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Exercise Library – Clean Pull – *AKA* Deficit clean pull The clean pull on riser is simply a clean pull performed while standing on an elevated platform. Set the clean starting position tightly—it should be the same as from the floor, but with more knee and hip flexion. In other words, the same back angle but deeper—don’t simply hinge more at the hips. Push with the legs through the whole foot against the floor similarly to a squat. Maintain even balance over the whole foot and actively keep the bar as close to the legs as possible, and maintain approximately the same back angle until the bar is past the knees. Once at lower to mid-thigh, open the hips explosively while driving vertically with the legs even harder to accelerate maximally. Extend the entire body approximately vertically—don’t try to mimic the hyperextension of the hips we would have in an actual clean. Here we want to focus on vertical power and balance. As the legs and hips finish extending, shrug up and back and bend the elbows slightly to actively keep the bar against the body through the extended position—at no point should it move away. The heels will rise naturally with the effort to push against the ground forcefully. Keep the entire body tight and continue pushing against the ground until the bar stops moving up, then drop back to flat feet as the bar falls. Return the bar to the floor under minimal control to maintain your grip and basic position for the next rep. *Notes* Riser heights do not need to be and should not be very high—3 inches is generally as high as you ever need to go. Too high, and it’s impossible to establish proper back extension in the starting position, which largely defeats the purpose. *Purpose* The clean pull on riser strengthens the pull of the clean and emphasizes strength in the initial pull from the floor and the ability to maintain proper posture with heavy weights. *Programming* Generally the clean pull on riser should be done for 2-5 reps per set anywhere from 80%-100% of the lifter’s best clean depending on the lifter and how it fits into the program. Newer lifters whose cleans are significantly limited by technique will likely need to pull much heavier percentages to adequately train strength in the pull. Loading will be typically somewhat limited relative to a normal clean deadlift, although by how much varies considerably among athletes. In any case, the weight should not exceed what the lifter can do with proper positioning. As a heavy strength exercise, it should be placed toward the end of a workout. Typically pulling exercises are performed before squats, but this order can be reversed for lifters who need to emphasize squat strength over pulling strength. *Variations* The clean pull on riser can be with slow eccentrics (3-6 seconds typically), with flat feet at the top, with one or more pauses on the way up, from various hang or block heights, with slow concentrics in the lower range to emphasize control over posture and balance, with a static or dynamic start, with or without straps, and many other possibilities. Get Olympic weightlifting programming that's been used by over 100,000 athletes around the world - Help support my free content - Also follow me here: @catalystathletics
