Why do we rest the barbell on delts when doing a power clean?

Question

I am doing light loads ~30-40kg, and I am pretty comfortable with holding the barbell vertically up using my elbow when doing cleans. Why is it recommended to keep it on the delts? Refer

Answer 1

As the weights go up (a bodyweight clean is a pretty reasonable late-beginner/intermediate number), you will be physically incapable of holding the barbell up with just your elbows. Even if you can currently support the weight in that manner, it's a good idea to use the proper technique from the beginning, so you ingrain the correct movement patterns.