Hang Power Clean: Technique, Benefits & Common Mistakes

If you want something dynamic and powerful to add to your routine, the hang power clean might just be what you need. This is an exercise that will boost your explosive power and engage a lot of major muscle groups, so you’ll get a well-rounded workout out of it. 

You could be an athlete looking for ways to get a competitive edge, a weightlifter wanting to work on their technique, or a regular gym-going Joe, the hang power clean has something to offer for everyone. 

Let’s dive right in and explore everything there is to know about this exercise – how to do it, what benefits you can expect to get, variations and alternatives to keep things fresh, some mistakes to avoid…. Basically, everything!

What Is the Hang Power Clean?

The hang power clean is a weightlifting exercise in which you lift a barbell from a “hang” position – either low (just above the knees)  or high (mid-thigh) –  to a “clean” position, where the bar rests on the front of your shoulders. Unlike a regular clean, which starts from the floor, the hang power clean starts from a hanging position above the ground. 

This explosive movement is meant to develop power, strength, and speed. It’s focusing on your ability to generate force quickly. In the hang power clean, the bar is caught in a half squat instead of a deep squat, and it requires the bar to travel higher. This adjustment means that you typically can’t lift as much weight as with a full clean.

The hang power clean targets mostly your legs, back, shoulders, and core. 

How to Do the Hang Power Clean?

Even if you’ve never done the hang power clean, you now sort of have an idea of what it is, so let’s see how to do it. 

1. Starting Position

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and grip the bar with a clean grip (meaning, your hands should be about a fist wider than your shoulders) and use a hook grip to secure it. 

Stand tall, then bend your knees and hips a little to lower the bar just above the knees (high hang) or just below (low hang). Make sure your back is straight, your chest is up, and your shoulders are over the bar. 

2. Second Pull and Power Position

With the hang version of the exercise, there is no real first pull so we’re going straight into the second one. 

Bend your knees and hips a little to create a dip or just go from an isometric hold. Your feet should stay flat on the floor and the arms straight. 

Now, explosively extend your hips, knees, and ankles and pull the bar up while keeping it close to your body. This is the most powerful part of the lift, where you generate the most momentum.

Extend your body completely, coming up onto your toes, and keep the bar close to your body to maximize power and control. 

3. Turnover and Catch

As the bar goes to its highest point, quickly rotate your elbows under and around the bar and aim to catch it on your shoulders. Keep the bar close to maintain control and prevent it from crashing onto your shoulders. This quick movement is crucial for transitioning the bar to the front rack position. 

Unlike the full clean, where you catch the bar in a deep squat, you’ll catch it in a half squat position. Your elbows should be high and forward, your knees bent, and your hips back. Your core should be engaged to stabilize the catch. 

Make sure the bar rests comfortably on your shoulder and if you need to , adjust the grip so it can accommodate the front rack position. 

4. Recovery

Extend your hips and knees to stand up straight. Keep the bar under control before you lower it back to the starting position or drop it on the ground. 

How to Program Hang Power Clean?

Beginner

• Do 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps per set to keep the accuracy. 
• Do the hang power clean 2-3 times per week
• Use either an empty barbell or very, very light weights because your priority is learning the form. As you get more comfortable with the exercise and you learn the form, you can increase the weight by 5-10 lbs

Intermediate

• Do 3-5 sets of 3-4 reps per set
• Do the hang power clean 1-2 times a week
• Keep a close eye on your form. You can keep increasing the weight in 5-10 lbs increments but only if you’re able to do the exercise with correct form. Work on maximizing your power output; 65-80% of your 1RM may be ideal for that. 

Advanced

• Do 3-5 sets of 1-3 reps per set
• Do the hang power clean with different weights to address what needs to be addressed – speed, power, strength, technique. 
• Include that movement into your oly lifting complexes.

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4 Common Hang Power Clean Mistakes

Mistakes are a part of the learning process and there’s no way you won’t make them. But it’s still useful to be aware of those that are the most common so you can prevent them or at least do them less frequently. 

❌ Bar Too Far from the Body

If you allow the bar to drift too far away from your body, you risk losing control over it. Keep it as close as you can throughout the lift and try to achieve a vertical bar path – it will make your lift much more optimal. 

❌ Lack of Confidence

The hang power clean is supposed to be explosive and powerful – it’s in the name! So if you don’t extend your hips, knees, and ankles explosively, the lift won’t be as effective. That powerful, explosive triple extension will generate maximum momentum, so you want to make sure you do it right. 

❌ Low Elbow Position in the Catch

You should catch the bar with elbows being high and pointed forward. If your elbows are too low, it’ll cause discomfort, but also may not allow you to complete the lift and you will drop the bar. 

❌ Not Warming Up Properly

So many people rush through warm-up because they don’t understand how important it is. Take the time to warm up thoroughly to prepare your muscles and joints for the workout ahead, and to prevent potential injuries. 

5 Benefits of Hang Power Clean

There are many hang power clean benefits. For example, studies have shown that it can improve your power, resulting in better performance in sports an activities that rely on high power outputs. Sounds impressive, right? Let’s see what else it can do for you. 

✅ Improved Explosive Power

The hang power clean is dynamic and trains your muscles to quickly generate force. That explosiveness is really important for athletes in sports that need quick, powerful movements, like springint, jumping, and throwing. 

