You can get positive results from hang cleans but they may not be right for you. Discover what hang clean alternatives offer similar effects.
Hang cleans work a variety of muscles including the lower back, erector spinae, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, forearms, trapezius, calves, deltoids, biceps, and core.
On top of helping you build muscle, hang cleans can help you improve balance, improve coordination, burn calories, and offer other typical exercise benefits.
Whether you don’t enjoy hang cleans, you want more beginner-friendly options, or you want an alternative for any other reason, these hang clean substitutes can offer you some or all of the same benefits.
Keep in mind that if you don’t have a loaded barbell available, you could also do hang cleans with equipment like kettlebells, dumbbells, workout sandbags, etc.
1. Romanian deadlifts
To do this first hang clean alternative you still need some form of external weights, preferably a barbell.
You could also use other free weights like dumbbells and possibly even good heavy resistance bands.
One downside of these last options is that they may not be heavy enough for individuals more experienced with resistance training.
Take the following steps to do a Romanian deadlift:
- Set up a rack with a barbell at a height just below where your barbell is if you stand up straight with the barbell in your hands. Add the desired number of weight plates.
- Grab the barbell with a pronated grip which means with your hand palms pointing downward/backward. Unrack the barbell and take a few steps back so that you have room for the exercise. Stand up with your feet at more or less shoulder width and your knees slightly bent.
- Slightly tilt your upper body forward as far as you can without bending your back or knees or until the bar is right below knee height. The weight plates should not hit the ground.
- Slowly move back into the position of step 2.
Good technique is important in any exercise to avoid injuries but especially so for Romanian deadlifts. Before trying to deadlift the heaviest weights it is smart to improve your technique first by starting with light or no weights at all.
The Romanian deadlift is somewhat similar to the first part of hang cleans but you will go less through your knees.
This reduces how much you use your quadriceps but allows you to focus more on the glute, hamstring, lower back, and erector spinae training.
Another difference is that you focus more on muscle strength instead of power like in hang cleans.
These differences can be upsides or downsides depending on your personal situation and training goals. If you want to focus more on your quadriceps you can also consider doing regular deadlifts.
2. Front squats
For the next exercise you again preferably have a barbell with plates. This time you also need a squat rack. Once you have these, take the following steps to do a front squat:
- Find a squat rack and place the barbell at about chest height. Add the desired number of weight plates. If there are any safety bars adjust them to the right height.
- Stand in front of the barbell, put the barbell on the front of your shoulders, and hold it there with your hands. Hold the barbell in position by letting it rest on the inside of your fingers. For this you have to point your elbows forward and hand palms upward.
- Unrack the barbell and take a few steps back so that you have room to squat. Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width.
- Slowly lower your hips by bending your knees. How far depends on different factors like knee health but at your lowest point you want your hips to be at or lower than your knee height. You will likely have to bend forward for balance but keep your back in a straight line throughout the movement.
- Push yourself up again into starting position by stretching your legs.
- Rerack the barbell after your desired number of repetitions.
After the bent-knee Romanian deadlift and the upright row of hang cleans, you catch the barbell on the front of your shoulders in a front squat position.
Doing front squats separately can offer a few benefits. First of all, front squats help you get used to the weight distribution you will experience at the top of the hang clean movement.
This can make this exercise a bit less challenging and help you avoid accidents.
Additionally, front squats help you train your glutes, quadriceps, calves, hamstrings, lower back, and erector spinae which play important roles in hang cleans.
3. Power cleans
Hang cleans are already challenging but you may want to take it one step further. In that case, power cleans can be the right alternative for you.
Take the following steps to do a power clean with a barbell:
- Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width in front of a weighted barbell.
- Slightly fold your legs at the knees and tilt your upper body forward to grab the barbell on the ground with your hand palms facing backward.
- Tilt back your upper body and stretch your legs in one continuous motion in an explosive way so you can raise the barbell enough for the following steps. It is very important to keep your back in a straight line during this step.
- Most of the upward force of the barbell will come from your legs but you can pull it upward slightly higher.
- Move under the barbell to a position where you can do the next step. You will have to change the angle of your wrists in relation to the barbell.
- Catch the barbell on the front part of your shoulders with your hands still holding the barbell to control it. Your hand palms will point upward and your legs should be in a squarter squat position.
Power cleans are somewhat similar to hang cleans but there are a few important differences. The first one is that in power cleans the barbell starts on the ground. Secondly, you catch the barbell in a quarter squat position.
That means your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps will have to go through a slightly bigger range of motion in the initial deadlift movement.
Another consequence is that you have to do less of a squat when catching the barbell.
Lastly, you have to lift the barbell more explosively during power cleans to get it high enough for the quarter squat position.
Compared to hang cleans, power cleans require more explosive power and focus a bit more on the glute, hamstring, lower back, and erector spinae muscles. Power cleans are typically harder than hang cleans.
4. Box jumps
For the next hang clean alternative, you need an elevated platform that is strong and stable enough to jump on. An example of a suited object is a good plyo box.
Take the following steps to do a box jump:
- Stand upright in front of the box with your feet at shoulder width.
- Bend into about a quarter squat while you swing your arms back.
- Swing your arms to the front again and at the same time jump forward on top of the box. When landing you want to have your knees more or less at the quarter squat again. If you are squatted lower, this may be a sign the box is too high for your current jump level.
Make sure you pay attention to using the right technique to avoid any injuries. For box jumps it is also smart to start with a low height and build up from there.
Being too optimistic about your capabilities can be especially punishing when doing this exercise.
Hang cleans work leg muscles like your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and calves in a relatively explosive way. Box jumps can help you train these muscles similarly but to a lesser extent because it is a bodyweight exercise.
A benefit of box jumps is that they are a bit more at-home-friendly than hang cleans and can be done without a barbell.
5. Good morning
The good morning exercise is usually done with a barbell but you can also other free weights, resistance bands, and gym machines like the cable machine or smith machine.
Even at home, you could use a weighted backpack to make the bodyweight version more challenging. Take the following steps to do a good morning with a barbell:
- Find a squat rack and place the barbell at about chest height. Add the desired number of weight plates. If there are any safety bars adjust them to the right height.
- Stand under the barbell, push your shoulders up so that the barbell rests on your higher back, and hold it there with your hands.
- Unrack the barbell and take a few steps back so that you have room to squat. Stand up straight with your feet at more or less shoulder width.
- Tilt your upper body forward as far as is comfortable with a good posture (but not farther than a horizontal line). At the same time bend your knees a small amount.
- Return to the position in step 3 in a controlled motion.
- Rerack the barbell after your desired number of repetitions.
The good morning may look similar to the popular back squat exercise but you go a lot less through your knees.
This makes it so this hang clean alternative focuses more on the lower back, glute, hamstring, and erector spinae training and less on leg muscles like your calves and quadriceps.
Besides that, the good morning also does not really work your forearms (for grip) and trapezius. Depending on why you want a hang clean alternative this different focus can be either good or bad.
