When you think of Olympic style lifting, the power clean is probably one of the first images to pop into your head. It’s a fantastic power developer and helps increase athletic performance while increasing muscle mass.
However, sometimes it’s not possible to perform the power clean, which can leave you missing out on increased power, strength, and muscle mass.
Luckily, there’s a way around this problem, and in this article, I’ll show you the best power clean alternative exercises around and how to do them.
Table of Contents
12 Best Power Clean Alternative Exercises
Suppose you find yourself unable to perform the power clean due to lack of equipment, insufficient space, injuries, or simply wanting to change your routine. In that case, the power clean alternatives below are perfect for you.
1. Deadlifts
Deadlifts are one of the most popular full-body movements that gym-goers perform worldwide. It primarily works your posterior chain muscles such as your glutes, hamstrings, lower back, and spine. However, it requires large amounts of core strength to help maintain a neutral spine throughout the movement.
The deadlift is an excellent power clean alternative as it helps develop power and increase your body’s muscle mass. It doesn’t require much equipment but does require a strong floor.
How to do it:
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2. Sumo Deadlift High Pull
The sumo deadlift high pull is a complex movement that should only be attempted by advanced gym-goers who understand how to perform the exercise safely with excellent form.
As the stance you use is wider than a traditional deadlift, it removes some stress from the lower back but has increased shoulder and elbow stress due to the high pull portion of the movement.
It’s a brilliant power clean alternative as it requires power generation from the hips and a powerful shrugging motion to lift the barbell. The movement also focuses on the main muscle groups worked during a power clean.
How to do it:
Garage Gym Pro Tip: Point your elbows upward at the top of the movement.
Read More - Olympic Barbells Vs Standard Barbells
3. Box Jumps
Box jumps are an explosive movement that targets your lower body. During the exercise, your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves must work together to generate enough force to launch your body weight onto a box or platform.
It’s a simple movement that doesn’t require too much equipment. However, it’s not suitable for everyone; if you can’t produce enough power to jump onto a box or platform, you’re better off trying another power clean alternative on this list.
How to do it:
Garage Gym Pro Tip: Don’t jump off the box; it’s not great for your knees and will end up causing injuries in the long run.
More Exercises - 8 Best Box Jump Alternatives
4. Kettlebell Snatch
This power clean alternative exercise is perfect for stabilizing your core, enhancing power output, and improving coordination. It’s often thought of as one of the best kettlebell exercises around.
Throughout the movement, your glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, and quads are required to generate power. This makes the kettlebell snatch a brilliant exercise for sports specific training where increasing your power output is essential.
How to do it:
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5. Kettlebell Swings
The kettlebell swing is a simple power clean alternative you can perform in your home gym, outside, or pretty much anywhere.
It mainly targets the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back through a series of explosive hip hinge movements similar to what occurs during the power clean.
While it’s not the most challenging exercise, some people might find it aggravates their lower back; this could be due to previous injuries or incorrect form.
How to do it:
Garage Gym Pro Tip: Don’t use your arms to lift the weight; they are simply a lever. Let your hips do all the work.
Related Article - Benefits Of Kettlebell Swings
6. Barbell Back Squat
The back squat is arguably the king of all compound exercises; it requires almost every muscle in your body but primarily targets your lower body, especially your quads.
One of the best aspects of this power clean alternative is that it allows you to overload your lower body with a large amount of weight, stimulating your muscle fibers to grow. The only downside to this movement is that you need to have a squat rack, barbell, and Olympic weight plates.
How to do it:
See Also - How Much Does A Barbell Weigh?
7. Dumbbell Step Ups
The dumbbell step-up is one of the most straightforward exercises to perform on this list of power clean alternatives, and it doesn’t require much equipment and can be performed anywhere with an elevated platform.
It’s a brilliant power developer for your lower body and improves coordination and stability.
How to do it:
Other Training Options - Best Step Up Alternative Exercises
8. Medicine Ball Slams
The medicine ball slam is a brilliant power-generating exercise that doesn't require much equipment or space, making it ideal for smaller home gyms or training outdoors.
During this power clean substitute, you’ll replicate the explosive movement of the power clean while working your entire body.
How to do it:
Learn More - Medicine Ball Vs Slam Ball (Are They Different?)
