Smith Hang Clean

Smith MachineIntermediate

The Smith Hang Clean is a dynamic exercise that targets multiple muscle groups, including the legs, back, and shoulders. It improves power and coordination.

  1. Set the Smith machine bar to mid-thigh level.
  2. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, gripping the bar with an overhand grip.
  3. Lower your hips and bend your knees to initiate the movement.
  4. Explosively extend your hips and knees while pulling the bar upward.
  5. Catch the bar at shoulder level, keeping your elbows high.
  6. Lower the bar back to the starting position and repeat.

How to perform the Smith Hang Clean

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Smith Hang Clean using your smith machine.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your primary working muscles.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your working muscles rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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