Clean Warm-Up Complex: The Best Clean Warm-Up

March 5, 2021

As the clean is a full body exercise, warming up the whole body can take a long time. From lower body preparation to be able to sit in a full squat to warming up the shoulders and wrists to be able to rack the bar properly.

Not to mention everything in between such as thoracic mobility to help with upright postures during the clean. There is a great solution for this.

Introducing the clean warm-up complex.

The Clean Warm-Up Complex

This clean warm-up complex is a specific barbell warm-up that addresses every aspect of the clean. From the rack position, to the lower back and hamstrings, to the bottom catch position with landing impacts.

Using this clean barbell complex after a short individual dynamic warm-up is the perfect way to transition to your clean session.

Further, it allows you to drill the clean in parts to reinforce certain positions and the correct bar path.

Here is how you perform the clean warm-up complex:

How Do You Warm-Up For A Power Clean or Clean Max?

To warm up for a power clean or clean max, you can start with various mobility exercises such as bench T-spine and squat to stands. These are movements that can have you feeling looser and “greased up” for movement.

Following your mobility exercises, perform two to three sets of the clean warm-up complex. Then it is time to start loading the bar.

Your first warm-up weight should be around 50% of your 1RM. Perform this for 2-3 sets of 2-3 reps. Here is how the rest of the progression will look.

Set 1: 1 x 2-3 @50% 1RM

Set 2: 1 x 2-3 @50% 1RM

Set 3: 1 x 2-3 @60% 1RM

Set 4: 1 x 1-2 @70% 1RM

Set 5: 1 x 1-2 @80% 1RM

Set 6: 1 x 1 @85% 1RM

Set 7: 1 x 1 @90% 1RM

Set 8: 1 x 1 @94% 1RM

Set 9: 1 x 1 @98% 1RM

Set 10: 1 x 1 @New PB

About the Author

Mona is a Bronze Medalist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She has been competing Internationally for 20 years in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting and has also been African Champion, Commonwealth Champion, and the youngest South African Weightlifter to compete on the International stage.

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