Exercise Library
Clean Speed Pull
AKA Clean fast pull, Chinese clean pull, panda clean pull
AKA Clean fast pull, Chinese clean pull, panda clean pull
The clean speed pull is a variation of the clean high-pull in which the athlete pulls the body down with the arms after extending upward.
Perform a clean pull, but once the legs and hips have extended, continue immediately into a violent pull of the elbows up and out toward the sides while removing the pressure against the ground and allowing the legs to bend so your body moves down toward the bar. Keep your trunk as upright as possible rather than hinging forward, and keep the bar as close to the body as possible. Extend the body upright again so the arms are long before resetting for the next rep.
Alternatively, the feet can be lifted and moved out into the squat stance as you pull down, then hopped back to the pulling stance as you extend again for the next rep.
It’s critical that full extension of the legs and hips is achieved before you move down, or you’re simply training an incomplete pull.
Notes
This is not a recommended exercise for lifters who have the habit of cutting their extension short in the clean, as it’s difficult to perform correctly with full extension, and if done incorrectly, will further reinforce the bad habit of not finishing the pull.
Purpose
The clean speed pull is an exercise for training strength, speed, power, posture and balance in the extension of the clean in the same way the clean pull does, but with the added training of the mechanics and strength of the arms that will be used in the third pull like the clean high-pull does, and additionally trains the timing and mechanics of the movement of the body down under the bar unlike a conventional high-pull.
Programming
Generally the clean speed pull should be done for 2-5 reps per set anywhere from 70%-100% of the lifter’s best clean. Newer lifters whose cleans are significantly limited by technique will likely need to pull heavier percentages. In any case, the weight should not exceed what the lifter can do with proper positioning, technique and speed.
As a strength exercise, it should be placed toward the end of a workout, but because it also involves some speed and technique, it’s generally best place before more basic strength work like squats.
Variations
The clean speed pull can be performed with or without movement of the feet from the pulling to receiving position, standing on a riser, from blocks, with either a static start or dynamic start, with or without straps, with pauses on the way up, and with prescribed concentric and/or eccentric speeds.
Perform a clean pull, but once the legs and hips have extended, continue immediately into a violent pull of the elbows up and out toward the sides while removing the pressure against the ground and allowing the legs to bend so your body moves down toward the bar. Keep your trunk as upright as possible rather than hinging forward, and keep the bar as close to the body as possible. Extend the body upright again so the arms are long before resetting for the next rep.
Alternatively, the feet can be lifted and moved out into the squat stance as you pull down, then hopped back to the pulling stance as you extend again for the next rep.
It’s critical that full extension of the legs and hips is achieved before you move down, or you’re simply training an incomplete pull.
Notes
This is not a recommended exercise for lifters who have the habit of cutting their extension short in the clean, as it’s difficult to perform correctly with full extension, and if done incorrectly, will further reinforce the bad habit of not finishing the pull.
Purpose
The clean speed pull is an exercise for training strength, speed, power, posture and balance in the extension of the clean in the same way the clean pull does, but with the added training of the mechanics and strength of the arms that will be used in the third pull like the clean high-pull does, and additionally trains the timing and mechanics of the movement of the body down under the bar unlike a conventional high-pull.
Programming
Generally the clean speed pull should be done for 2-5 reps per set anywhere from 70%-100% of the lifter’s best clean. Newer lifters whose cleans are significantly limited by technique will likely need to pull heavier percentages. In any case, the weight should not exceed what the lifter can do with proper positioning, technique and speed.
As a strength exercise, it should be placed toward the end of a workout, but because it also involves some speed and technique, it’s generally best place before more basic strength work like squats.
Variations
The clean speed pull can be performed with or without movement of the feet from the pulling to receiving position, standing on a riser, from blocks, with either a static start or dynamic start, with or without straps, with pauses on the way up, and with prescribed concentric and/or eccentric speeds.
