I'm starting to do hang cleans now. How many sets should I do?

[bruce9241]

I've decided to add hang cleans to my lifts.

I will be doing this after deadlift days and chest days.

I'm currently doing deadlifts, bench, squats for 5x5. I feel that 5x5 is too tiresome for my hang cleans. What would be a good rep/set for hangcleans?

I start out with 95pounds and work my way up. I believe my max is 135 since that's all I've done so far.

 

[moya]

i like to do them after deadlifts, maybe 3 or 4 sets of 1 or 2 heavy reps

 

[timtim]

hang cleans are a major hamstring, glute, low back exercise. following deads with hang cleans, that is a ton of work on your cns. if youre feeling hang cleans anywhere other than the areas i just listed, your form is off.

 

[RickO'Shea]

What's your goal with Cleans? Cause I mean if it's purely for traps and hammy's then you would train em differently than for pure vertical...Just my two cents. I play professional volleyball and our strength and conditioning coach from the National team had us do 70%of max at 5 reps fast good form and 10-15 sets. IT sucked but man it helps the jump

 

[bruce9241]

For my hangcleans I feel them mostly for my traps, wrist, hamstrings and lower back. The reason I want to do them after my chest days instead of leg days is because my squat days are hell. I do full back squats followed by front squats, then other leg exercises. Chest days are easier since I only do bench, overhead press, dips and incline. Not as stressful as legs to me.

Moya,

I was thinking of doing the same. Five sets of five for hang cleans totally kills me. I can't seem to do 5 reps for the last two sets.

 

[bruce9241]

What's your goal with Cleans? Cause I mean if it's purely for traps and hammy's then you would train em differently than for pure vertical...Just my two cents. I play professional volleyball and our strength and conditioning coach from the National team had us do 70%of max at 5 reps fast good form and 10-15 sets. IT sucked but man it helps the jump

Main goal is strength building. Then it's for traps.

I remember doing cleans in highschool for track. Our coach had us do it for the explosive movement we needed to throw a shotput.

Right now my max is only 135.

 

[RickO'Shea]

Main goal is strength building. Then it's for traps.

I remember doing cleans in highschool for track. Our coach had us do it for the explosive movement we needed to throw a shotput.

Right now my max is only 135.

Right on. Well as you know it's the most technical of all lifts, so really focus on form even if you look like a pussy(cause of the light weight) who the hell cares. I didn't start doing them till four years ago. We used the olympic rubber bar and rubber weights I was cleaning like 65lbs total for two weeks before the strength coach gave me the ok on my form. I hit 135 pretty quick, and then just kept going. I hit 305 about a year ago for a personal best. So like the other dude said Go heavy 1-2 reps tons of rest and make damn sure your form is on point!

 

[bruce9241]

Right on. Well as you know it's the most technical of all lifts, so really focus on form even if you look like a pussy(cause of the light weight) who the hell cares. I didn't start doing them till four years ago. We used the olympic rubber bar and rubber weights I was cleaning like 65lbs total for two weeks before the strength coach gave me the ok on my form. I hit 135 pretty quick, and then just kept going. I hit 305 about a year ago for a personal best. So like the other dude said Go heavy 1-2 reps tons of rest and make damn sure your form is on point!

What are some of the main things I should look out for when it comes to form?

I've been watching a lot of hang clean videos on youtube. Most of them stress that I jump with the balls of my feet then catch the bar by my throat area.

They stressed I stick my hips way out and do a lot of hip drive when pulling the weight up. So is the movement basically

1. Jump up with legs, pull with arms then hip drive? That's what I've been doing. Jump, pull then hip drive then catch the bar.

 

[timtim]

What are some of the main things I should look out for when it comes to form?

I've been watching a lot of hang clean videos on youtube. Most of them stress that I jump with the balls of my feet then catch the bar by my throat area.

They stressed I stick my hips way out and do a lot of hip drive when pulling the weight up. So is the movement basically

1. Jump up with legs, pull with arms then hip drive? That's what I've been doing. Jump, pull then hip drive then catch the bar.

your hip drive/pop should get the bar moving. the arms should have little involvement besides guiding the bar. i had such difficulty getting the movement down right that i just abandoned it. i was using too much upper body and core. i could never get that explosive feeling from my hams/glutes/lower back.

 

[RickO'Shea]

your hip drive/pop should get the bar moving. the arms should have little involvement besides guiding the bar. i had such difficulty getting the movement down right that i just abandoned it. i was using too much upper body and core. i could never get that explosive feeling from my hams/glutes/lower back.