9. Pull-Ups
Pull-ups are one of my all-time favorite exercises for developing my lats. They massively recruit your lats, biceps, rhomboids, traps, and core.
Nothing is more impressive than jumping up to a bar and performing a few sets of pull-ups; it requires upper body strength and power.
This exercise is difficult for beginners, and I’d recommend you build your base strength first by using an assisted pull-up machine or resistance bands to help with the movement.
How to do it:
Build It Yourself - DIY Freestanding Pull Up Bar
10. Jump Squats
This power clean alternative is easily performed anywhere as it requires zero equipment and minimal space.
The bodyweight jump squat is a brilliant plyometric compound exercise that improves your lower body’s power output.
How to do it:
11. Push Press
The push press is a brilliant power clean alternative as it stimulates your shoulders and upper back muscles while forcing your core to work incredibly hard.
All you need for this movement is a barbell and Olympic weight plates.
How to do it:
Read More - Push Press Vs Overhead Press
12. Hang Clean
The hang clean is relatively similar to the power clean, but I mention a few minor differences further down the article in the Q&A section.
This power clean alternative is brilliant for developing power and strength and burns a load of calories.
How to do it:
Garage Gym Pro Tip: Don’t focus on weight; try to perfect the movement first.
Benefits Of Substitute Exercises
There are many benefits of performing the power clean alternatives mentioned above.
Muscle development
It’s well known that the power clean helps with muscle development. Alternatives such as the deadlift are incredible power clean alternatives to help develop muscle mass all over your body, primarily in your posterior chain.
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Full body workout
While the power clean is primarily considered a shoulder movement, it uses the whole body. Power clean alternatives like the hang clean work your entire body similarly.
Explosive power
The power clean is one of the most explosive movements around; it's perfect for anybody looking to increase their athletic prowess in any sport. Power clean alternatives like the box jump also increase your power generation.
Burns body fat
Performing the power clean uses many calories, which helps burn body fat. If you’re looking to lose weight, the power clean or another substitute such as the sumo deadlift high pull is an excellent way to burn calories.
Read More - How Many Calories Do Kettlebell Swings Burn?
What Muscles Do Power Clean Alternative Exercises Work?
Glutes
The largest muscle in the body works incredibly hard to help generate the force required to move the weight during these power clean alternative exercises. Alternatives such as the deadlift require large amounts of glute activation.
Hamstrings
Power clean substitute exercises such as the hang clean largely require your hamstrings to help with firing the hips forward along with the glutes. Training this muscle helps increase your overall athleticism.
Quads
The quads are powerful leg muscles on the front of your legs responsible for knee extension/flexion. Power clean alternatives such as the box jump are brilliant for developing the quadriceps.
Lats
One of the most powerful muscles in your back, responsible for the v-shape most men desire. The lats are required to help stabilize your upper body during the power clean. You can develop the lats by performing power clean alternative exercises such as pull-ups.
Traps
This small but powerful muscle group is responsible for the shrugging portion of the power clean. You can work this muscle by performing the power clean substitute sumo deadlift high pull.
Power Clean FAQs
Do cleans make you faster?
Power cleans are one of the best ways to improve your athleticism; they help you become faster, jump further and higher, and even help you lift more weight in a fast & explosive manner.
If you participate in sports such as football, baseball, MMA, and many others, you’ll benefit from including power clean alternative exercises into your program.
Do power cleans build muscle?
Power cleans are an excellent way to develop your deltoids and most of your posterior chain muscles. During the movement, your hamstrings, glutes, and calves work hard to generate enough power to move the weight.
As the movement is a full-body exercise, you’ll notice increased strength in other areas such as your core, lats, and traps.
What is the difference between a power clean and hang clean?
Both exercises follow a similar movement pattern, but with two exceptions: each movement’s starting point and the position you catch the barbell in.
The power clean starts from the floor and involves you sinking slightly below the barbell to catch it (not a full squat). Whereas the hang clean begins between your hip and knee level and requires you to sink fully under the barbell in a full squat position.
Conclusion
Power cleans are a brilliant whole body movement helpful in developing muscular power, strength, and size.
But, not everyone can perform them, so it’s useful to have a selection of power clean alternatives to help you develop all of the same muscles while increasing your body’s power output.
The list above gives you 12 of the best power clean alternatives around. Try them out and place them in your workout routine; you won’t regret it.
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Last Updated on March 16, 2023
