Clean and Press: How To, Benefits & Variations

The clean and press is a powerful exercise that combines strength and power so if you’re still not doing it – what are you waiting for? You might think it’s just an exercise in which you lift heavy weights and you have better things to do, but it’s more than that. The clean and press exercise will improve your overall athletic performance plus boost your explosive power. 

If you’re still on the fence about it, that’s okay because we’ll change your mind. In this article, you’ll find out all about the ins and outs of this superstar – how to nail the technique, the benefits you can expect from it, and even some variations and alternatives. 

Ready to clean & press like an expert? Keep reading!

What Is Clean and Press?

The clean and press workout is a compound exercise that combines two distinct movements – the clean and the press. It starts with the bar on the floor. You lift it up to your shoulders in one explosive motion (which is known as the clean) and then you press the weight overhead. 

It targets a lot of major muscle groups, like legs, back, shoulders, arms, etc., so it’s definitely a full-body workout. 

It builds strength and muscle, but apart from that, it also improves coordination, balance, and power. It’s a staple exercise for many weightlifters because it’s so efficient and effective. 

How to Do the Clean and Press?

Now, let’s move on to the fun part – how to clean and press! 

1. Starting Position

Start with standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and the bar placed above the middle of your feet. Grip the bar with a hook grip and keep your hands about a fist-width wider than shoulder-width apart. Your shins should lean forward a little and your feet and knees should be pointing a bit to make room for your trunk.

Keep your lower back straight, chest open, and head up. Make sure your shoulders are covering the bar and your arms are straight and relaxed. 

2. First Pull

Time to lift the bar! But you’ll do it by pushing against the floor rather than pulling it up. Keep it close to your body and maintain a straight line. Your arms should stay straight, with your feet flat on the floor to help with your balance and generate power. Move your hips and shoulders at the same time. 

3. Second Pull

As the bar passes your knees, extgend your body to kick off the explosive phase of the lift. Keep your feet flat until the last moment – power position and triple extension of your hips, knees and ankles. The goal here is to generate maximum vertical power by springing up from the midfoot. 

4. Turnover

Keep moving the bar up and quickly drop under it. Keep it as close to your body as you can for control. Rotate your elbows around the bar to catch it. The bar should rest comfortably on your shoulders and your elbows should be pointing forward. The depth of your squat will be determined by how high you were able to pull the bar. 

5. Catch

You should catch the bar in a full squat (front squat) or half squat in case you are aiming for power clean. In this phase, your elbows should be high and forward. Keep upright torso and your knees out. Tighten your core to stabilize your body and make sure your hips and knees are in the correct position to support the weight. Then stand up. 

6. Press

Once the bar is in the front rack position, tighten your core and press the bar overhead. Extend your arms completely and move your head forward a little to allow the bar to pass. Keep your body balanced and stable throughout the press. 

All that’s left to do now is to lower the bar back to the front rack position. You need to do this in a controlled manner. Once it’s stable, lower it to the starting position.

Congrats, you’ve just executed a proper clean and press! 

How to Program Clean and Press?

Beginner

• Do 3-5 sets of up to 5 reps per set to keep proper technique and quality throughout the whole set
• Do the clean and press 2-3 times a week
• Use either an empty bar or really, really light weights to master the clean and press form first. Once you’re able to do the exercise properly, start increasing the weight in 5-10 lbs increments

Intermediate

• Do 3 sets of 3-5 reps per set
• Do  the clean and press 1-2 times a week
• Continue increasing the weight to keep your muscles challenged and to allow for progressive overload. Shorten rests periods to improve conditioning and always prioritize proper clean and press technique

Advanced

• Do 3-5 sets of 1-3 reps per set of heavy lifting, or keep it lighter to develop power and speed.
• Include it in different type workouts like EMOM, AMRAP and more depending on your goal.

4 Common Clean and Press Mistakes

There’s a whole bunch of mistakes people make, but that’s just the learning process for you. Still, you should be aware of those that are the most common so you can prevent them from happening. 

Although many people still do it, everybody knows you should not  skip the warm-up or cool-down,  but there are some mistakes that are more specific to the clean and press so let’s see what those are. 

❌ Poor Starting Position

If you don’t start correctly, you’ll throw off the whole lift. Your feet should always be hip-width apart and your grip should be slightly wider than shoulder-width. Your back should be straight and chest up before you start to lift. Your shoulders should slightly cover the bar. 

❌ Early Arm Pull

When you start pulling with your arms too soon, you reduce the power that your hips and legs generate. Keep your arms straight until your hips and knees are completely extended. 

❌ Incorrect Elbow Position

Your elbows need to be in the right position for both the catch and the press. For the catch, your elbows need to be high with the bar resting on your shoulders. For the press, lower your elbows a little so they’re just in front of the bar. 

3 Benefits of Clean and Press

There are too many clean and press benefits to fit in this article, but we’ll go over the most important ones. 

✅ Full-Body Workout

One of the best things about the clean and press is that it engages a lot of major muscle groups in your entire body. It’s an efficient exercise that develops overall strength. You can for example include that exercise in the beginning of your workout and to develop strength and then move to more bodybuilding style exercises for muscle growth. 

