Barbell Split Clean

Description

How to Do Barbell Split Clean

1. 1
   Setup

   Stand with your feet hip-width apart, shins close to the barbell. Grip the bar with an overhand grip, slightly wider than shoulder-width.

2. 2
   Setup

   Lower your hips, keeping your chest up, back straight, and shoulders slightly in front of the bar. Take a deep breath and brace your core.

3. 3

   Initiate the first pull by driving through your heels and extending your hips and knees simultaneously, pulling the bar smoothly off the floor. Keep the bar close to your body as it ascends past your knees.

4. 4

   Explosively extend your hips, knees, and ankles (triple extension), shrugging your shoulders and pulling the bar upward. As the bar reaches its peak height, rapidly drop into a split squat position, catching the bar on your anterior deltoids with elbows high and forward.

5. 5

   With the bar racked securely, recover from the split squat by bringing your front foot back to meet your back foot, then bring your back foot forward to meet your front foot, standing tall with the bar on your shoulders.

6. 6

   Carefully lower the barbell back to the floor with control by reversing the movement, or drop it safely if your gym allows and you are using bumper plates.

Tips

• Maintain a strong core: Brace your abdominal muscles throughout the entire lift to protect your spine and efficiently transfer power from your lower body to the barbell.
• Focus on triple extension: The explosive and simultaneous extension of your ankles, knees, and hips is critical for generating maximum power to elevate the bar for a successful catch.
• Practice quick footwork for the split: Rapidly move your feet into the split position as you transition under the bar; this quick action ensures you get into a stable and deep receiving position.
• Ensure elbows are high and forward: When catching the bar, drive your elbows high and point them forward to create a solid shelf on your anterior deltoids, preventing the bar from rolling off.

Common Mistakes

• ×Pulling with the arms too early reduces power; instead, initiate the lift by driving through your legs and hips, allowing your arms to act as hooks until the explosive second pull.
• ×Not dropping fast enough into the split will lead to a missed lift; practice speed under the bar to quickly get into a stable receiving position.
• ×Letting the bar loop away from your body creates an inefficient bar path; keep the bar as close to your body as possible throughout the entire pull phase to maximize leverage.