Cleans vs Power Cleans vs Hang Cleans - What's the Difference?!
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(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 10/20/23)
Cleans, hang cleans, power cleans, hang power cleans - what are the differences between these lifts, and how can we remember these differences in an easy and practical manner? To sort this out, we first need to understand two words - hang and power.
HANG
Hang refers to a starting position, so if you see the word hang, then you know the lift starts with the bar hanging in your hands. Common hang positions include the mid-thigh, low thigh, above the knee, below the knee, and even mid-shin, but most often (without any other specific qualifiers), hang typically refers to a start position at the mid to low thigh.
Finally, note that if you don’t see the word hang, then you know the lift starts with the bar resting on the floor.
POWER
Power refers to a landing position (AKA receiving position), i.e., the position in which you catch or rack the bar. When you see the word power, simply think partial squat (tip: power and partial both start with the letter “p”). Thus, if you see the word power, you’re going to receive the clean in a partial depth squat (i.e., not a full depth squat). If you don’t see the word power, then you know you’re going to receive the clean in a full depth squat.
Now that you’ve got those two terms down, it’s time for the actual lifts . .
CLEAN (AKA squat clean or full clean)
Since you don’t see the word hang, the bar starts on the floor, and since you don’t see the word power, it’s not received in a partial squat and is therefore received in a full depth front squat before being stood up.
In summary, the clean starts with the bar on the floor, the bar is accelerated upward, it is received in a full depth front squat, and then the lifter recovers (i.e., stands up).
POWER CLEAN
You don’t see the word hang, so the bar starts on the floor, but you do see the word power, so the bar is received in a partial depth front squat.
In summary, the power clean starts with the bar on the floor, the bar is accelerated upward, it is received in a partial depth front squat, and then the lifter recovers.
HANG CLEAN
You see the word hang, so the bar starts hanging in the lifter’s hands, but you don’t see the word power, so the bar is received in a full depth front squat.
In summary, the hang clean starts with the bar hanging in the hands, the bar is accelerated upward, it is received in a full depth front squat, and then the lifter recovers.
HANG POWER CLEAN
Not surprisingly, this is a combination of both the hang clean and the power clean - the love child of both of those lifts. You see the word hang, so the bar starts hanging in the lifter’s hands, and you also see the word power, so the bar is received in a partial depth front squat.
In summary, the hang power clean starts with the bar hanging in the hands, the bar is accelerated upward, it is received in a partial depth front squat, and then the lifter recovers.
By knowing what hang and power mean - and knowing what it means when those words aren’t present - you’ll be able to consistently figure out these variations of the clean. As always, we hope this helps you get stronger and live better.
-Phil
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