300 pounds and not clean more than 115 like this guy is stating, im just saying that he must have either neglected a muscle completely, or be doing something completely skewed with his form. If one can deadlift 400 and bench 200, you shouldnt be only cleaning 100 (for example) unless you are just not working out something completely. The fact you stated i was very wrong with a lot of what I said is beyond false. The only thing you can argue against me is that my recommended methods to increase it would be poor. The other things like what my lifting class teacher taught/said, the thing about how weights should corrolate (bench squat and clean shouldnt be 400, 300, 100), and that muscles must have been neglected isnt false.

[@buddesatva]

The instructor does an excellent job of describing and directing the demonstration of this subtle and complex movement. He clearly understands what he is talking about and grasps the intricacies as well as the goal of what he is teaching. This man is a very good teacher and the technique (which I think he is completely unaware of) is nicely executed.

[@blakestrecker5299]

Shout out and RIP Coach Pendlay - forever a legend to those who know!!!

[@MidniteRaver06]

Simple & effective cues on technique. Worked on it today, really helped! Cheers

[@will-ht3mc]

“I’m gonna have John stand straight” * curves back more *

[@ArcMasterArc]

Where were you guys and KZbin 30 years ago when I needed you?

[@jackcameron2254]

Exaggerated anterior pelvic tilt on both athletes?

[@stephenlea8637]

You aren't joking.... especially on Rob.

[@Spawn223311]

oly shoes also promote this

[@damiensutherland7104]

I'd say Jons form is a little better.

[@StreamlineK9]

Jack Cameron I was gonna say the same.

[@nabamgautam]

Posture to be correct

[@jamesbutler5214]

the guy on the right is scaring me with his pelvic angle

[@andrewcrites3253]

+James Butler Anterior pelvic tilt, they are both pretty bad. If they can't fix something that simple then why should I trust anything in this video?

[@mmoseleywpi]

+James Butler Tight hip flexors and quads... leads to lots of lumbar lordosis. Desk job will do that. Looks to me like the movements in olympic lifting wouldn't naturally promote front side flexibility either (just like in my sport, cycling) so probably should be stretched more.

[@WanderToKyozo]

Need to stretch those quads

[@TexicanMr]

Are they wearing heels?

[@davidzanesyed2569]

Excellent ... thank you for the introduction... probably the best video which I came across...

[@Siggyy88]

lmao jon north's random bar hump at 2:02 haha

[@TraceurMaaz]

Definitely one of the better channels I've subscribed to.

[@GG-kp1hb]

This is friggin excellent. I'm totally new to olympic lifting, thought my wrist and shoulder mobility were my problem, then one day *POOF* i figured it out. the next day, could not get the bar on my shoulders, kept banging and resting it on my clavicle. really frustrating but I just couldn't seem to coordinate the movement correctly which in turn wore me out physically and emotionally. This is really helpful. THANKS

[@ARMurdoch1967]

Thank you very much for this video. In absolute admiration of these athletes. It does hurt the underside of my wrists and inside the hand with the bar on my fingers....need the stretches big time

[@jesusgarciab]

from wikipedia (Momentum's relation to force) If a force F is applied to a particle for a time interval Δt, the momentum of the particle changes by an amount and also from wikipedia Physical strength is the ability of a person or animal to exert force on physical objects using muscles. Increasing physical strength is the goal of strength training. That's all you need

[@amahboo101]

Thank you so much for your videos!! I love them!! Will be practising by using your instructions!! Yours in health and fitness From Brisbane, Australia

[@Scottium]

YESSSSS Ive been hoping for this - I want to learn the lifts but have nowhere to learn.

[@AfferbeckBeats]

Basically the same, just a power clean is classified as a clean caught while squatting above parallel. A full clean allows more weight to be lifted as you don't have to pull it as high to get it on your shoulders.

[@shawnt9622]

Thanks for your thorough explanation

[@cesarcandanozah7150]

Great video

[@aboveallco.3966]

Fantastic! thanks for sharing! Keep up the excellent work!

[@adc1222]

Is Donny going to London? Because he's absolutely incredible and it would be nice to see someone that isn't Bulgarian or Chinese do well in the Olympics.

[@saraysedeno8109]

This is a solid tutorial video

[@ElohimsBlade]

I really want to be an Olympian in the Olympic weightlifting category but I can't find a gym and you guys are the closest but you guys are far away

[@Tsunami007]

WOW, very impressive. Then very informative. Love it!

[@MoowChair]

I've got to try it. Thanks for the tip !

[@jamesholloway6328]

Good video very professional.

[@TeeWee0]

This is not how I have been taught, but the way I was taught hasn't increased my strength in a while so I'm looking at youtube to try and find out if I'm doing wrong and I stumbled over this.

