Hang Clean Pull: How To, Benefits & Variations

The hang clean pull packs a punch in both strength and explosive power training. You could be an athlete looking to improve your performance or just someone who wants to mix it up a little, this exercise has a lot to offer. 

Today, we’re diving into the nitty-gritty of the clean pull from hang and we’ll show you how to do it, explain why you should do it, what mistakes to avoid, and we’ll explore some cool variations and alternatives to keep things interesting.

What Is the Hang Clean Pull?

The hang clean pull is a dynamic weightlifting exercise that develops explosive power and strength. To do it, you lift the bar from just below or above the knees to an extended position with a powerful shrug and pull. 

Unlike the full clean, where you catch the bar in a front squat, the hang clean stops at the peak of the pull just before turnover and focuses on the explosive phase of the lift. 

How to Do the Hang Clean Pull?

1. Setup

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and turn your toes out a little. Hold the bar with an overhand grip, about fist-width from your thighs, and let it rest at your mid-thigh.

2. Starting Position

Push your hips back to lower the bar. You can lower it either to just above your knees (high hang) or just below (low hang). Keep your back straight and core engaged. 

3. Second Pull and Power Position

Nope, we’re not missing the first pull by accident! There’s no first pull because you’re not lifting from the floor. 

Drive through your midfoot and extend your hips, knees, and ankles at the same time to transfer the power from your body to the bar. 

4. Shrug and Pull

As your hips , knees and ankles extend (known as triple extension), quickly shrug your shoulders back and up. This adds extra force to the movement. Bend your elbows, but keep them outside, and continue pulling the bar up. 

5. Final Position

The bar should get up to your chest level or higher, depending on how much force you’ve generated. Make sure your elbows stay higher than your wrists throughout the pull. 

Your body should be totally extended, standing on your toes, with shoulders shrugged and elbows high. That is, if you’ve done everything the way you were supposed to.

6. Lower the Bar

All that’s left to do is to lower the bar back! Extend your elbows and return your shoulders to a neutral position to carefully lower the bar. 

Now do it again! 

How to Program Hang Clean Pull?

Beginner

• Do 3-4 sets, with 5 reps per set
• Do the hang clean pull 2-3 times a week
• Your priority is mastering the form, so use either an empty bar or super light weights. Once you get the form down, you can increase the weight in 5-10 lbs increments

Intermediate

• Do 3-5 sets, with up to 5 reps per set
• Do the hang clean pull 1-3 times a week
• Use varying weights, like one heavy day, one moderate day, one light day. Work on the speed of your lifts and make sure that each pull is explosive. Start using that lift with other ones during your weightlifting complexes to solidify patterns and improve your clean.

Advanced

• Do up to 5 sets, with 2-5 reps per set
• Do the hang clean pull 1-2 times a week
• Since you’re already advanced, work on your specific limiting factors to improve, whether that’s strength, technique, power, etc. Use complexes and supersets to add intensity and volume to your workouts. 

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3 Common Hang Clean Pull Mistakes

❌ Pulling with the Arms to soon

The primary force should always come from your legs and hips, not your arms. If you rely on your arms too much, the exercise won’t be as effective as it’s supposed to be. Start pulling aggressively with arms after hip/thigh contact.

❌ Incorrect Bar Path

Do not allow the bar to drift away from your body because you can end up losing control. The bar needs to travel in a straight path close to you. Often incorrect elbow position can cause wrong bar path – be sure they stay out and high.

❌ Lifting your heels too soon

Make sure to use triple extension and don’t lift your heels too soon. Your ability to generate power will be highly limited during the second pull if you will pull from your toes.

3 Benefits of Hang Clean Pull

✅ Better Explosive Power, Coordination and more…

The hang clean pull focuses on generating explosive power, which is important for many sports and activities that rely on quick, powerful actions. Another benefit is because timing plays a very important role in hang clean pull, your coordination will benefit as well. 

Tips From the Champ

I like to emphasize patience here – don’t rush the pull. Make sure you’re feeling the tension in your hamstrings, balance on the midfoot before exploding upward. It’s all about staying over and controlling the bar on the way up.

Oleksiy Torokhtiy

Olympic Weightlifting Champion

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✅ Improved Full-Body Strength

Hang clean pulls engage a lot of major muscle groups, which makes it an excellent exercise for building overall body strength. Make sure your technique is on spot before you will try to challenge your strength with that exercise. 

✅ Increased Bone Density

The hang clean pull is  a weight-bearing exercise, and those improve bone density. Everyone will benefit from this, but it’s especially important for preventing osteoporosis. 

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2 Hang Clean Pull Variations

1. Low Hang Clean Pull

This one starts with the bar being just below the knees. It focuses on the first 2 phases of the lift and engages your legs, hips and lower back more – pulling phase will be longer. 

2. High Hang Clean Pull

The high hang clean pull starts with the bar being at or just above the middle of your thighs. It focuses on the second pull and the explosive extension of the hips and knees. Because there is less range of motion – movement focus needs to be on aggression and explosiveness. 

2 Hang Clean Pull Alternatives

1. Snatch Pull

The snatch pull is similar to the hang clean pull but it uses a wider grip and targets the upper body more. You explosively lift the bar from the floor to f.e. your chest height.

2. High Pull

The high pull is a partial movement of the clean that focuses on developing the traps and shoulders, but it still engages the lower body. To do it, you pull the barbell from the floor to chest height while keeping your elbows high and out. 

Who Should Do the Hang Clean Pull

1. Athletes

Athletes, especially those that are involved in sports that rely on explosive power and speed, shouldn’t skip on the hang clean pull. It mimics the explosive movements needed in many sports and helps athletes improve their performance. 

2. Weightlifters

Both Olympic weightlifters and powerlifters will benefit from the hang clean pull because it can improve their power, speed and other qualities important within these sports. 

3. Fitness Enthusiasts

People who are serious about their fitness and want to improve their strength and power will love the hang clean pull because it will build muscle strength and power, especially in the lower body and posterior chain. 

Muscles Worked by the Hang Clean Pull

The hang clean pull primarily targets the posterior chain, which includes the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. It also engages the quads for drive, and the traps and upper back during the shrug. The core, of course, keeps you stable and balanced, so it’s engaged, as well.

The shoulders and arms help guide the bar but aren’t primary movers. 

Conclusion

Still hangin’ in there? If you are, now you know what a powerhouse hang clean pull is. It has a bunch of benefits and if you learn the form properly, you’ll love it. 

Just make sure to start with light weights, always warm up before your workout, and cool down after. That’s the recipe for getting the most out of every exercise! 

Have you noticed any changes since incorporating the hang clean pull into your routine? If you haven’t tried it, what’s stopping you? 

Leave a comment and share your thoughts and tips with us! 

References:

1. Hyoung-Kil Park, Min-Kyung Jung, Eunkyung Park, Chang-Young Lee, Yong-Seok Jee, Denny Eun, Jun-Youl Cha, and Jaehyun Yoo. “The effect of warm-ups with stretching on the isokinetic moments of collegiate men.” Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation 14, no. 1 (2018): 78–82.
2. Stacey Carter “Why it’s important to cool down after exercise, according to the science,” LiveScience, https://www.livescience.com/why-its-important-to-cool-down-after-exercise-according-to-the-science (accessed July 25th, 2024)
3. “Slowing bone loss with weight-bearing exercise,” Harvard Health Publishing, https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/slowing-bone-loss-with-weight-bearing-exercise (accessed July 25th, 2024)
4. “Prevention Osteoporosis,” National Health Service, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/osteoporosis/prevention/ (accessed July 25th,2024)
5. Photos by Torokhtiy Media Team.