✅ Builds Explosive Power

The clean and press is dynamic and includes both the clean and press phases so it helps develop explosive power and strength when done correctly. This is especially beneficial for athletes whose performance relies on quick, powerful movements. 

✅ Improved Coordination

The clean and press will (over time) improve your coordination because it relies on precise timing and control. Apart from a clean alone, The transition from the clean to the press demands a lot of coordination from your lower and upper body.

This exercise improves neuromuscular communication, and the result is better body awareness and coordination. Better coordination will also improve your performance in sports. 

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LEARN MORE

2 Clean and Press Variations

If you want something that’s kind of like the clean and press but not really, we have some variations you can try out! 

1. Clean and Push Press

From the clean position, use a slight dip of the knees (instead of relying on the strength of your shoulders alone) to help push the bar overhead. This variation allows you to lift heavier weights overhead. 

2. Power Clean and Press

The power clean might be  great for  improving performance, explosive power, strength and coordination, but add to that the benefits of the overhead press. The power clean and press blends them together, so you end up with a workout that does it all. 

Start with a shoulder-width grip on the bar, and lift it off the ground. Then, pull it, catch it on your shoulders with a half squat, and press it overhead to full extension. 

3 Clean and Press Alternatives

If the variations aren’t enough for you, have a look at some alternatives!

1. Clean and Press with Kettlebell 

This exercise builds strength, power, and stability. To do it, clean the kettlebell to shoulder height, then press it overhead and make sure the transition is smooth. 

2. Thruster

The thruster combines a front squat with an overhead press and develops power, strength, and endurance. Front Squat with the bar, then drive up and press the bar overhead in one fluid motion. 

3. Single-Arm Dumbbell Clean and Press

This one improves unilateral strength, balance, and coordination. It can also correct muscle imbalances. Clean the dumbbell to your shoulder, then press it overhead and focus on keeping your core stable throughout the exercise. 

Who Should Do the Clean and Press?

There’s hardly anyone that won’t benefit from it, but there are some groups of people the clean and press is particularly good for.

1. Athletes

If you’re an athlete who’s involved in a sport that relies on quick, powerful movements (football, soccer, basketball, track and field, etc.), the clean and press can give you an edge because of how well it develops full-body.

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2. Weightlifters

Weightlifters who want to improve their Olympic lifts and strength in general should include the clean and press into their routines. It will develop the pulling strength and overhead pressing power that’s important for a lot of lifts. 

3. General Population

Since it’s a full-body workout, there’s hardly anyone that won’t benefit from it. It will improve strength, power, and coordination, and it’s effective at improving fitness overall. It also does wonders for muscle tone and functional strength. 

4. People Who Want to Challenge Themselves

Those who like a good challenge will enjoy the clean and press. It’s intense, complex, and needs a decent amount of focus and skill. It’s an excellent choice for people who want to push their limits. 

Muscles Worked by the Clean and Press

If you want to know what are the clean and press muscles worked, the answer is – many of them. 

It’s a full-body exercise that targets the glutes, legs, and lower back during the clean phase, and the shoulders, triceps, and upper chest during the press phase. It also engages the core throughout the movement so you can stay stable and balanced. 

Conclusion

The clean and press is a fantastic way to transform your fitness routine because it targets many major muscle groups, improves explosive power, and gives your coordination a boost. It’s not just meant for athletes or weightlifters; it will work for literally anyone that wants to improve their performance or just mix up their workouts. The barbell clean and press has something for everyone!

Have you tried it yet? If you have, what do you like most about it? Any obstacles you’ve stumbled upon? If you don’t do the clean and press, what’s stopping you? 

We want to hear from you so drop a comment and let’s talk! 

References:

1. Daniel Plotkin, Max Coleman, Derrick Van Every, Jaime Maldonado, Douglas Oberlin, Michael Israetel, Jared Feather, Andrew Alto, Andrew D. Vigotsky, Brad J. Schoenfeld, “Progressive Overload Without Progressing Load? The Effects of Load or Repetition Progression on Muscular Adaptations,” PeerJ 10 (2022): e14142.
2. Hyoung-Kil Park, Min-Kyung Jung, Eunkyung Park, Chang-Young Lee, Yong-Seok Jee, Denny Eun, Jun-Youl Cha, and Jaehyun Yoo. “The effect of warm-ups with stretching on the isokinetic moments of collegiate men.” Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation 14, no. 1 (2018): 78–82.
3. Lachlan P. James, Paul Comfort, Timothy J. Suchomel, Vincent G. Kelly, Emma M. Beckman, G. Gregory Haff, “Influence of Power Clean Ability and Training Age on Adaptations to Weightlifting-Style Training,” Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, November 2019, 33(11): 2936-2944.
4. Saddam Akbar, Kim Geok Soh, Nasnoor Jazaily Mohd Nasiruddin, Marrium Bashir, Shudian Cao, Kim Lam Soh, “Effects of neuromuscular training on athletes physical fitness in sports: A systematic review,” Frontiers in Physiology, Sec. Exercise Physiology, Volume 13, September 23, 2022.
5. Stacey Carter “Why it’s important to cool down after exercise, according to the science,” LiveScience, https://www.livescience.com/why-its-important-to-cool-down-after-exercise-according-to-the-science (accessed July 26th, 2024)
6. Photos by Torokhtiy Media Team.