Exercise Library
Flat-Footed Clean Pull
The flat-footed clean pull is simply a clean pull in which the feet remain flat at the top rather than the heels rising.
Note that a flat-footed pull is NOT just a fast deadlift—it still has the same scoop or double knee bend motion of a pull because of the vertically oriented leg drive.
Set the clean starting position tightly and push with the legs through the whole foot against the floor similarly to a squat. Maintain even balance over the whole foot and actively keep the bar as close to the legs as possible, and maintain approximately the same back angle until the bar is past the knees. Once at lower to mid-thigh, open the hips explosively while driving vertically with the legs even harder to accelerate maximally, but keep actively pushing the whole foot evenly into the floor.
Extend the entire body approximately vertically—don’t try to mimic the hyperextension of the hips we would have in an actual clean. Shrug up and back and bend the elbows slightly to actively keep the bar against the body through the extended position—at no point should it move away.
Return the bar to the floor under minimal control to maintain your grip and basic position for the next rep.
Notes
A flat-footed pull is NOT just a fast deadlift—it still has the same scoop/double knee bend motion of a pull because of the vertically oriented leg drive. If you’re struggling to make it work, start by doing them from the power position to focus totally on the final leg push.
Purpose
The flat-footed clean pull serves the same purposes as the clean pull, but can be helpful for athletes who tend to raise the heels prematurely and/or shift forward in their pulls.
Programming
Generally the flat-footed clean pull should be done for 2-5 reps per set anywhere from 80%-110% of the lifter’s best clean depending on the lifter and how much emphasis needs to be placed on speed versus strength. Newer lifters whose cleans are significantly limited by technique will likely need to pull much heavier percentages to adequately train strength in the pull.
In any case, the weight should not exceed what the lifter can do with proper positioning and technique and speed in the final extension. If heavier weights are desired, typically deadlift or partial pull variations are preferable.
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 placed before more basic strength work like squats.
Variations
The flat-footed clean pull can be performed on a riser, with slow eccentrics (3-6 seconds typically), with one or more pauses on the way up, from various hang or block heights, with slow concentrics in the lower range to emphasize control over posture and balance, with a static or dynamic start, with or without straps, and many other possibilities.
Note that a flat-footed pull is NOT just a fast deadlift—it still has the same scoop or double knee bend motion of a pull because of the vertically oriented leg drive.
Set the clean starting position tightly and push with the legs through the whole foot against the floor similarly to a squat. Maintain even balance over the whole foot and actively keep the bar as close to the legs as possible, and maintain approximately the same back angle until the bar is past the knees. Once at lower to mid-thigh, open the hips explosively while driving vertically with the legs even harder to accelerate maximally, but keep actively pushing the whole foot evenly into the floor.
Extend the entire body approximately vertically—don’t try to mimic the hyperextension of the hips we would have in an actual clean. Shrug up and back and bend the elbows slightly to actively keep the bar against the body through the extended position—at no point should it move away.
Return the bar to the floor under minimal control to maintain your grip and basic position for the next rep.
Notes
A flat-footed pull is NOT just a fast deadlift—it still has the same scoop/double knee bend motion of a pull because of the vertically oriented leg drive. If you’re struggling to make it work, start by doing them from the power position to focus totally on the final leg push.
Purpose
The flat-footed clean pull serves the same purposes as the clean pull, but can be helpful for athletes who tend to raise the heels prematurely and/or shift forward in their pulls.
Programming
Generally the flat-footed clean pull should be done for 2-5 reps per set anywhere from 80%-110% of the lifter’s best clean depending on the lifter and how much emphasis needs to be placed on speed versus strength. Newer lifters whose cleans are significantly limited by technique will likely need to pull much heavier percentages to adequately train strength in the pull.
In any case, the weight should not exceed what the lifter can do with proper positioning and technique and speed in the final extension. If heavier weights are desired, typically deadlift or partial pull variations are preferable.
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 placed before more basic strength work like squats.
Variations
The flat-footed clean pull can be performed on a riser, with slow eccentrics (3-6 seconds typically), with one or more pauses on the way up, from various hang or block heights, with slow concentrics in the lower range to emphasize control over posture and balance, with a static or dynamic start, with or without straps, and many other possibilities.