Correct It's your hips that get it going first. So like you said stick your butt way out and chest up and spread out. I like to think I'm suppossed to look like a gorilla when I do it. Then ROCKET those hips forward while giving a slight shrug. This is all you need out of the lower body. The next step is crucial, you must get under the bar. You do this by letting the momentum pull the bar up ward then letting your wrists curl under the bar rolling it back onto your fingertips and catching it in that throat area you mentioned earlier. The end result should be what I just described with your arms (triceps) parallel to the floor. You should also be in the same Gorilla position as when you started with the exception that the bar is now in front of you. You could go right into front squats if done properly.

A couple of Pointers. Dont get your feet too wide to start little more than shoulder, just a little.When you "Jump" meaning coming up onto the balls of your feet I actually do jump well, actually let me rephrase that, I come off the ground barely. I do this so I can drive my feet (now alittle wider than starting) so I can use the kinetic energy to push me back up after the Pull, thats where you go under the bar.

Hopefully that helped illustrate it. Like I said, Form is Paramount! let me know if you need anything else dude.

 

[bruce9241]

Did some cleans today.

Did both hang cleans and the regular ones. I felt alot stronger with regular cleans.

How does hangs differ from the cleans where the weight starts on the floor?

For hang cleans I feel I get a way better workout for my wrist and arms. Is that normal? For regular cleans I feel more explosive movements in my hip area.



For the regular cleans where the weight starts on the ground; do I have to catch the weight at a full front squat position? I didn't do that today because I didn't feel ready. I might have fallen if I dropped that low. I just cleaned it up and got under it at an almost standing position.

 

[RickO'Shea]

Did some cleans today.

Did both hang cleans and the regular ones. I felt alot stronger with regular cleans.

How does hangs differ from the cleans where the weight starts on the floor?

For hang cleans I feel I get a way better workout for my wrist and arms. Is that normal? For regular cleans I feel more explosive movements in my hip area.



For the regular cleans where the weight starts on the ground; do I have to catch the weight at a full front squat position? I didn't do that today because I didn't feel ready. I might have fallen if I dropped that low. I just cleaned it up and got under it at an almost standing position.

First of all good job on the cleans! Hopefully it's all going well for you.
Difference between Hang Cleans and "regular" or Power Cleans as their called.
Hang cleans are definately harder cause the weight never touches the ground between reps. My Forearms burn like hell when doing these. I like hangs for more of a explosive cardio workout. Power cleans are awesome for, well, power
When doing power cleans, no you don't have to catch the weight in a front squat(gorilla) position. If catching in a standing position make sure your elbows are out not by your sides this can severly damage your wrists. It also just means that the weight you are using is light enough to catch standing, it's only when you start going heavy that you will have to catch in the front squat. Why? because you had to get under the bar! That's the pull. So when going heavy you have to do the pull or your just going to drop the weight.
Good job so far man. Let me know when you move to snatches!

PS incorporate High Pulls, and Push Press in your routines to see some added gains!

 

[bruce9241]

First of all good job on the cleans! Hopefully it's all going well for you.
Difference between Hang Cleans and "regular" or Power Cleans as their called.
Hang cleans are definately harder cause the weight never touches the ground between reps. My Forearms burn like hell when doing these. I like hangs for more of a explosive cardio workout. Power cleans are awesome for, well, power
When doing power cleans, no you don't have to catch the weight in a front squat(gorilla) position. If catching in a standing position make sure your elbows are out not by your sides this can severly damage your wrists. It also just means that the weight you are using is light enough to catch standing, it's only when you start going heavy that you will have to catch in the front squat. Why? because you had to get under the bar! That's the pull. So when going heavy you have to do the pull or your just going to drop the weight.
Good job so far man. Let me know when you move to snatches!

PS incorporate High Pulls, and Push Press in your routines to see some added gains!

Yea the cleans are coming along. They're so tiring though. Would doing power cleans for singles be beneficial? I can only do 135 1 time, then have to drop it and rest for 30 seconds then do it again. If i Lowered the weight I can do them 5 times, but at almost max weight I have to rest a few secs.

Oooh snatches. I'm afraid to do those at my gym. The free bar area is very small and if I failed a snatch and it goes flying backwards someone can be seriously injured. I did snatches in high school though. That movement is crazy.

 

[RickO'Shea]

Hahahaha yeah you don't want to be killing anybody.

This is my thought don't do your one rep max. Find a weight that you can bust out 6-10 sets of 5 reps. Do them ultra controlled do it once a week. You need tons of rest with cleans