[Etheryte]

I think the takeaway here might be somewhat obfuscated, so I'd like to clarify. Hang cleans and power cleans essentially have a deadlift as their first submovement, the difference here is in the weight. You can probably deadlift a few times more than you can clean, and that's where the real issue lies — it's a lot easier to get an injury with bigger weights, regardless of the exercise.

For any pro athlete, consistent work is far more important than any one workout, hence avoiding injury is instrumental in success. The same holds true for hobbyists as well, of course, but the topic doesn't get as much focus there since many are self-taught. For consistent progress, work volume is much more crucial than work weight [0], hence doing an exercise with high risk and low volume isn't the best option.

[0] https://sci-fit.net/scientific-recommendations-1/

[jashmatthews]

It’s a fuck load easier to hurt a wrist or elbow doing bad cleans than to hurt your back deadlifting with average technique.

[Etheryte]

While I kind of see where you're coming from, the statement is a bit of an oxymoron. Doing A with bad form has a higher risk than doing B with average form, for pretty much any A or B you pick. I think deadlifts are a good beginner exercise, and can also serve you well in intermediate lifting for some time, but once the plates rack up, it's better to put your attention elsewhere. I agree that having complex movements for absolute beginners is not a good entry point, but I don't think anyone here is advocating for that.

[jashmatthews]

The technical proficiency needed to make powercleans an effective exercise for strength and power development is ridiculous compared deadlifts, which a good coach can teach you to perform safely in a few hours.