Effective Way To Hang Clean Exercise -Benefits & 3 Variants

Hang clean Exercise is a weightlifting exercise that works all of your major muscle groups. Hold a weighted barbell against your mid-thighs in a standing position to do the hang clean workout. Lift the bar into a front rack posture in front of your shoulders with an explosive action while keeping the bar close to your body. As you lower your body into a front squat stance, rotate your wrists and catch the barbell.

How to Do a Hang Clean Exercise?

• Keeping the bar just above knee height, lean forward slightly at the hips, pushing your butt back and lowering the bar. During this action, maintain a neutral spine and a straight gaze. It’s not a good idea to let your knees come forward.
• Squat by pushing your hips forward and lowering your body into a squat position. Shrug your shoulders and snap your elbows at the same time to push the bar up to the point where you can almost jump beneath it, “holding the bar at chest level in front of your shoulders,” as in a front squat similar. 
• In a front-rack position, rise to a standing position with the bar at your shoulders in front of your neck.
• Return the bar to its starting position by lowering it using the control (mid-thigh level).

Sets: 5 sets

Reps: 3–6 repetitions

Hang Clean Exercise benefits

The Hang Clean exercise is a full-body workout. The hamstrings, quadriceps, gluteus maximus, trapezoid, erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, gastrocnemius, deltoids, and I soleus are the primary muscles recruited, with the gluteus maximus, hamstrings, quadriceps, erector spinae, trapezius, latissimus dorsi, deltoids, gastrocnemius, and sole

The hang clean has been shown to positively impact strength, power, performance, and speed development in studies.
It’s one of many Olympic weightlifting techniques that promote high rates of force and power output without requiring a more difficult lift from the floor.

The hang clean can also aid functional fitness by allowing you to pick up heavier objects from the floor. This can help lower the risk of getting back discomfort because it encourages good posture at the same time.

Other Variations of a Hang Clean Exercise

You may adjust the hang clean exercise to meet your fitness level and goals better.

Beginner Front Squat with Rack Grip

By doing this lower body workout while holding the barbell in a stationary front-rack position, the explosive portion of the hang clean is avoided. This allows you to develop your lower body and gain confidence before moving on to the more difficult activity.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your back straight.

Move the bar into a front-rack position, where it sits in front of the neck and across the front of the shoulders, using a hook grip. While completing squats, keep the bar in this position.

Hang Clean Exercise With High Pull

Another approach that eliminates the catch stage is the Hang Clean exercise with high pull. The stress on the shoulders and wrists from grasping the barbell in the front-rack posture is also relieved with this exercise.

Begin in the same position as the Hang Clean exercise, with the barbell at mid-thigh height. Push the hips back and drag the bar up to chest height (not up the neck/shoulder area as in the hang clean) before returning the bar to the mid-thigh position.

Different Hang Clean exercise Position

When you’re ready to go on the Hang Clean exercise, you can do so from various hang positions. Each one alters the mechanics of the movements slightly, putting a varied strain on the muscles.

The following are examples of different hand positions:

• Below knee
• Knee
• Hang
• Mid-hang
• High-hang

Increased Weight

Adding weight to the barbell as you gain strength and confidence with the Hang Clean exercise will enhance the intensity and challenge of the workout. To avoid harm from trying to develop too quickly, increase the weight lifted in modest increments.

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Full Power Clean

The complete power clean is similar to the hang clean, except it begins and ends on the floor rather than at thigh level. As a result, it is a little more complicated. The complete clean is a full-body Olympic weightlifting exercise for advanced lifters.

Squat down and grab the gar with both hands. Lift the bar close to the front of the legs and halt when it reaches mid-thigh. Bend your knees and press your hips forward, thrusting your elbows forward to catch the bar on the front of your shoulders. Before putting the bar back on the floor, stand up entirely.

Common Mistakes While Doing Hang Clean Exercise

To keep your hang clean, exercise safe and effective, avoid these frequent mistakes.

Swinging the Bar

Allowing the bar to swing away from your body puts you at risk for injury and also low back strain. To ensure that you have proper form and enough control, maintain the bar close to your body during each phase of exercise.

Bar Moves Horizontally

Examine whether the bar is descending vertically rather than horizontally. If your knees or thighs are in the way, change your form.

Grip Too Wide or Narrow

You may be unable to complete this exercise correctly if you have a grip that is too narrow or too wide. The hands should be on the bar a couple of inches outside either leg to properly complete the hang clean.

Grip Too Tight

Although you should keep a tight grasp on the bar during this exercise, it should move easily through your hands. Gripping the bar too tightly when transferring it from your thighs to your front shoulder area precludes a smooth transition.

A too-tight grip can cause you to lose the bar, fail to complete the move, or injure your wrists, hands, and back. Maintain a controlled but not overly hard grip throughout the exercise.

Using the Arms to Pull

Instead of driving through the feet, some people try to pull bar up with their arms. To land in a correct front-rack position, you must bend your knees, drive through your feet, shrug your shoulders, and hop under the bar.

Practice a few weightless cleans by diving under the bar into catch position rather than pulling on the bar. This will help you resist the impulse to use your arms to pull.

Dropping the Elbows

Dropping your elbows causes you to lose weight, which raises your chance of injury. An improved spinal extension can be achieved by increasing the mobility, flexibility, & strength of your lats and triceps. This lets you catch and hold the bar by lifting your elbows higher.

Improper Landing

A common blunder is failing to maintain proper body position when landing the Hang Clean exercise. However, failing to land properly can cause you to lose your equilibrium and put you at risk of harm.

Some people land by lifting their heels and flexing their torso. It’s acceptable to hop or stomp the floor somewhat when catching the clean, but it’s vital to land on both feet for stability and an excellent front-rack stance.

Too Many Reps

Rushing through too many reps before perfecting your techniques might lead to injury or bad habits. Keep your concentrate on the appropriate form when you’re initially starting with hang cleans so that it becomes second nature.

Experts advocate starting with a few reps per set (2–4) and gradually increasing the number of reps as your technique improves and your strength improves. Start with a lighter weight until you’ve gotten the hang of it.

Safety and Precautions

Any resistance workout done incorrectly can put you in danger of harm. The hang clean, on the other hand, is a more advanced workout that necessitates an extra focus on body position and form.

If you have an injury or pain in your shoulders, wrists, or elbows, you should avoid the Hang Clean exercise. It’s also not recommended for people who have weak core muscles. Consult your doctor or physical therapist to see if hanging clean is appropriate for you.

If you suffer discomfort or pain that lasts longer than the normal tension experienced with gaining muscle, stop doing it. Rep the hang clean for the required amount of reps as long as it feels comfortable. Begin with two to five sets of three to five reps and work your way up.

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