Exercise Library
Floating Clean
The floating clean is essentially a hang clean from the lowest possible position. It’s useful for building strength in the pull from the floor along with better balance and postural control.
With your clean grip and pulling stance, deadlift the bar to the standing position. Brace the trunk forcefully, and lower the bar under control until the plates are as close to the floor as possible without touching, ensuring proper position and even balance over the whole foot.
Initiate the lift by pushing with the legs through the floor, keeping approximately the same back angle until above the knees. Complete the rest of the clean as you would otherwise.
Purpose
The floating clean is useful for building strength in the pull from the floor along with better balance and postural control. It’s particularly helpful for lifters who tend to tip forward or lose balance in the first pull, or who struggle to find the correct position.
Programming
Floating clean reps should generally be kept to 1-3 per set. If being used for technique work, weights should remain light (around 60-70% or lighter); for use as a lighter clean variation on a lighter training day, weights can be as heavy or light as needed for the athlete at that time, but a loose guideline would be about 70-80%. Otherwise the floating clean can be used just like the clean in training. It’s common to start with some kind of pull variation like pull to hip, pull to hold or halting deadlift rather than simply deadlifting the bar up any way.
See Also
All Hang Positions
Lowering the Bar
With your clean grip and pulling stance, deadlift the bar to the standing position. Brace the trunk forcefully, and lower the bar under control until the plates are as close to the floor as possible without touching, ensuring proper position and even balance over the whole foot.
Initiate the lift by pushing with the legs through the floor, keeping approximately the same back angle until above the knees. Complete the rest of the clean as you would otherwise.
Purpose
The floating clean is useful for building strength in the pull from the floor along with better balance and postural control. It’s particularly helpful for lifters who tend to tip forward or lose balance in the first pull, or who struggle to find the correct position.
Programming
Floating clean reps should generally be kept to 1-3 per set. If being used for technique work, weights should remain light (around 60-70% or lighter); for use as a lighter clean variation on a lighter training day, weights can be as heavy or light as needed for the athlete at that time, but a loose guideline would be about 70-80%. Otherwise the floating clean can be used just like the clean in training. It’s common to start with some kind of pull variation like pull to hip, pull to hold or halting deadlift rather than simply deadlifting the bar up any way.
See Also
All Hang Positions
Lowering the Bar
