Dumbbell Clean and Press
Presses weights straight overhead without a dip
- Level
- Intermediate
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Movement
- Clean · Standing
- Tracks
- Weight & Reps
Works
Full Body Shoulders Triceps Quadriceps Glutes Hamstrings Traps Back
How to do it
- Stand with feet hip-width apart holding dumbbells at your shins.
- Hinge at the hips and keep your back flat.
- Explosively extend your hips and knees to shrug the weights up.
- Drop under the dumbbells and catch them at shoulder height.
- Press the weights straight overhead until your arms are fully locked out.
- Lower the dumbbells back to your shoulders and then to the start.
Common mistakes
- Pulling with the arms instead of driving with the legs.
- Leaning too far back during the overhead press portion.
- Failing to drop under the weight during the catch phase.
- Allowing the elbows to flare out excessively while pressing.
Safety
Maintain a neutral spine to prevent lower back injury during the hinge.
Ensure adequate overhead mobility to avoid shoulder impingement at lockout.
Tips
- Keep the dumbbells close to your body throughout the entire pull.
- Drive through your mid-foot to generate maximum vertical force.
- Punch your head forward slightly as the weights pass your face.
- Brace your core hard before initiating the overhead press.
Details
- Base movement
- Clean
- Combined with
- Overhead press
- Load position
- At the sides
- Arms
- Both
- Legs
- Both
- Hand orientation
- Neutral (palms facing each other)
- Body position
- Standing
- Stance
- Shoulder-width
