Smith Machine Hang Power Clean

Also called smith hang clean and smith machine clean.

Works

Hamstrings, plus glutes, lower back, quads, shoulders and traps

Equipment

Machine

Level

Intermediate

Type

Compound

How to do it

Setup. Position the bar at knee height and load it to an appropriate weight.

1. Take a pronated grip on the bar outside of shoulder width and unhook the bar from the machine. Your arms should be fully extended with your head and chest up. Your elbows should be pointed out with your shoulders back and down. Your hips should be back, loading the tension into the hamstrings. This will be your starting position.
2. Initate the movement by forcefully extending the hips and knees, accelerating into the bar. Ensure that you keep your arms straight during this part of the motion.
3. Upon full extension, rebend the hips and knees to lower your receiving position.
4. Allow the arms to flex at this point, rotating the elbows around the bar to receive it on your shoulders.
5. Extend through the hips and knees to come to a standing position with the bar racked on your shoulders to complete the movement.

Cues

• Bar at mid-thigh, arms long.
• Jump and shrug hard.
• Elbows high, then whip under.
• Catch on the shoulders, knees soft.

Common mistakes

• Pulling early with the arms.
• Slow elbows in the catch.

Where to start

A starting point, not a law. Pick a weight you could lift two or three more times than the top of the range. When every set hits the top of the range, add a little weight.

Go easy, or pick an alternative, if you have sore wrists. Pain that's sharp or gets worse set to set means stop.

Harder

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