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Home » Clean and Press: Benefits + How To Step by Step Guide

Clean and Press: Benefits + How To Step by Step Guide

Last updated February 14, 2025 by Rich "Hashi Mashi" NASM-CPT

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Clean and Press – Introduction

What is the clean and press, and why should you work on learning and mastering it?

The clean and press is a powerful full-body exercise that combines strength, coordination, and explosive movement.

It starts from the floor like a deadlift and finishes as an overhead press, making it one of the most effective lifts for developing total-body strength.

Up till 1972, the clean and press was a recognized Olympic lift but was discontinued because it was difficult to judge.

Today, Olympic weightlifting consists of the snatch, and the clean and jerk, both of which require lifting heavier weights with explosive power..

Nevertheless, you can use this compound movement to build muscle mass, power, and speed as part of your strength training program.

You can perform the clean and press with various weight training equipment, such as a:

  • barbell
  • kettlebell clean and press, or
  • dumbbell

Clean Definitions

You will see various terminology regarding the clean.

The most basic definition of a clean is lifting a barbell off the floor and catching the bar in a full squat.

There are several clean and press variations:

  • Power clean – is when you receive the bar in a partial front squat position
  • Hang clean – is when you start the clean movement from a standing position, not from the floor.
  • In the hang clean, there are additional variations, either starting the lift from below the knee or the middle of the thigh.
  • Squat clean is also what most strength athletes refer to generically as the clean, and you catch the bar on the front of your shoulders in a full front squat position.
  • Rack position – is when the barbell rests on your front delts aka anterior deltoids, close to your neck, and supported by your fingertips.
  • Your elbows must be pointing forward with the back of your triceps parallel to the floor to achieve a proper front rack position.

This post will focus on the barbell power clean and press.

How to Clean and Press Properly – Step by Step Exercise Guide

Setup for the Clean Portion – the lower half of the movement

Step 1. Set up for the clean and press starting position as you do for the deadlift

Step 2. Place your feet in the most optimal jump stance to generate power against the floor; either hip-width or place your feet shoulder-width apart, as taller athletes like Brian Shaw do for the deadlift

Step 3. Grab the barbell with an overhand grip spaced just outside of your legs.

Step 4. Begin the power clean by driving your heels through the floor

Step 5. Imagine performing a vertical leg press

Step 6. The barbell should maintain contact with your shins, this requires the proper engagement of your lats.

Step 7. An excellent tip to achieve lat engagement is to think of bending the bar across your body.

Step 8. Build speed as you extend your ankles, knees, push your hips forward and shrug your shoulders to pull the bar upwards.

Step 9. When the barbell passes your knees and reaches mid-thigh, use an explosive jump to accelerate the bar upwards, and pull yourself underneath the barbell until you catch it in the rack position.

Press Phase – the upper half of the movement

Step 10. From the front rack position, drive the weight overhead and perform a shoulder press.

See this video where Mark Rippetoe teaches the first part of the movement, the power clean:

Practice Hang Cleans to Perfect Rack Position

A great tip from strongman and powerlifter Alan Thrall is to learn proper technique for the power clean by practicing what he calls jump and catch drills. 

Good form helps prevent common lifting mistakes which make you vulnerable to injury risks.

Here is how he describes the movement:

  1. Start with the bar from the crease of your hips.
  2. Think knees, bend your knees to do a quarter front squat, and then
  3. Jump upwards to perform triple extension, where your ankle, knees, and hips all extend at the same time.
  4. This momentum will cause the bar to accelerate upwards and then you need to pull yourself beneath the barbell and rotate your elbows forward until the bar reaches rack position.

Alan Thrall’s Technique Tip: Mastering the Power Clean Rack Position

The Top 10 Spectacular Clean and Press Benefits

#1. Builds the rate of speed that you can apply to resistance, in other words, trains you to display explosive strength, which is power

#2. Improves your athletic performance in any sport

#3. As well as practical application to everyday life, such as lifting heavy objects from the ground to place them on a ledge

#4. Works the major muscles of your body with one exercise

#5. Multiple reps of clean and press are excellent for high-intensity interval training

#6. Great strength and conditioning exercise for your entire body (and mind)

As such, the clean and press is a fantastic exercise for a complete body transformation

#7. Increases cardiovascular and muscular endurance

#8. Excellent to include in a strength training circuit routine

#9. High calorie-burning training to add to your workout

#10. Important for track athletes like Allyson Felix and NFL sensation Saquon Barkley to generate strength and power quickly

Watch NFL running back Saquon Barkley perform a clean of 405 pounds at Penn State in the following video:

Primary Muscles Worked by the Clean and Press

Like the deadlift, the clean and press will target the major muscle groups of your lower body and posterior chain:

  • gluteus muscle group
  • hamstring muscle group
  • quadriceps
  • hip flexors

And you also work many powerful muscles of your upper body, helping you develop a strong core:

  • abdominal core
  • arms
  • latissimus dorsi
  • lower back and upper back
  • shoulders – anterior deltoids

Clean and Press – Wrapping Up

The power clean and press is an advanced full-body weightlifting exercise that builds explosive speed and power, making it a great addition to your workout routine.

No wonder the power clean alone is a popular training tool for sports like football which demands explosive power and strength.

What’s Next

The clean and press is a full-body workout that builds explosive power, but mastering the movement requires understanding the muscles worked and the proper form needed to maximize results. 

If you’re looking to improve your press workouts, develop full-body strength, and enhance power development, check out:

Power Cleans Muscles Worked: Why to Learn + How-To Master to see how this compound lift can take your training to the next level.

Not Ready for the Clean and Press Yet?

The power clean and press is an advanced movement that requires strength, coordination, and excellent press technique.

If you’re just starting your fitness journey, mastering the deadlift is a great first step before progressing to explosive movements like the clean and press.

An excellent way to get started is with:

  • Deadlift Muscles Worked: Why This Lift is Essential
  • How to Deadlift: A Beginner’s Guide to Perfect Form

Related Posts:

  • Power Clean VS Deadlift: Benefits, Muscles Used + Which Is Better
  • Clean Eating for Beginners: The Guide to Getting Started
  • Squat Clean vs Power Clean: Benefits + Differences
  • Clean Eating vs Keto Diet: The Differences + Which is Better
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Filed Under: Exercises

About The Author

Rich Hashimashi AuthorRich "Hashi Mashi" is a NASM-CPT, CNC and Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. At 55, he lost 75 pounds in 6 months, and discovered if you change your body, you can change your life. Ready to reignite your fitness? Start Your Body Transformation Journey Here.

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