[@Icebergslim91]

being doing power lifting for a few years now but man I really wish i could find a decent Olympic weightlifter coach in my area just to teach me the forms. I do front squats all the time and dead lifts like crazy it's just putting everything together that I would really want a pro to help me with

[@andresarpi4118]

Thanks, greats series!

[@68Nemesis]

Thanks for the video, very informative.

[@CaliforniaStrength]

Join the program that will help you smash through plateaus while receiving coaching from Dave and the Cal Strength team! We have training programs for Olympic weightlifting, CrossFit and Football. www.californiastrength.com

[@jeffreybabino8161]

Really like the channel will this training help a person in thear 50 to 60y years old age group thanks🏋️

[@mihaka1234]

Awesome, thanks boys

[@brenthodges7202]

They both have crazy pelvic tilt. Prime watching might think that is good form/position. Might be worth mentioning.

[@Franklifts77]

Just start. Learn them as soon as you can. Start with broomsticks and learn the proper positions, and add weight very slowly. And make sure you're constantly driving your back and front squat numbers up.

[@ekta__arya]

Very nice sir 👍👍🙏

[@illusionarytactic]

its crazy how clarence can outlift these guys without the guidance of a coach like Pendlay

[@brycelugviel8035]

True but you have to also take into consideration that this video was 4 years ago and how much shit Clarence is on

[@flawtyjohn133]

Clarence has gained less than 20kg of bodyweight in over 7 years of training, thats a pretty damn slow gain for someone on "much shit" lmao. He hardly deadlifted 210kg in 2011, 3 months ago he did 340kg for a hard single, are you going to tell me thats steroid progress? Almost 6 years to add that little? I´ve seen friends blast tren and other shit and add that much to their total in less than a year, dont give me that bullshit lmao. Its also very rare to see someone on gear that has prefect skin and normal hair growth and who´s overall as "small" as clarence is, small as in, compare the guy to Pete Rubish who´s obviously on gear and only a little heavier.

[@brycelugviel8035]

I should have specified. How much shit he is on the last year or so to now. Never did I say he was using back then, I never thought he was using back then. I'm talking about now. And he doesn't have perfect skin. Theres a recent video of him backsquatting in a tank top, you can clearly see quite a bit of acne on his shoulders. But, also the only lift you've mentioned is deadlift, which yes that is not a lot of pregress in 7 years (if he was using 7 years ago, which I don't think he was) but you have to take in other lifts to the equation. almost snatching 190kg, close to what the Russian 105kg lifters lift, C&J a close 225kg, roughly 20kg less than Ilya Ilyin who has been banned for life for steroid use. Like cmon man, you cant actually think hes been natty the last year or so.

[@jonathanstenger9179]

@@flawtyjohn133 nah dude, he is on gear. He mentioned it on a video but I don’t remember where, it might’ve been his patreon. But if you honestly think Clarence isn’t on anything, that’s pretty naive (I’m not saying you are.)

[@Oly1y]

@@flawtyjohn133 "almost 6 years to add that little?" 286 pounds as an advanced lifter is little to you? Okay

[@rickappaen]

Thank you very very much for this vid!!

[@simonsantander5816]

Funny how all you casuals say theres too much curve on the back. Thing is, once u start adding weight that curve is gonna get straighten due to the weight itself. Its ok. The guy in here knows what hes doing.

[@MarcoBuxCoach]

how come they've got those hyperextended bellies?

[@StreamlineK9]

Marco Bux they have anterior pelvic tilts. It ain’t good

[@samcharles3363]

They aren’t body builders they’re power lifters

[@iiDefied]

You won't have to use chalk if your shirt is on.

[@jeffreybabino8161]

That's a strong dude

[@patrick71179]

@californiastrength do you have any videos on his to improve the rack position or mobility/ stretch routines for prepping for the clean?

[@generaldom]

Thanks for this. My form is horrendous.

[@cleannyc3208]

Wish I could clean like that!

[@jeffreybabino8161]

Man donny is really strong

[@nathanledee3140]

The coach looks like shoe nice

[@8andre3]

who?

[@nach000x]

who?

[@SecretHat]

what?

[@Xdev1lG00D]

Lmao shoe nice

[@kreed1004]

he look like shoe nice

[@shaney54st]

that's er... quite a severe pelvic tilt you have there sir. does your love equipment face directly downward?

