Power Clean
Muscles worked: Quads, Glutes, Traps (assisted by hamstrings, back).
How to do it
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart and toes pointing out slightly.
- Squat down and grasp bar with a closed, pronated grip.
- Place the bar about 1 inch in front of your shins and over the balls of your feet.
- Your back should be flat or slightly arched, your chest held up and out and your shoulder blades should be retracted.
- Keep your head in a neutral position (in line with vertebral column and not tilted or rotated) with your eyes focused straight ahead.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- Bar close, explode at the hips
- Catch high on the shoulders, elbows through
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 1 to 5 rep range, progressing in 2.5 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Deadlift - back, glutes
- Barbell Shrug - traps
- Sumo Deadlift - glutes, quads
- Trap Bar Deadlift - quads, glutes
Track the power clean properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StoreFree download, iPhone. Currently on the New Zealand App Store, wider rollout to follow.
Photos and steps: free-exercise-db (public domain). Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.