Muscles worked
What the clean and press trains
Tap a muscle to see just that one and what it does in the lift.
Before the first rep
How to set up
- 01
Bar over midfoot. Stand with feet about hip width and the bar over the middle of your feet, close enough that it nearly touches your shins when you bend down.
- 02
Grip. Take an overhand grip a little wider than your shoulders, hands just outside your shins, thumbs wrapped. This is also your pressing grip, with forearms vertical in the rack, so you never change width between the clean and the press. A hook grip, with the thumb under the fingers, is optional for the clean.
- 03
Hips and back. Bend your knees until your shins touch the bar. Hips sit higher than your knees, shoulders just in front of the bar, back flat and chest up.
- 04
Arms long, lats tight. Keep your arms straight like ropes and pull your shoulder blades down so the bar stays pinned close to your legs.
- 05
Brace. Take a big breath into your belly and tighten your trunk before the bar moves. Eyes look straight ahead or slightly down.
Step by step
How to do the clean and press
- 01
First pull. Push the floor away with your legs and bring the bar up close to your shins. Keep the same back angle until the bar passes your knees.
- 02
Extend. As the bar reaches mid thigh, drive your hips forward and extend your hips, knees and ankles hard, finishing with a shrug. Arms stay long until your legs finish.
- 03
Pull under and catch. Pull yourself down under the bar and whip your elbows around fast, landing flat footed with feet about shoulder width. Catch it on the front of your shoulders in a quarter squat, above parallel, with elbows high and forward.
- 04
Stand and reset. Stand up tall, then lower your elbows to just in front of the bar and take a full grip, thumbs around the bar, if you used a hook grip or your fingers loosened in the catch. Rebrace with a fresh breath and squeeze your glutes.
- 05
Strict press. Keep your knees locked, pull your chin back and press the bar straight up, close to your face, with elbows under the bar. Move your head through once the bar passes your forehead and lock your elbows out with the bar over your shoulders and midfoot.
- 06
Lower in stages. Bring the bar back to your shoulders under control, then lower it to your hips, then bend your knees and hips to return it to the floor. Reset your back before the next rep.
Cues to say in your head
- Push the floor away
- Bar close to legs
- Hips through, then elbows
- Fast elbows in the catch
- Stand, brace, then press
- Head through at the top
Fix these first
Common mistakes
Bending the arms early in the pull
Keep your arms long until your hips and knees finish extending. Early arm bend slows the bar and turns the clean into a reverse curl.
Bar swinging away from the body
Keep your lats tight and the bar brushing your thighs. Drive your hips forward into the bar, not the bar out away from you.
Catching with elbows down
Rotate your elbows fast and high so the bar lands on your shoulders. If the bar lands in your hands with elbows pointing down, your wrists take the load.
Dipping the knees to start the press
Lock your knees and press with your arms only. A dip and drive makes it a push press, which is a different lift.
Leaning back to finish the press
Squeeze your glutes, keep your ribs down and lighten the load. Leaning back puts the strain on your lower back.
Rushing from the catch into the press
Stand fully, reset your elbows and take a new breath before you press. A loose rack position leaks force.
Rounding the back off the floor
Set your back flat and chest up before the pull and keep that back angle until the bar passes your knees.
Stay safe
Learn the clean with an empty or light technique bar first, ideally from a qualified coach. If you miss a clean, let go of the bar and push it forward away from you while you step back. If you miss the press, bring the bar back to your shoulders under control rather than leaning back to grind it up, and if you ever lose a bar overhead, push it forward away from you and step back. Only drop a bar with bumper plates and clear space around you; with iron plates, keep weights light enough to lower under control. Stop if you feel sharp pain in your back, wrists or shoulders.
Programming
Sets, reps and how much weight
| Goal | Sets | Reps | Load | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 4 to 6 | 1 to 3 | 80–90% 1RM | 2 to 4 min |
| Power | 4 to 6 | 2 to 3 | 60–75% 1RM | 2 to 3 min |
| Technique | 3 to 5 | 3 to 5 | 40–60% 1RM | 1 to 2 min |
| Endurance | 3 to 4 | 6 to 10 | 40–55% 1RM | 1 to 2 min |
Plan your next session
Put in a recent set. You get working weights for your goal, a warm-up and the plates to load.
Estimated 1RM 216 lb
Power sets
130–160lb
4 to 6 sets of 2 to 3 reps, 2 to 3 min rest. Move the bar as fast as you can in the pull. Stop the set if the bar slows down.
Warm up to 145 lb
Tap a set to see its plates.
45 + 5
Estimates use the Epley formula and work best from sets of 3 to 8 reps. Treat them as a starting point and adjust by how the first working set moves.
Questions
Clean and Press questions
What muscles does the clean and press work?
The clean mainly trains the glutes, hamstrings and quads, with the traps finishing the pull. The press works the front shoulders and triceps, while your lower back and abs hold your positions throughout.
What is the difference between the clean and press and the clean and jerk?
Both start with a clean, but the clean and press finishes with a strict press with locked legs, while the clean and jerk uses a dip and a leg drive and drops you under the bar. The jerk lets you put much more weight overhead; the press makes your shoulders and arms do the work.
Is the clean and press good for beginners?
It is an advanced lift because the clean takes practice. Most people do better learning the power clean and the overhead press separately first, then combining them with light weight.
Can I use my legs on the press?
Not in a strict clean and press. If you dip and drive with your knees to start the bar moving, you are doing a clean and push press, which is a fine lift but a different one.
How many sets and reps of clean and press should I do?
Keep reps low for strength or power, usually 1 to 3 per set for 4 to 6 sets, and reset on the floor before each rep. Higher reps with a light bar work for conditioning as long as your form holds.
Is the clean and press a full body exercise?
Yes. Your legs and hips power the clean, your upper body presses the bar, and your trunk has to stay braced the whole time, which is why it shows up in full body and conditioning workouts.
Train in Protocol
Log your clean and press by voice. Protocol tracks the rest.
Your last session shows up before every set, warm-ups and plates are worked out for you, and your coach sees every lift next to your sleep and recovery.