How many sets and reps of the clean high pull should you do when you are new to the exercise?

Do it early in a session for 4 to 5 sets of 3 reps with a load lighter than your clean, never as a fatigue-chasing burnout set. Add weight only once the elbows clear above the wrists on every rep.

What can you do instead of the clean high pull with no barbell?

A single heavy dumbbell pulled from the floor to chest height trains a similar explosive pull, or a kettlebell swing paired with a hard shrug at the top approximates the same hip-to-trap sequence.

What is the clean high pull good for and when should you skip it?

It sharpens the second pull and builds serious trap and upper-back power for lifters working on the clean and snatch. Skip it if you have not built a solid clean pull first, or if your shoulders are cranky, since the fast, high-elbow finish asks a lot of them under load.

Advanced

Clean High Pull

The clean high pull extends the clean pull by adding an aggressive upper pull, driving the elbows high to bring the bar toward the sternum. It builds the traps, upper back, and the finishing snap of the second pull without needing to rack the bar. Use it to reinforce a complete pull and a tall extension after your main lifts.

Equipment: Barbell
Body part: Glutes, Traps
Type: Strength
Browse by muscle: Trapezius Upper, Gluteus Maximus, Erector Spinae, Deltoid Middle
Browse by movement: Hinge, Shoulder Raise

How to do it

1
Set up as for a clean with a hook grip just outside the knees.
2
Push the floor away and keep the bar close as it clears the knees.
3
Explode through full hip, knee, and ankle extension.
4
Shrug hard and pull the elbows high and to the sides as the bar rises.
5
Let the bar reach roughly chest height, then guide it back down.
6
Reset your brace and grip before repeating.

Tips

Do not bend the arms early; the elbow pull only begins after the hips finish.
Keep the elbows above the wrists and out to the sides to lift the bar high.
Keep the bar close to the body so the pull stays vertical and the traps do the work.

Variations

Common mistakes

Grip slips at the top of the pull when the hook is not set at the start, and this load does not forgive a bar that gets away from you.
The rib cage flares and the low back arches to help throw the bar higher, borrowing from the spine instead of the hips.
Chasing bar height over speed turns the pull into a slow muscle-up instead of an explosive extension, so the traps do less of the work.
Letting the bar drop back down onto stiff, straight arms jars the wrists and elbows instead of guiding it down softly.

Frequently asked

How many sets and reps of the clean high pull should you do when you are new to the exercise?: Do it early in a session for 4 to 5 sets of 3 reps with a load lighter than your clean, never as a fatigue-chasing burnout set. Add weight only once the elbows clear above the wrists on every rep.
What can you do instead of the clean high pull with no barbell?: A single heavy dumbbell pulled from the floor to chest height trains a similar explosive pull, or a kettlebell swing paired with a hard shrug at the top approximates the same hip-to-trap sequence.
What is the clean high pull good for and when should you skip it?: It sharpens the second pull and builds serious trap and upper-back power for lifters working on the clean and snatch. Skip it if you have not built a solid clean pull first, or if your shoulders are cranky, since the fast, high-elbow finish asks a lot of them under load.

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