[@stefaniekuhlman6457]

I walked into my box thinking I was going to destroy the clean. Watched the vids over and over, but not this one unfortunately. I literally have mental confidence blocks with Olympic techniques. Would like to blame it on the horrible experience I had in HS doing a clean that ended me with a slipped disc: but that was eons ago. Anywhew.....I was not allowing myself to get underneath. My legs are my strongest so you think I would have no probls. TOTAL mental BS. Today is my last day at this box before moving up 'Nort' and cleans are on the menu! I am going to smash them: well Conquer the Clean! (my fave is STS: smash the snatch: all of my little one liners) Boyfriend owns the box in the tundra: wish I was better at this stuff before showing my mad skillz to all! So I THANK YOU FOR THE BREAKDOWN: I am realizing my coaches are not that good at 'coaching'.

[@vilimikkola2545]

What is this "box" you speak of? An event?

[@braedonrau9968]

Box =crossfit gym

[@lash2312]

where are the stretch videos for getting the bar to stabilise on the shoulders?

[@rickjames3562]

Guy on the left has a very terrible anterior pelvic tilt. I really hope he gets it corrected.

[@HIMAZZZ1991]

ye,,,but mainly just a big ass XD

[@LiveLoveLaugh522]

Where can the stretching exercise video referred to in this? The link did not work. Thanks!

[@corismsyn]

thanks!

[@marco4568]

shit holy shit I started doing this exercise called pendlay row. i thought glenn pendlay was sb in 20th century wow!!!

[@madsimon0]

So if you start teaching from jump and catch then when you actually teach the catch itself? As this is the most difficult bit for beginners. Doing catch instead of reversed curl.

[@MoowChair]

1:30 I have troubles achieving that position, but I cannot find any videos about that. My wrist only bends back around 45 degrees, so if I manage to hold the bar on my shoulders, I am literally choking because the bar presses my throat so hard. So I need to drastically improve my wrist flexibility.

[@Fugue602]

Any tips on getting into the first position? My wrist won't bend enough...

[@wojak91]

Your grip might be too narrow. Try a wider grip.

[@JustinRoseFan99]

Fugue State keep your elbows up

[@pennerkanal]

Fugue State you have to stretch your lats

[@3QuaNiMiTyy]

is this new, because i believe ive seen it on your website before?

[@TheRussellforbes]

How many people get injured? I lift weights with a pacemaker. I come close to injuring my self, but I wanna try this

[@pax41]

You will see that the guy at the start of the video uses your technique. The movement is fast but the hips are driving and there is a jump and shrug. The guys at the end are not doing that. The instructors notes that it is the first step they teach. He is just breaking it down step by step.

[@surajthapa6635]

Sir you are good

[@radrcer]

Great instruction. Obviously lowering a 45lb bar is easy, but what is the best movement to lower full weight from chest to quads I feel like im both damaging my lower back and bruising my quads when i drop the bar. A vid would be great. Thanks

[@truehopwood5339]

Drop it on the ground

[@p1n0yXer]

the first part is a power clean, just omit the part where you complete the front squat. Stop at part where you have to pause before you squat all the way down. if you go below parallel it's not a power clean.

[@iMaDeMoN2012]

I'm not agreeing with Monkey but Newton's Laws of Motion are the reason we have weight classes. The body's momentum is distributed to the weight making the force required to powerlift the weight less for heavier athletes than lighter ones. This true since difference in explosive speed for athletes of different size is relatively insignificant compared to mass difference where Momentum equals mass*velocity.

[@bonangigovindarao6645]

Nice 👍👍 sir

[@NewYorkFreeman]

Olympic lifts are supposed to be fast and explosive so the muscles are not under tension for long. This lets you use more weight. Try doing a clean slowly with actual weight.

[@PatCFLabat]

Jon is rippppeeeedddddd

[@Digiphex]

Is this the one exercise, if I only do one, that will make me huge?

[@DaBrute]

I really want to start doing these but the rack position is practically impossible for me to get into, its like my forearms are too long or something. i'm 6'2" w/ a 6'5" wingspan

[@tomgodleman1234]

Thanks for the vid! At the moment i'm struggling with a little lower back pain from these bigger more dynamic lifts. I'm guessing its my lower back muscles not being able to take the weight. Any suggestions or exercises on improving this?

[@johnkiltcher582]

Both of them have a serious anterior pelvic tilt going on!

[@dra9onfir3]

Yeah, they seem to set with a huge lordotic curve and anterior lye tilted pelvis. Why?

[@Transfunctioneer]

Is the chain of motion of the power clean similar to a push press? in that the legs explode first and provide a bulk of the power, and your traps simply finish it off?

[@fairylaw7847]

Resting the bar on the clavicle is wrong? I’m in high school, but they tell us that’s where it’s supposed to be.

[@petelebu]

man for the life of me i cant take the weight up to my shoulders, i can press it up once up, but on a power rack only, cleaning it for me is twice as hard as pressing it

[@pvtrichardsonbr]

I suck at this fucking excersice soooo much. And ive been lifting for 5 years now progressed in EVERYTHING except this and pullups. Its fucking ridiculous. Idk if its my joints or what?

