Common Mistake
Not pulling long enough and transferring the work onto the arms.
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Solution
Pull longer with the force from the legs. Pull long and forceful enough so that the weight enters the ballistic flight, meaning it would keep going if you let go. Make sure that the shoulders are rising first.
Description
This common mistake can occur in any clean variation and the cause can be that one simply transfers the work to the arms rather than finishing the pull. It can also be that the torso is not rising fast enough.
The torso is pulled up by the muscles in the legs that make the hips extend. If the issue is that you feel like the path is short, i.e. you feel like you have to use the arms, then consider watching the video about shoulders rising first.
Another cause can be that the legs are fatigued or the weight is too heavy.
The photo below shows the mistake with a dead clean. You can see that the torso is still leaning forward and the arms are bending very early. The clean then ends with the elbow flexors doing the work (muscling the weight up).
The following photo shows a single kettlebell dead clean and you can see that the torso is upright and the elbow starts moving back through shoulder extension. The forearm moves along through elbow flexion but is not actively curling the weight as the weight has entered its ballistic flight.
Related Video
Related Exercises
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