In most football weight rooms at one time or another, you'll see the athletes performing a power clean with a barbell. Just as often, the football coach (possibly even the strength coach) really has no idea how to teach this movement properly. Now I'll be the first person to tell you that my power clean technique is not good. I've never been coached in it, and do my best to perform it well, but at this point I know I won't be rising to any national level in the Olympic lifts. However, I would never have a 15 year old kid with no prior weightlifting experience clean a barbell from the floor without alot of coaching. In fact, there are much more efficient and effective ways to utilize the O-lifts, and that's exactly what I'll touch on in this article.
The correct execution of a barbell snatch or clean is a very technical process, one that cannot possibly be taught in a day, never mind the 40-60 minutes an average strength coach has his athletes for each day. BUT, the snatch, clean, and clean & press can be taught much more quickly and easily when NOT using a barbell. By simply changing the training implement, one can learn pretty decent technique quickly. This means that the athlete would be able to reap the benefits of the exercises with a greatly reduced risk of injury and without spending countless hours practicing techniques with weights not heavy enough to produce a strong training effect.
So, what are these implements? I'm glad you asked. The easiest and most readily available is the dumbbell. By using a DB one arm at a time, the shoulders and arms are not locked into a position in which they could possibly suffer injury. Moreover, if the technique fails during the execution of a lift or something else goes wrong, the dumbbell is much easier to "bail out" from than a barbell.
Now let's talk some basic technique for the DB Clean & Press. Begin with the DB on the ground between your legs and grab it with an overhand grip. With a flat or arched back and hips pushed back (like a squat), raise your chest, pull with your elbow, and shrug your shoulder up. Make sure your hips do not raise up before your chest, as this reduces your leverage and compromises your back. Pull the elbow high enough and with enough force that the DB moves to the rack position, which is chest/shoulder height. From here you can add a press by dipping down about 2 inches and then exploding the weight overhead. This will require you to use your shoulders and triceps, but you want to make sure energy is transferred up from the ground through your legs and midsection into the dumbbell. Make sure you press straight up and that your bicep is right next to your ear at the top position. From here, feel yourself pulling the weight back down to the rack position. Then simply lower the weight back down to either the ground or mid-shin and repeat.
The DB Snatch starts off exactly the same way. However, you will need to pull your elbow and shrug your shoulder up with more force. Think of it as if you are trying to pull the weight over your head. You need to pull with enough force so that momentum will carry the DB all the way above your head. Add a slight punch at the top to ensure that your shoulder does not get pulled backwards. From here, once again pull the weight down and repeat. It's important that you pull the weight down because the tension developed will help strengthen your lats and will give you a firm "shelf" to press from when doing any sort of overhead press.
Other implements that can be used for the O-lifts include sandbags, kettlebells, and heavy medicine balls. These are all slightly harder to teach, but are all safer and less technically demanding than using a barbell (but perhaps more physically demanding).
The O-lifts are taught in weight rooms because they improve explosive power. Yes, this can be done by performing high speed squats and benches with lighter weights, and will have just as much effect. However, the Olympic lifts are a great and highly valuable tool to have in your arsenal. You do not have to use them at every workout or every training cycle, but when used correctly and with easy-to-teach implements, they are an incredible asset to have in the weight room.
For those not competing in sports, the O-lifts are crazy effective for conditioning. High rep sandbag or KB clean & presses will rock your body in a way you may have never experienced before. Lord knows i use 'em when I'm leaning out. Give it a shot, but remember that safety and technique are more important than the weight lifted. An injured trainee is an ineffective one. Stay STRONG my friends.
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