Weightlifting

Clean Pull

What is Clean Pull?

The clean pull is the clean's pull performed for its own sake: drive the bar from the floor through complete, explosive extension - shrug hard, stay over it, and let the bar rise only as far as the power sends it. No turnover, no catch. Because the scary part is removed, you can overload to 100-115% of your best clean, building the posterior-chain horsepower that ultimately decides how much you clean. Alongside squats, it's the core strength lift of the clean.

Clean Pull strength standards

Level (x Bodyweight)MenWomen
beginner0.6x0.38x
novice0.9x0.6x
intermediate1.25x0.9x
advanced1.65x1.2x
elite2x1.5x

Working load as a multiple of bodyweight (typically 95-115% of clean).

Tips & Strategy

Mirror your clean setup exactly and be patient off the floor - the pull is won between the knee and the hip, not at the start. Finish tall with a violent shrug, flat-footed or barely rising; don't turn it into an upright row with bent elbows. Keep positions identical to your clean even as the load climbs: a heavy pull with a different back angle rehearses the wrong lift. Standard dose: 3-5 sets of 2-3 at 95-110% after cleans.

How to Progress

Progression: clean-grip deadlift for base strength, then clean pulls at your clean weight focusing on the explosive finish, then overload past your clean 1RM gradually.

1RM Calculator

KG

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Track your Clean Pull PR

Log every result, see your progress over time, and know exactly where you stand.