Dumbbell Clean and Press
Clean two dumbbells from the floor to the shoulders, then press them overhead. It trains the hips and legs in the pull and the shoulders and triceps in the press. Choose it as a full-body power lift or conditioning move when a barbell is busy or too heavy to start with.
Updated
Primary muscles: Glutes, Hamstrings, Front Delts. Supporting muscles: Quadriceps, Triceps, Traps, Core. Equipment: Dumbbells.
Muscles worked
Primary
Secondary
Equipment
How to do it
- Stand with a dumbbell outside each foot and hinge down to grip them with a neutral spine.
- Brace the core and keep the shoulders over the dumbbells.
- Drive through the legs and extend the hips hard, keeping the dumbbells close.
- Shrug and pull the elbows high, then whip them under and receive the dumbbells on the front of the shoulders with a slight knee bend.
- Stand tall, then press the dumbbells overhead to a full lockout.
- Lower to the shoulders, then to the hips, and hinge to set them on the floor.
Watch for
- Curling the dumbbells up with the arms.
- Letting the dumbbells swing away from the body.
- Leaning back or flaring the ribs in the press.
Breathing
Inhale and brace before the pull, exhale on the press lockout.
Tip
For a power version, dip and drive into the press; for strength, press strictly from a still rack.
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