THIS WEEK'S QUESTION
From our video Cleans vs Power Cleans vs Hang Cleans - What's the Difference?! (click the title to watch):
Josh P
Besides ease of operation, is there any inherent advantage between the variations? Is one preferable to the others based on what muscles are being targeted or what fitness goals are?
Phil
(edited for length)
Below is a quick list - it could be fleshed out more, but it will get you started:
Clean (AKA full clean or squat clean):
This will permit a lifter to lift the most weight, so it's the most common variation seen in competition (although not the only variation).
Power Clean:
This allows you to move a lot of weight (a reasonably high percentage of a full clean) without requiring a lifter to become proficient at receiving the bar in a front squat position. For general training (i.e., general strength training including those who play sports), this is the variation I'd recommend the most. Olympic lifters will still use this variation as well as it provides excellent practice and focus on finishing the pull completely and explosively.
Hang Clean:
This can be especially useful for those who are working on technical aspects of the pull. For example, if someone has an early arm bend, this is easier to fix by shortening the distance of the pull (since you're not pulling from the floor), and then slowly lowering the height of the hang position until you're back to pulling from the floor (only going lower if there's no arm pull).
Hang Power Clean:
This is the simplest of all of them, so it often is the first variation used in teaching a lifter how to clean (we also use it this way). Because it is the simplest, you will also often see this most commonly in high school and college weight rooms because it requires the least coaching - you don't have to coach your lifter how to correctly pull from the floor or how to front squat.
