Dumbbell Clean and Press

Also known as: Double Dumbbell Clean and Press, Dumbbell Clean to Press

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Body Part: Shoulders

Description

Start with two dumbbells on the floor beside your feet and your hips and knees bent. Drive through your legs to clean the weights to your shoulders, catching them in a squat. Rise from the squat and press both dumbbells overhead, then lower them under control to reset.

How to Perform

Place two dumbbells on the floor beside your feet and take a neutral grip.
Bend your hips and knees, brace your trunk and keep your back neutral.
Drive through your legs and hips to lift the dumbbells close to your body.
Move your elbows under the weights and catch them at your shoulders in a squat.
Rise from the squat and press both dumbbells overhead.
Finish with straight arms, the weights above your shoulders and ribs controlled.
Lower to the shoulders, then toward the floor with bent hips and knees to reset.

What Muscles Work

Primary Muscle:

Secondary Muscles:

Tips

Think of pushing the floor away to start the clean with your legs and hips.
Catch the dumbbells at your shoulders in a controlled squat before driving upward.
Keep your wrists straight in the rack position, with the dumbbells close to your shoulders and elbows slightly in front of your body.
Use a weight you can clean smoothly and press without losing posture.
If you are learning the movement, practice the dumbbell clean and overhead press separately before combining them.

Common Mistakes

Letting the dumbbells swing far away from the body during the clean.
Rounding the lower back when lowering into the clean.
Pressing overhead with the ribs flared and lower back overarched.
Stopping the press short of full elbow extension.
Letting the dumbbells drift forward overhead instead of stacking them over the shoulders.
Allowing the knees to collapse inward during the dip or drive.