What is a Hang Power Clean
Do you ask yourself ‘What is a Hang Power Clean?’ and ‘What is the difference between a Hang Power Clean and a Power Clean?’, you might even hear ‘What is the difference between a Hang Power Clean and Hang Clean?’
Sounds confusing?
Don’t worry, I have you covered.
The answer to those questions is easier than you think.
This article and video discusses
What is the Hang Power Clean?
The Hang Power Clean is a variation of the Power Clean.
In very simple words, it is a Power Clean and the word ‘hang’ refers to the start position.
This means is instead of having the bar with the weight on the ground, as it is for the Power Clean, the Hang Power Clean starts from a ‘hang’ position.
The word ‘hang’ refers to the start position. This means is instead of having the bar with the weight on the ground, as in the Power Clean, the Hang Power Clean starts from a ‘hang’ position.
What does that mean?
It means that the bar is hanging somewhere between the ground and the hip.
In the start position of the Hang Power Clean, the bar/weight is kind of hanging freely in front of you, and you have to stabilize that position before you initiate the lift.
Check out Double Olympian and Silver Medalist at the Rio 2016 Olympics Jelle van Gorkom performing a Hang Power Clean.
What is the right start position for the Hang Power Clean?
The start position of the Hang Power Clean can vary between from hip height to mid-shin position, just a few centimeters of the ground.
Some people distinguish between a High Hang Power Clean and a Low Hang Power Clean, where
- the High Hang Power Clean refers to a start position from the hip
- the Low Hang Power Clean refers to a start position from just below the knees
The start position of the Hang Power Clean can vary between different heights.
However, I prefer to use more start positions, for the reason, that each start position has either a specific purpose in learning the Hang Power Clean technique or Power Clean technique and/or a specific application to sports performance.
What do you mean?
I will outline two examples.
The first one is focused on force production, and if you look at a higher start position requires you to apply force much more quickly, focus on a quick drop and decelerate the weight quickly, whilst a lower start position, gives you a bit more time to develop force and you can focus on a stronger triple extension.
The second example looks at the position of the body and the resulting movement. A higher start position makes the movement more knee dominant, even though it’s a very short movement, the lower start position, allows you to use your hips more or allows a stronger hip extension.
The start positions I am using for the Hang Power Clean (top-down)
- from the hip
- from mid-thigh
- from above the knees
- from below the knees
- from mid-shin
Check out this short tutorial with double Olympian and World Champion Twan van Gendt demonstrating the different positions of the Hang Power Clean, and myself explaining it.
Hang Power Clean vs Power Clean: What is the difference between Hang Power Clean vs Power Clean?
A very common question, that is often asked is ‘What is the difference between a Hang Power Clean and a Power Clean?’, well, to be honest, I think the most common question is even ‘What is the difference between a Power Clean and a Hang Clean?’, which I have covered in the Ultimate Guide to Power
Coming back to the question ‘What is the difference between a Hang Power Clean and a Power Clean?’
If it is not clear by now, essentially, it is the same exercise, with a different start position.
What is the difference between a Hang Power Clean and a Power Clean?’ If it is not clear by now, essentially, it is the same exercise, with a different start position.
Instead of having the bar on the ground as you have for the Power Clean, you start with the bar elevated and ‘hanging’ somewhere between the hip and the mid-shin.
The main takeaway from the Hang Power Clean vs Power Clean discussion is to understand, it is not a different lift, the Hang Power Clean is a variation of the Power Clean.
Check out the video below outlining the difference between a Hang Power Clean and a Power Clean.
Hang Power Clean technique: What is the correct Hang Power Clean technique?
Now that I have covered the differences between a Hang Power Clean and Power Clean, the next question that stands out is ‘What is the correct Hang Power Clean technique?’
From the technical standpoint, the Hang Power Clean technique is essentially the same as the Power Clean technique and goes through the same technical phases a the Power Clean technique
- First Pull
- Transition
- Second Pull
- Catch
- Recovery
Check out the Power Clean technique tutorial from minute 02:22 – 05:34
For a more in-depth information, check out How to do Power Cleans
Does that answer all questions, how to do a Hang Power Clean?
Well, the only consideration is, that you might not go through all phases of the Power Clean technique, depending on your start position.
What does that mean?
As a simple example, if you do a Hang Power Clean from the mid-thigh position, you won’t go through the first pull (which is the movement from the ground to below the knees) and the transition phase (from below the knee to mid-thigh).
Check out more resources outlining the Hang Power Clean technique:
- Hang Power Clean Catalystathletics
- Hang Power Clean from ExRx.net
Concluding What is a Hang Power Clean
The Hang Power Clean is a variation of the Power Clean using different start positions, and each start position fulfills a specific purpose.
For most people, the Hang Power Clean is easier to perform than the Power Clean.
The word ‘hang’ refers to the weight ‘hanging’ freely, rather than resting on the ground or on the blocks.
The Hang Power Clean technique is essentially the same as the Power Clean technique and might exclude one or more phases, depending on the start position you are choosing.