The Importance of Clean Progressions for Power Development
For many schools, one of the staples of their strength program is the clean and it’s variations. The clean emphasizes power development, by allowing athletes to produce a large amount of force in a very short period of time. Although it’s universally accepted that the clean is an excellent method for developing power, it does require a degree of technique that can take time to develop. The task of teaching the clean becomes magnified when working with large groups. In this video, we detail the clean progressions we use in large groups to help hone in their technique in the Olympic lifts.
Keep in mind that the key to success is that the athlete masters each individual progression before moving onto the next. For some, this can take a few days, and for others it may take several weeks. Another important facet of teaching the clean is to remember not to overload the athlete with cues. Administer a cue, work to fix that issue, then move on to the next fault. We have found that if we can keep it basic, our athletes master the clean progressions much faster.
Although our clean progressions are extensive and do take some time to master individually, we’ve found them to actually be an incredible time-saver. Once an athlete masters the basics, they’re able to self-regulate their lifting moving forward. The benefits of our clean progressions include:
Enhanced Motor Skill:
Motor skills refer to movements that are carried out when the brain, nervous system, and muscles all work together in unison. Being a complex movement pattern, the clean develops coordination that may not occur with less technical movements.
Improved Power Output:
The clean creates power improvements that are highly-transferable to those found in sports. Research has shown that the clean increases leaping ability as well as foot sprint speed. This increased power output will also enhance their overall speed and agility.
Use a technique bar, like the IronRange Aluminique 15 lb Technique Bar when introducing Olympic lifts like the clean. The lightweight bar allows students and clients to safely practice their form.
