XFM: If you can deadlift then you have the first half of the lift sorted. Practice hang cleans to get the second half sorted. It doesn't matter if you don't have great technique straight away; you can improve your technique over time. Just try to read a good description of the movement (Rippetoe's Starting Strength springs to mind) and then watch as many vids of the lifts that you can (where you know the form shown is good). Then start practicing with just the bar.
It's not that difficult if you use a load that would allow you to do a set of 10 reps. However, I wouldn't recommend trying to do more than 10 consecutive reps in a set. Even 10 reps might be too many; motor co-ordination drops off quite quickly as fatigue sets in which is particularly bad for this lift. It would probably be better to do sets of 3 to 5 and then to progress the load over a cycle while attempting to match a rep target. You could drop the volume off a bit during the cycle though; you might start off with 5 x 5 when the load is light at the start of 15s and end up with 5 x 3 when you are nearer to your 5RM, perhaps dropping down to 3 x 3 with your 5RM (or higher if you feel confident to do so) at the end of the cycle.
For this lift in particular, it's always a good idea to do a reasonable number of warmup sets so that you can get in the groove prior to your work sets.
To press or not to press is up to you. You could start with a strict press, assuming the loads are light enough for you to do so at the start of a cycle, and then move on to a push press later in the cycle as the loads get heavier.
Some folks might really like these and some might hate them but it's worth giving them a shot. Although not essential, it really helps if you can use bumper plates so you can drop the bar after each lift once the loads are heavy (make sure your floor is up to it too!); I really don't enjoy dropping the bar back down onto my thighs from the racked position with anything over my 5RM. If you don't have access to bumpers then just take the loads as high as you feel comfortable to lower - some of the Oly lifters do hang clean reps with massive weights so it is possible to get the lowering technique mastered as well.
So, yes, power cleans are quite technically demanding and can take a fair bit of practice to get right (perfection would take a lot longer and would require coaching). Get your deadlift technique sorted first and then give them a go. They are not essential if you just want to add size but you might find that you really enjoy the challenge. If you get into jerks too you will find out how very satisfying it is to lift a weight from the floor to overhead and a whole load of fun dropping it back down to the floor again!
It's not that difficult if you use a load that would allow you to do a set of 10 reps. However, I wouldn't recommend trying to do more than 10 consecutive reps in a set. Even 10 reps might be too many; motor co-ordination drops off quite quickly as fatigue sets in which is particularly bad for this lift. It would probably be better to do sets of 3 to 5 and then to progress the load over a cycle while attempting to match a rep target. You could drop the volume off a bit during the cycle though; you might start off with 5 x 5 when the load is light at the start of 15s and end up with 5 x 3 when you are nearer to your 5RM, perhaps dropping down to 3 x 3 with your 5RM (or higher if you feel confident to do so) at the end of the cycle.
For this lift in particular, it's always a good idea to do a reasonable number of warmup sets so that you can get in the groove prior to your work sets.
To press or not to press is up to you. You could start with a strict press, assuming the loads are light enough for you to do so at the start of a cycle, and then move on to a push press later in the cycle as the loads get heavier.
Some folks might really like these and some might hate them but it's worth giving them a shot. Although not essential, it really helps if you can use bumper plates so you can drop the bar after each lift once the loads are heavy (make sure your floor is up to it too!); I really don't enjoy dropping the bar back down onto my thighs from the racked position with anything over my 5RM. If you don't have access to bumpers then just take the loads as high as you feel comfortable to lower - some of the Oly lifters do hang clean reps with massive weights so it is possible to get the lowering technique mastered as well.
So, yes, power cleans are quite technically demanding and can take a fair bit of practice to get right (perfection would take a lot longer and would require coaching). Get your deadlift technique sorted first and then give them a go. They are not essential if you just want to add size but you might find that you really enjoy the challenge. If you get into jerks too you will find out how very satisfying it is to lift a weight from the floor to overhead and a whole load of fun dropping it back down to the floor again!