✅ Increased Full-Body Strength

This is an exercise that engages a lot of major muscle groups, so when you include it into your routine, you can build overall strength and muscular coordination. 

Tips From the Champ

With hang power cleans, timing is everything. I always tell my athletes to think about being patient and control the balance in the hang position before exploding up – this move is all about speed and precision.

Oleksiy Torokhtiy

Olympic Weightlifting Champion

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✅ Improves Second Pull and Fast Turnover

The hang power clean focuses on the second pull and the turnover. When you start form a hang position, you can concentrate on generating maximum momentum  power during the second pull and practice quick, efficient turnover and catch. 

✅ Lower Entry Point

This exercise is excellent for people who can’t or just don’t want to do the traditional clean. Since you’re starting from a hang position, there’s no need for a deep squat, so it’s more accessible and you still get the benefits of a power clean.

✅ Improved Coordination

Your upper and lower body need to be in sync if you want to do the hang power clean correctly, so over time, it will help you develop better neuromuscular communication and body awareness in general. 

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2 Hang Power Clean Variations

We all love the hang power clean, but you need to switch it up sometimes to keep things interesting. If you’re really brave, you can do it standing on one leg because that will develop your explosive power and force input even more, but if you don’t want to risk it, here are some variations.

1. High Hang Power Clean

For this variation, you’ll hold the bar just above your knee and this will be your starting point. This exercise helps improve speed and power in the second pull and it’s great for athletes (or anyone else) who want to work on their quick, explosive movements.

2. Low Hang Power Clean

Here, you’ll start off with the bar being just below your knees. This variation needs a deeper bend, so it promotes greater stability and strength in the pull. It’s a great choice for people who want to improve their pulling power and improve a bit strength of their back. 

3 Hang Power Clean Alternatives

You can never have too many exercises at your disposal, so when you get fed up with variations, mix it up with alternatives! 

1. Power Clean

The power clean starts from the floor instead of the hang position and it gives you a greater range of motion that works more muscles. It’s a great alternative for people who want to improve their technique in the traditionalOlympic lifts. 

2. Single or Double Kettlebell Clean

You lift one or two kettlebells from a hang position to your shoulders in a smooth, explosive motion. This exercise will improve grip strength, coordination, and explosive power. 

3. Muscle Clean 

The muscle clean is similar to the power clean, but there’s no squat catch. Lift the bar from the floor and pull it up to your shoulders without dropping into a squat. This exercise focuses on upper body strength and power and it’s a simpler than the hang power clean. 

Who Should Do the Hang Power Clean?

Well, you’ve seen the benefits, so can you really think of anyone that the hang power clean wouldn’t be good for?  

Of course, there are some specific groups of people that will particularly benefit from it, so let’s mention them. 

1. Athletes

Athletes from a lot of sports can benefit from the hang power clean. It’s an exercise that improves power, speed, and athletic performance in general, all of which is important for activities like sprinting, jumping, and changing directions quickly. It has a lower entry point than regular clean because you don’t need to catch the bar in a full depth squat.

2. Weightlifters

Weightlifters and people who are training for Olympic competitions should have the barbell hang power clean as part of their routine. It’s excellent for improving clean technique, building power, and refining movements needed for other Olympic lifts. 

3. Fitness Enthusiasts

If you’re a fitness junkie looking to improve your strength and conditioning, you should do the hang power clean. It will give you a full-body workout, improve muscle strength,. It can be a great addition to your WODs.

Muscles Worked by the Hang Power Clean

The hang power clean workout targets a lot of different muscle groups, so it’s a powerful full-body exercise. 

It mostly works the lower body muscles, including the quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, which are important if you want to be able to generate explosive power. The upper body muscles, such as lower back, the traps, delts, and lats, are engaged as well. 

Also, the biceps and forearms are involved in gripping and controlling the bar. The core, which includes the abs and obliques, helps maintain stability and balance throughout the lift. 

Conclusion

What’s not to like about the hang power clean, right? It works many muscle groups, boosts your explosive power, improves coordination, helps keep your bones healthy and strong… There’s absolutely no reason why it shouldn’t be a part of your routine.

Have you tried it? If you have, what results have you noticed? If you haven’t, do you prefer some of the alternatives perhaps? Any tips or tricks for those that are new to this?

Leave your comments below!

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. Naruhiro Hori, Robert Usher Newton, Warren A. Andrews, Naoki Kawamori, “Does Performance of Hang Power Clean Differentiate Performance of Jumping, Sprinting, and Changing of Direction?” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 22, no. 2 (2008): 412-418.
3. Seiichiro Takei, Kuniaki Hirayama, Junichi Okada, “Is the Optimal Load for Maximal Power Output During Hang Power Cleans Submaximal?” International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance 15, no. 1 (2023): 18-24.
4. Stephan Geisler, Tim Havers, Eduard Isenmann, Jonas Schulze, Leonie K. Lourens, Jannik Nowak, Steffen Held, G. Gregory Haff, “Effects of Expertise on Muscle Activity during the Hang Power Clean and Hang Power Snatch Compared to Snatch and Clean Pulls – An Explorative Analysis,” Journal of Sports Science and Medicine 22, no. 3 (2023): 778-789.
5. Ryohei Hayashi, Takuya Yoshida, Yasushi Kariyama, “Differences in Kinetics during One- and Two-Leg Hang Power Clean,” Sports 9, no. 4 (2021): 45.
6. Photos by Torokhtiy Media Team.