Exercise Library
Clean Shrug
AKA High-hang clean pull
AKA High-hang clean pull
Standing tall with the bar hanging in your clean grip and even balance over the whole foot, bend the knees and hips slightly, then push vertically with the legs to extend the body completely and accelerate the bar maximally just as you would at the top of a clean pull.
Extend the entire body approximately vertically—don’t try to mimic the hyperextension of the hips we would have in an actual clean. As the legs and hips finish extending, shrug up and back and actively keep the bar against the body through the extended position—at no point should it move away.
The heels will rise naturally with the effort to push against the ground forcefully. Keep the entire body tight and continue pushing against the ground until the bar stops moving up, then drop back to flat feet as the bar falls.
Notes
Generally the clean shrug is performed primarily with movement at the knees, with the trunk remaining essentially vertical throughout. However, some minimal inclination of the trunk is acceptable, although in the hang position, the bar should remain very high on the thighs. It can be performed with the lifter’s preferred hang position as long as it’s very high—essentially it’s just a cheating barbell shrug. The bar can be taken from high blocks or a power rack to avoid the lift from the floor when needed.
Purpose
The clean shrug is useful for training the final aggressive extension of the legs in the pull of the clean. It can also serve as a pull variation that taxes the lifter less than a full pull to be used to reduce the loading on an athlete during periods of recovery. It can also be used as an upper back strength builder that allows very large loads.
Programming
Generally the clean shrug should be done for 3-6 reps with anywhere from 90-120% of the lifter’s best clean, although this range can be exceeded where appropriate. It should usually be performed after primary and speed-oriented lifts like the classic lifts or variants, and before pure strength work like squats. However, it can also be performed at the end of workouts because of its relatively limited requirement of speed and precision.
Extend the entire body approximately vertically—don’t try to mimic the hyperextension of the hips we would have in an actual clean. As the legs and hips finish extending, shrug up and back and actively keep the bar against the body through the extended position—at no point should it move away.
The heels will rise naturally with the effort to push against the ground forcefully. Keep the entire body tight and continue pushing against the ground until the bar stops moving up, then drop back to flat feet as the bar falls.
Notes
Generally the clean shrug is performed primarily with movement at the knees, with the trunk remaining essentially vertical throughout. However, some minimal inclination of the trunk is acceptable, although in the hang position, the bar should remain very high on the thighs. It can be performed with the lifter’s preferred hang position as long as it’s very high—essentially it’s just a cheating barbell shrug. The bar can be taken from high blocks or a power rack to avoid the lift from the floor when needed.
Purpose
The clean shrug is useful for training the final aggressive extension of the legs in the pull of the clean. It can also serve as a pull variation that taxes the lifter less than a full pull to be used to reduce the loading on an athlete during periods of recovery. It can also be used as an upper back strength builder that allows very large loads.
Programming
Generally the clean shrug should be done for 3-6 reps with anywhere from 90-120% of the lifter’s best clean, although this range can be exceeded where appropriate. It should usually be performed after primary and speed-oriented lifts like the classic lifts or variants, and before pure strength work like squats. However, it can also be performed at the end of workouts because of its relatively limited requirement of speed and precision.