[@wooby101]

pvtrichardsonbr my guess is that you probably have mobility issues and you aren't necessarily very POWERFUL. Not saying you aren't strong, as in static strength, I'd recommend doing some yoga and doing stuff like prowler sprints, 40s, fast box squats, clean shrugs, etc. Power type shit. As far as pullups, might just be that you're a big guy? I'm 185 lbs and I can deadlift 455 and bench 315 but I can't pullup for shit.

[@userblahblahblah96]

+Wooby God damn, I weigh 160 and can barley bench 225.

[@Jack-rk7jc]

+Wooby how many pull ups can you do though?

[@wooby101]

15-20. To give some background, I'm a 16 year old wrestler with a knack for biomechanics and lifting weights and all that shit.

[@MUSASHI108budo]

Yeah, I was getting at that sarcastically ;)

[@Fergus858]

Could I practice these movements with a broom or pole, or would that be pointless?

[@mikeg1032]

subbed

[@mattd6200]

this doesn't look easy, but it's way more technical than it seems.

[@keepingitdownwiththepashas]

the guys overdipped their hips. is that the correct form?

[@skyhr]

Actually these olympic lifts required about 3 times more strength than the normal weight-lifting versions

[@14cheetah14]

I was out of commission for 6 years due to health problems that are now cleared. I am now skinny and weak. Should I start with growing some shoulders and learning front squats before learning olympic lifting form? I was going to practice with empty bar for a while, but now Im not sure whats the best approach to get started...?

[@Lavabug]

Why not get on a standard linear strength program for a while and supplement with oly lift practice with an empty bar?

[@andrewedwards9482]

give strong lifts 5x5 a try to get your strength + size up bud, do it for 3-6 months, do some lifts, maybe look into something like DDP Yoga to keep your core strength and flexibility good, eat right. After 6 months - 1 year, you'll be ready.

[@vDriizg]

yea build some shoulders by simple pushups

[@14cheetah14]

Thanks to all.

[@wallogator11]

hia glen great videos im gonna start the texas method next week by mark rippetoe nd i was wondering if u kno what percentage of my 1rm i should be using for the cleans nd snatches? plz wb ta

[@Raptorel]

Hey Glenn do you know any stretch to help me get my elbows forward in the catch? I can't do any heavy cleans because I can't get my elbows forward and I always have to catch with my elbows down... so I actually "catch" the bar on my chest and hold it there with my arms which is a no-no. Other than the partner stretch you showed (where a partner comes underneath you and pushes your elbows up with his shoulders) do you know any others? Thanks a lot and keep up the good work!

[@dannytaggert]

I have been learning how to do this from these videos the only thing i have been having a problem with and is something you don't explain is the technique used to jump and catch. I have looked up different progression videos for doing it like high pulls and shrugs are these the same way you teach ***** ??

[@amahboo101]

I maybe wrong but I think the top of your thighs need to come into contact with the bar..at the same time..you have to shrug the shoulders, pull and explosively get yourself under the bar..I am by no means an expert as I am just squat cleaning 50kg. I had trouble cleaning 50kg for a while but as soon as my coach helped with hip to bar contact, I got it..easily..hope this info helps! Good luck ;)

[@xMacTavishx]

Do you guys ever do the jerk dip exercise? Is it truly necessary? I don't think I've seen any footage from you regarding that execise. Just considering whether to use it in my program or not.

[@dralol]

Very strong core muscles plus they generally don't care about bodyfat%

[@Bookstop1337]

Rob should have his anterior pelvic tilt looked at by a physio therapist.

[@alexcastel2244]

Do my biceps get in the way of this ??

[@lebensraum]

Guy on the left has a mean anterior pelvic tilt going on, wonder how that effects his lifts.

[@bish71]

I have a very important question: Is that a polo with a stack of weights on it? And if so where can I get it?

[@HapiNinja]

When he says shoulders back does he just mean to roll them back or to actually pinch your shoulder blades?

[@Jack-rk7jc]

just push your shoulders back. think of it as puffing your chest out.

[@andersbengtsson8521]

aint squat jerking better for the knees than lunging 1 leg out when pressing the bar up?it just seems like there is a insane amaount of bad pressure on the leg that you jump out with when ur going under the bar..

[@LteeP]

is there a difference between the clean and the clean and jerk?

[@lopu11]

yup... i dont know why... the bar hust get like in front of me... ill keep practicing :P

[@stevenanderson7807]

@ CaliforniaStrength my biggest mistake is that I have a tendency to lean my upper body back while trying to rack the bar. Do you have any suggestions for this issue?