Do You Need Big Wrists to Power Clean?

The power clean is an Olympic lifting variation. The two main Olympic lifts are the snatch and the clean and jerk. A power clean is similar to the full clean phase in the clean and jerk, though it involves less knee bend and you don't descend into a full squat when you catch the bar. While you don't need big wrists to power clean, you do need wrist strength and flexibility.

  1. Technique

    • The part of the power clean that can potentially cause strain on your wrists is the catch phase at the top. A power clean starts in a similar manner to a deadlift, only with your torso slightly more upright. You pull the bar forcefully from the floor, shrug your shoulders up, extend your hips, knees and ankles and catch the bar on your shoulders with your elbows high. In this position, your wrists are forced back and only your fingertips are supporting the bar across your shoulders. If you have weak wrists, you might struggle to catch the bar properly.

    Wrist Strength and Flexibility

    • You'll need to develop wrist strength and flexibility to properly perform power cleans. To do this, place your wrists on the floor or a wall and bend them backwards until you feel a light stretch, then hold them there for 20 to 30 seconds. Holding a moderately heavy barbell in the catch position of the clean for 30 to 60 seconds will also strengthen your wrists.

    Safety Issues

    • Give your wrists a thorough warm-up before even attempting a power clean. Start with some basic rotational movements of your wrists, then some wrist curls with light dumbbells. When performing power cleans, don't try to keep a tight grip on the bar as you catch it, as this will place even more strain on your wrists. Instead, use your fingers purely for a little support and to stop the bar from slipping forward. Keep your elbows high and the bar should sit comfortably on your shoulders.

    Considerations

    • You might fare better with power cleans if your wrists are bigger as they'll naturally be stronger, but the main issue is wrist flexibility. No matter how big your wrists are, power cleans will hurt them if you don't have the required mobility. Unless you're a competitive weightlifter, you might be better off dropping cleans in favor of other exercises altogether. Exercise scientist and trainer Dan Ogborn recommends substituting high pulls for power cleans to spare your wrists. These are very similar to cleans, but you simply pull the bar as high as you can and don't attempt to catch it on your shoulders.