Barbell Clean and Press

Description

How to Do Barbell Clean and Press

1. 1
   Setup

   Stand with your feet hip-width apart, toes slightly pointed out, centered under a loaded barbell. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width with an overhand grip, ensuring your hands are outside your shins.

2. 2
   Setup

   Lower your hips with a straight back, chest up, and shoulders directly over the bar or slightly in front. Ensure your shins are close to the bar and your gaze is fixed forward.

3. 3

   Initiate the clean by driving through your heels, extending your hips and knees to pull the bar off the floor smoothly. Keep the bar path as close to your body as possible.

4. 4

   As the bar passes your knees, explosively extend your hips, knees, and ankles (triple extension) to generate momentum, shrugging your shoulders and pulling the bar upward. Quickly drop into a quarter squat, rotating your elbows under the bar to catch it in the front rack position across your shoulders with elbows high.

5. 5

   From the front rack position, drive through your legs and powerfully press the barbell overhead until your arms are fully extended. Engage your core and keep your head slightly forward as the bar passes.

6. 6

   Control the barbell back down to the front rack position, then lower it to the floor with control, reversing the clean movement.

Tips

• Focus on the triple extension (ankles, knees, hips) during the second pull of the clean to generate maximum explosive power for the lift.
• Maintain a rigid, braced core throughout the entire movement, especially during the clean and overhead press, to protect your spine and transfer force efficiently.
• Keep the barbell's path as vertical as possible during the clean by pulling it close to your body, minimizing horizontal displacement for greater efficiency.
• Ensure you establish a stable front rack position with elbows high before initiating the overhead press, providing a strong base for the upward drive.

Common Mistakes

• ×Rounding the back during the clean can lead to injury; maintain a neutral spine by engaging your core and keeping your chest up throughout the pull.
• ×Failing to achieve full hip and leg extension before pulling with the arms reduces power; ensure a powerful triple extension before shrugging and pulling the bar higher.
• ×Lack of stability during the overhead press, often seen as an unstable torso or flaring elbows, can be fixed by actively bracing your core and pressing up and slightly back, locking out the elbows with a stable base.