Exercise Library
Clean With No Jump On Riser
Set the clean starting position tightly—it should be the same as from the floor, but with more knee and hip flexion. In other words, the same back angle but deeper—don’t simply hinge more at the hips. Most athletes will need to use their squat stance instead of pulling stance.
Push with the legs through the whole foot against the floor similarly to a squat, and maintain approximately the same back angle until the bar is past the knees. The tendency on a riser will be to start or quickly shift to a higher-hip position, which both defeats the purpose of the exercise and creates new problems.
Complete the clean, but at the top of the pull, continue pushing aggressively through the floor with the legs and pulling the bar up higher than you normally would before pulling under aggressively, keeping the balls of the feet in contact with the riser throughout the motion.
Notes
Riser heights do not need to be and should not be very high—3 inches is generally as high as you ever need to go. Too high, and it’s impossible to establish proper back extension in the starting position, which largely defeats the purpose.
Purpose
The clean with no jump primarily helps to train a longer and more powerful leg drive in the pull of the clean, and better timing of the transition between the second and third pulls, specifically the need to continue driving against the floor while initiating the pull under. Additionally, it can be helpful to correct any type of imbalances during the pull or turnover of the lift because the athlete’s base can’t move to compensate for unintended displacement of the center of mass, or simply to help reduce excessive foot elevation.
Lifting on a riser strengthens the pull and emphasizes strength and position in the initial pull from the floor and the ability to maintain proper posture with heavy weights. It can also help lifters stop cutting their pulls short, but it can also have the opposite effect if done poorly. Together the variations will primarily help lifters pull completely, especially with leg drive.
Programming
Generally the clean with no jump on riser can be programmed as you would conventional cleans, but with the expectation that weights will be 10-20% lighter depending on experience. They can be used as a lighter clean exercise to focus on technique between heavier days, or before cleans as a primer to encourage more complete pulls. Use sets of 1-3 reps, and never exceed loading that allows proper positioning.
Variations
The clean with no jump on riser can be with one or more pauses on the way up, with slow concentrics in the lower range to emphasize control over posture and balance, with a static or dynamic start, and many other possibilities.
Push with the legs through the whole foot against the floor similarly to a squat, and maintain approximately the same back angle until the bar is past the knees. The tendency on a riser will be to start or quickly shift to a higher-hip position, which both defeats the purpose of the exercise and creates new problems.
Complete the clean, but at the top of the pull, continue pushing aggressively through the floor with the legs and pulling the bar up higher than you normally would before pulling under aggressively, keeping the balls of the feet in contact with the riser throughout the motion.
Notes
Riser heights do not need to be and should not be very high—3 inches is generally as high as you ever need to go. Too high, and it’s impossible to establish proper back extension in the starting position, which largely defeats the purpose.
Purpose
The clean with no jump primarily helps to train a longer and more powerful leg drive in the pull of the clean, and better timing of the transition between the second and third pulls, specifically the need to continue driving against the floor while initiating the pull under. Additionally, it can be helpful to correct any type of imbalances during the pull or turnover of the lift because the athlete’s base can’t move to compensate for unintended displacement of the center of mass, or simply to help reduce excessive foot elevation.
Lifting on a riser strengthens the pull and emphasizes strength and position in the initial pull from the floor and the ability to maintain proper posture with heavy weights. It can also help lifters stop cutting their pulls short, but it can also have the opposite effect if done poorly. Together the variations will primarily help lifters pull completely, especially with leg drive.
Programming
Generally the clean with no jump on riser can be programmed as you would conventional cleans, but with the expectation that weights will be 10-20% lighter depending on experience. They can be used as a lighter clean exercise to focus on technique between heavier days, or before cleans as a primer to encourage more complete pulls. Use sets of 1-3 reps, and never exceed loading that allows proper positioning.
Variations
The clean with no jump on riser can be with one or more pauses on the way up, with slow concentrics in the lower range to emphasize control over posture and balance, with a static or dynamic start, and many other possibilities.
