How to Do the Dumbbell Clean and Press Exercise

The dumbbell clean and press is a weightlifting exercise that activates muscles throughout your entire body. Perform the dumbbell clean and press exercise by grabbing a pair of dumbbells. Start in a standing position with your feet hip-width apart. Hold the dumbbells at your side as you bend your knees, hips, and ankles. On the upward movement, lift the dumbbells overhead with an explosive movement, similar to a push press or shoulder press. Catch the dumbbells at shoulder height and lower into a squat position.

For the dumbbell clean and press, begin using a weight that you can control for 2–3 sets of 6–10 repetitions. Choose a weight that allows you to maintain good technique throughout all sets and repetitions.

1. 1. Grab two dumbbells and hold them by your sides. Your palms should be facing your legs. Your posture should be tall with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips with a neutral head and neck position. Your chin should remain tucked throughout the movement, as if you were attempting to hold an egg under your chin.
2. 2. Evenly distribute your weight on your feet from your toes to your heels. Grip the floor with your feet to create a stable foot position.
3. 3. Pre-tension your shoulders, hips, and engage your core. Your arms should remain long by your sides, with a slight bend in your elbows.
4. 4. While keeping the dumbbells close to your body, maintain a neutral spine and begin to bend your hips, knees, and ankles.
5. 5. Lower until your legs are parallel or slightly below parallel to the floor. You should only lower as far as you can maintain a level pelvis.
6. 6. To begin the upward movement, explosively push your legs into the ground as if you were jumping.
7. 7. As you lift the dumbbells over your shoulders, rotate your arms until your elbows face forward at chest level.
8. 8. Catch the dumbbells on your shoulders, and lower yourself again into a squat.
9. 9. Your legs should finish parallel or slightly lower than parallel to the floor. You should only lower as far as you can maintain a level pelvis and a strong squatting position.
10. 10. Stand tall as if you were finishing a squat repetition and explosively push the dumbbells overhead.
11. 11. Lower the dumbbells with control back to your sides, and lower into a squat position to begin the next repetition.

Including dumbbell clean and presses in your strength-training program can have several benefits:

1. 1. Dumbbell clean and presses are a full-body workout. Dumbbell clean and presses build muscles throughout your upper body and lower body, including your glutes, hamstrings, triceps, deltoids, spinal erectors, quadriceps, and lower back muscles.
2. 2. Dumbbell clean and presses encourage muscle symmetry. By using a pair of dumbbells rather than a single piece of equipment like a barbell, the exercise highlights muscle asymmetries you may have developed by favoring one side of your body over the other.
3. 3. Dumbbell clean and presses activate your stabilizer muscles. As you lift the pair of dumbbells through a full range of motion, you stabilize yourself by using the muscles in your arms, shoulders, lower back, and core.
4. 4. Dumbbell clean and presses use a full range of motion. Dumbbell clean and presses allow for a greater range of motion than traditional barbell clean and presses. With practice, dumbbell clean and presses can build strength for other dumbbell exercises, like the dumbbell bench press and the dumbbell overhead press.

Once you’ve practiced the standard dumbbell clean and press, consider trying one of these variations:

1. 1. Single-arm dumbbell clean and press: If you want to focus on your lifting form, consider practicing the exercise one arm at a time.
2. 2. Kettlebell clean and press: For experienced lifters, consider using a heavier kettlebell while practicing the exercise.
3. 3. Dumbbell clean and jerk: Perform this exercise by lifting the dumbbells quickly overhead in one explosive movement and catching them in a full squat position.

If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

In order to see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

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