Do you work with clients who want to feel strong, powerful and athletic in a safe and effective manner? Good – we do too here at TD Athletes Edge in Salem, MA!
I'll be straightforward: not every single person was made to perform the Barbell Hang Clean.
While it is a fantastic exercise selection for athletic development, hammering home triple extension and building both power and explosiveness, the simple fact is that it can be quite technical and cumbersome for some clients.
Ultimately, we must select the best exercise for each individual client, rather than force-feeding an exercise that we are married to.
General rule of thumb in S&C that always works well: don't get married to any given exercise, be flexible and have a wide toolbelt that allows you to handcraft each training program to be tailor made for each individualized client.
A simple solution can be to use a much more user-friendly piece of equipment for some folks: the kettlebell (KB). Below, I have outlined a 3-step KB Clean progression series to help you coach your clients toward building athleticism and power.
Exercise 1
Name: KB Clean to Horns-Grip
Level 1: Novice
Equipment: 1 KB
Exercise 2
Name: KB 1-Arm Clean
Level 2: Intermediate
Equipment: 1 KB
Exercise 3
Name: KB Clean
Level 3: Advanced
Equipment: 2 KB’s
Looking for more training tips to master your movements? Check us out for in-person trainingt our state-of-the-art facility in Salem, MA or look into our online training program.
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Matthew Ibrahim is the Co-Owner & Lead Performance Coach of TD Athletes Edge. He has been an invited guest speaker nationally in over 10 U.S. states, which was highlighted by his presentations at Google Headquarters and Stanford University, in addition to guest speaking internationally in Milan, Italy. His work has been featured in Men’s Fitness, STACK Media and The PTDC. Currently, he is completing his masters degree at Rocky Mountain University with a direct track into their PhD program. He is a big fan of interacting on Instagram and regularly posts about training, performance and recovery.
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Matthew Ibrahim is the Co-Owner, Director of Strength & Conditioning and Internship Coordinator at TD Athletes Edge in Salem, MA. Throughout his career, Matthew has been an invited guest speaker nationally in over 10 U.S. states, which was highlighted by his presentations at Google Headquarters, Stanford University, Equinox, Lululemon and Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning, in addition to guest speaking internationally in Milan, Italy. He has also been an invited guest speaker by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) at the regional conference level and at the state clinic level. His professional work has been featured in some of the world’s largest publications, such as Men's Health, Men’s Fitness and STACK Media. Currently, he is a PhD student at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in the Human and Sport Performance program. Matthew also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Exercise Science at Endicott College and an Adjunct Professor of Exercise Science at Maryville University.