To Clean or Not to Clean...

To Clean or Not to Clean…

September 15, 2008

There’s been some argument over the last few years in the athletic training field over how, if at all, the Olympic Lifts should be placed into the strength training programs for athletes. The Power Clean has long been a staple of football training programs. The clean is said to build explosive power in the hips and legs. It also builds considerable muscle in the back and traps.

The use of Dynamic (or speed) training has delivered a considerable blow to the Power Clean’s popularity. So, are they necessary or is Dynamic effort training better?

The answer is yes and yes. Let me explain. The Clean is a powerful TOOL in your strength training arsenal. But, it is just a tool and should not be the focus of the program, as some have stated. Cleans do build explosive strength and help build up the back, traps and legs.

However, Dynamic effort lifting is probably better at becoming explosive and powerful. But, both should be used.

The clean can easily be plugged in to a Max Effort day when you just don’t have it in you to do a huge Squat or Deadlift. It will indeed build big traps! It will also improve explosiveness…but I think there’s an aspect to the power clean that is often overlooked…Conditioning.

Using the power clean, with dumbbells, a barbell, or kettlebells, for high reps is a killer conditioning exercise. It will help you melt fat off your body and provide real-world conditioning.
Just grab two moderately heavy dumbbells and start cleaning them. Either go for high reps or, better yet, time the movement….go as high as 2 minutes if you dare.

Remember, all of these exercises are tools, all have their unique applications, so please don’t rely on any one to be a magic bullet.

Questions Comments? http://www.explosivefootballtraining.com