Sully Power Clean - The Dos & Don’ts of Lifting

Dr. Jonathan Sullivan joins Matt and Scott to discuss the merits and drawbacks of including the power clean in someone’s program. Who should perform it, and how do we evaluate if someone should or should not perform the power clean?

Sully has 3 criteria for assessing whether someone should perform the power clean:

1. Want to do it
2. Aptitude to do it
3. Tolerate it

For those who meet the above criteria, it can be beneficial. 

Sully believes the power clean develops and trains power. It is an accessory pulling exercise. It also introduces the lifter to Olympic weightlifting, a whole other arena in the strength and barbell world that that lifter might be interested in. 

The power clean also helps the lifter learn how to commit to a movement pattern. You can’t hesitate with the clean. This carries over to other lifts, like the squat, in committing to the execution of the lift. 

Matt, Scott, and Sully agree that to be a good, well-rounded barbell coach a coach should be able to coach the power clean and power snatch. 

One thing they also agree on is that the power clean is not appropriate for a novice’s linear progression program. 

Lastly, there are the limitations and realities of the coaching session. In a 2-hour out-of-town session, there’s not enough time to coach the power clean and the other 4 lifts. Because of this, the power clean is best for clients who you see multiple times a week in-person (though it can be coached online, especially with some in-person additional coaching and the client being able to commit to filming and looking at his own lifts). 

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