Clean from Blocks
Also works: Calves · Glutes · Hamstrings · Shoulders · Traps
A full clean started with the bar resting on blocks or stands rather than the floor, usually set between the knee and mid-thigh. Removing the first pull isolates the part of the lift that actually accelerates the bar, and it lets you train the second and third pulls without a fatigued lower back deciding when the session ends.
Own the movement
Set up first, then execute. Every cue below is something you can check on your next set.
Before the first rep
- Set the blocks so the bar sits just above the kneecap for a standard high block clean, or just below it if you want more range.
- Hook grip, hands just outside the legs, so the bar sits in the crease of the hips at full extension.
- Walk into the bar so it touches the thighs before you set the back angle. A gap here becomes a forward loop later.
- Shoulders slightly ahead of the bar, chest up, weight balanced over the whole foot rather than back on the heels.
- Take the slack out of the bar and the arms before the pull. Starting on a loose bar costs you the first inch of acceleration.
Every rep
Breathing & tempo — Inhale and brace before the bar leaves the blocks, hold through the pull and the catch, exhale as you stand out of the bottom. Deliberate to mid-thigh, then as violent as you can make it; reset fully between reps rather than working a tempo.
Before you load it
- Use blocks rated for dropped weight, and drop the bar onto them or the platform rather than lowering a heavy clean by hand.
- If a clean is caught too far forward, let go and step back. Chasing a bar that is already ahead of your feet is how wrists and knees get hurt.
Sets, reps & load
Where to start, and what to change when it stops being hard.
Empty 20 kg bar until the catch lands with high elbows ten times in a row, then build to 70-85% of your best full clean. Because the first pull is gone, most lifters eventually pull more here than off the floor. The marker for adding 2.5-5 kg is the catch depth, not the pull: if a rep has to be powered out of a half-squat, that weight belongs on the blocks for another session.
What goes wrong
The errors that show up most often, and the cue that fixes each one.
Use a height where you still have to bend the knees noticeably to reach the bar — around the kneecap. If your back is nearly vertical at the start, the legs cannot contribute.
Take the slack out first, then apply force progressively over the first few centimetres. Aggression belongs at mid-thigh, not at the block.
Drill the rack position separately: front squat holds with the elbows above parallel and the bar touching the throat. If your wrists and lats will not allow that position empty, they will not allow it loaded.
Lower the bar to the blocks under control, stand up, reset the grip and the back angle, then pull again. Every rep should start from the same position you set up in.
Cap the load at the heaviest weight you receive in a full front squat depth. A high catch that you have to power out of means the pull is not yet good enough for that bar.
Why bother
Most missed cleans are not missed off the floor. They are missed because the bar loses contact and speed somewhere between the knee and full extension, or because the lifter is too slow rotating the elbows under it. Blocks put you straight into that section every rep, so you get eight or ten exposures to the failing position in the time it would take to do four full cleans.
There is a loading argument too. The first pull is what drains the erectors and hamstrings across a session. Take it away and you can run more total reps at higher intensity before positions decay, which matters because a clean only teaches you anything while it still looks like a clean.
Where it fits
First or second in the session, before any squatting. Two sessions a week works: one at block height above the knee for speed, one below the knee for a longer, harder pull. Keep sets at 1-3 reps and reset the bar on the blocks between reps rather than touch-and-go — the point is a correct start position, not a rhythm.
If this one isn't it
No kit, too hard, or too easy — here's where to go instead.
Same job, different kit
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Asked and answered
What block height should I use?
Above the knee is the default: it isolates the second pull and lets you use the most weight. Below the knee is harder, gives you a longer pull, and exposes whether you can keep the bar back over mid-foot. Pick one height and stay with it for a block of training rather than changing it every session — you cannot tell whether you are improving if the start point moves.
Are blocks better than hang cleans?
They train the same section of the lift differently. A hang clean requires you to control the bar down into position first, which builds position awareness but costs energy and grip. Blocks let you set the exact start position with no eccentric, so they are the better choice when you want quality reps at higher load. Do hangs when you want the extra time under tension.
Can I use this if I have never cleaned from the floor?
Yes, and often it is the sensible starting point. Beginners waste months fighting a floor start position their hips are not ready for. Learning the second and third pull from blocks first, then adding the floor once the catch is reliable, is a shorter route to a real clean.
Why does the bar hit my collarbone hard on the catch?
You are dropping under the bar late, so it is falling onto you rather than being met. Speed up the elbow turnover and pull yourself down actively as the extension finishes. Wearing a shirt with some structure helps with the bruising, but the fix is timing, not padding.