Clean and Press

Body region

• Shoulders
• Legs
• Glutes
• Back

Muscles

Main

• Deltoid
• Gluteus Maximus
• Vastus Lateralis

Helps

• Trapezius
• Erector Spinae
• Rectus Femoris
• Vastus Medialis
• Biceps Femoris
• Triceps

Holds

• Rectus Abdominis
• Transversus Abdominis
• Gastrocnemius

Equipment

• Barbell

Technique

1. Stand with the bar over mid-foot, feet hip-width apart, and grip it just outside your legs.
2. With a flat back, push the floor away and stand up with the bar close to your body.
3. As the bar passes your hips, extend hard, shrug and pull yourself under it, catching it on the front of your shoulders.
4. Stand tall with the bar in the rack position and brace your abs.
5. Press the bar straight overhead until your arms are locked out.
6. Lower the bar to your shoulders, then to your thighs and to the floor under control.

Cues

• Keep the bar close to your body during the pull.
• Catch the bar with elbows high and in front of the bar.
• Squeeze the glutes before you press to protect the lower back.

Common mistakes

• Rounding the back when lifting the bar off the floor.
• Pulling the bar up with the arms instead of driving with the legs and hips.
• Leaning far back during the press.
• Using a weight you cannot catch cleanly. Learn the clean with a light bar first.

Alternatives

• Overhead Press
• Barbell Thruster