Quote:
Originally Posted by bbaquiran 
It seems my prominent collarbones get in the way of the rack position in power cleans. I end up with pain and nasty bruising there whenever I try them. Is there any way around this?
I might try to learn the snatch instead. Is it much more difficult than cleans?
I might try to learn the snatch instead. Is it much more difficult than cleans?
bbaq,
Don't worry, you'll get used it. O-lifts are all about progressively teaching yourself to handle larger weights. I remember ridiculous bruising from the first couple of times, but eventually you learn to handle it better and get used to it. To this day, I still get red marks after a heavy power-cleaning session.
Just to make sure, the bar isn't bouncing off of your collarbone is it? You should dip just enough to accommodate the load. Also, I wouldn't recommend learning the snatch if you haven't yet mastered the powerclean/clean. It's much more complicated in nature and pretty much requires that you can do the powerclean.
If you're not doing snatches for o-lifting purposes and moreso for the benefits that it provides, I'd suggest doing dumbbell snatches. They build the same explosive/athletic qualities, but don't require nearly as much technique.
