Save Your Cleans With A Double Bounce
Ideally in cleans, you catch the bounce out of the bottom to capitalize on the elastic energy and make the recovery quicker and easier.
But if you make a mistake in position or timing on a heavy clean, you’re going to miss that bounce and find yourself at the bottom of a tough squat.
Instead of just trying to do a pause front squat, and risk failing, or if you do stand up, wasting way more energy than you needed to and missing the subsequent jerk, you can still create a bounce—it won’t be as effective as the real thing, but far better than none at all.
First, never relax your trunk—always maintain forceful bracing.
If possible, never sit still in the bottom—continue bouncing rhythmically while making any necessary adjustments to your balance or position.
If you need more air, quickly take in a new breath at the top of one of the bounces you’re creating when the weight of the bar is reduced momentarily.
If you’re unsure how to create these bounces, sit into the bottom of an unloaded squat with your trunk tight. Drive a few inches up and relax the legs to drop down again, then use the natural springiness in the bottom to contribute to the next drive up.
Doing this requires decent squat mobility—if you can’t close your knee without relaxing your back, bouncing out of a clean isn’t an option for you at all.
Once you’re balanced and the bar is secure, progressively increase the magnitude of the bounces until you feel enough to commit to standing—and then push up out of that squat as aggressively and quickly as possible.
But if you make a mistake in position or timing on a heavy clean, you’re going to miss that bounce and find yourself at the bottom of a tough squat.
Instead of just trying to do a pause front squat, and risk failing, or if you do stand up, wasting way more energy than you needed to and missing the subsequent jerk, you can still create a bounce—it won’t be as effective as the real thing, but far better than none at all.
First, never relax your trunk—always maintain forceful bracing.
If possible, never sit still in the bottom—continue bouncing rhythmically while making any necessary adjustments to your balance or position.
If you need more air, quickly take in a new breath at the top of one of the bounces you’re creating when the weight of the bar is reduced momentarily.
If you’re unsure how to create these bounces, sit into the bottom of an unloaded squat with your trunk tight. Drive a few inches up and relax the legs to drop down again, then use the natural springiness in the bottom to contribute to the next drive up.
Doing this requires decent squat mobility—if you can’t close your knee without relaxing your back, bouncing out of a clean isn’t an option for you at all.
Once you’re balanced and the bar is secure, progressively increase the magnitude of the bounces until you feel enough to commit to standing—and then push up out of that squat as aggressively and quickly as possible.
