Hamstrings · Compound movement

Clean Pull

A compound exercise that targets the hamstrings with secondary work in glutes, back, quads, traps, forearms. Performed with barbell.

Primary muscle

Hamstrings

Secondary muscles

Glutes, Back, Quads, Traps, Forearms

Equipment

Barbell

Difficulty

Advanced

How to perform the Clean Pull

Set up as for the clean: clean grip, bar over the balls of the feet, hips higher than the knees, chest up, arms long and the lats tight.
Push the floor away to break the bar smoothly to the knee, keeping the shoulders over or slightly ahead of the bar and the back angle constant.
As the bar reaches the hip, extend the hips, knees, and ankles explosively and shrug tall — the arms stay straight and only follow the extension.
Guide the bar back down along the legs under control; the drill builds the power and positions of the clean without the catch.

Suggested working range: 3–5 reps. Default progression: percentage.

•Bending the arms to pull the bar higher instead of keeping them straight and letting the extension do the work.
•Shooting the hips up early so the pull turns into a stiff-legged lift with no explosion.
•Letting the bar swing away from the body rather than keeping it close through the whole pull.
•Skipping the aggressive top extension and treating it like a slow deadlift instead of a powerful pull.