Barbell Full Clean
Description
The barbell full clean (squat clean) is the full Olympic lift where you pull the bar from the floor and catch it in a full front squat position. It is more demanding than the power clean because you must squat the bar up after the catch, requiring full mobility and technical precision.
Muscle Group
Equipment Required
Barbell Full Clean Instructions
- Stand over the barbell with feet hip-width apart. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width.
- Drop your hips low. Chest up. Shoulders over the bar.
- Pull the bar from the floor by extending your legs — keep the bar close to your body.
- As the bar passes your knees, explosively extend your hips and shrug.
- Pull yourself under the bar and catch it in a full front squat — bar across your front shoulders, hips below parallel.
- Stand up from the front squat to complete the lift.
- Lower the bar back to the floor with control.
- Master the power clean before attempting full cleans.
Barbell Full Clean Form & Visual
Barbell Full Clean Benefits
- Full Olympic clean — competition lift
- Builds total-body explosive power
- Develops front squat strength
- Tests mobility and coordination
- Trains catching at maximum depth
- Allows heavier loads than power clean
Barbell Full Clean Muscles Worked
- Gluteus maximus
- Hamstrings
- Quadriceps
- Trapezius
- Erector spinae
- Anterior deltoid (catch)
- Core (heavy stabilizer)
Barbell Full Clean Variations & Alternatives
- Barbell Power Clean
- Barbell Hang Clean
- Barbell Clean and Press
- Barbell Clean and Jerk
- Squat Clean (full clean)
