The dumbbell clean and press trains just about everything at once: hip power, shoulder strength, core stability and conditioning. For my money, it's one of the highest return exercises you can do with a pair of dumbbells.

Treat it as a hip exercise first. Most people curl the dumbbells up to their shoulders, when the dumbbells should be traveling because you snapped your hips open.

What the dumbbell clean and press is

It takes the weight from the floor to overhead in two distinct movements. First the clean: you pick the weight up using your legs and get it to your shoulders. Then the press.

You've got options on that second part. You can press with your upper body only. You can push press it and let your legs help. Or you can tie the two together: clean, catch, and use the momentum from your legs to drive the weight straight overhead.

How to do a dumbbell clean and press

1. Set up. Hinge at the hips with the dumbbells at mid-shin. Back flat.
2. Explode. Extend your hips and knees hard. The dumbbells move because you snapped, not because you pulled with your arms.
3. Catch at the shoulders. Get your elbows under the dumbbells.
4. Press overhead. Keep your ribs down and finish with your biceps by your ears.

If you want more on the pressing half by itself, my dumbbell shoulder press guide breaks it down.

Common dumbbell clean and press mistakes

Mistake	What it does	The fix
Curling the dumbbells up	Turns a hip exercise into an arm exercise	Legs start the movement, hands follow
No full hip extension before the catch	You cut the power off early	Finish the hips all the way before the dumbbells land on your shoulders
Pressing with an arched low back	The ribs flare and you lose your position overhead	Ribs down, biceps finish by your ears
Going heavy too soon	The timing never gets automatic	Stay light until the clean and the press feel smooth

Sets and reps

I program the dumbbell clean and press for 4-5 sets of 5-8 reps. Keep the reps crisp, and don't add weight until the timing between the clean and the press is automatic.

More full-body dumbbell power moves

If you like the clean and press, these three belong in the same part of your program. On all of them the legs start the movement.

Dumbbell power clean

If the clean part is giving you trouble, practice it on its own. You take the dumbbells from the hang or the floor to the shoulder rack in one fluid movement. This is a power clean, so you catch tall and don't drop into a full squat.

Start with the dumbbells right at your sides and your feet about hip width. Push your hips back into the hang, then use your legs to drive the weight up and pull them right up to your shoulders. Legs start the movement, hands follow.

From the floor it's the same idea. Back flat, push through the legs and catch in a tall position.

Dumbbell snatch

The snatch takes one dumbbell from the ground to locked out overhead in one fluid path. What I'm showing here is the single arm power snatch, which differs a bit from a full squat snatch.

1. Stance. Shoulder width or slightly wider.
2. Grip it. Push your hips back, abs tight, flat back, and grab the dumbbell.
3. Stand up with it. Keep your shoulders over the dumbbell as you stand.
4. Rip it. Once it reaches the hip, extend the hips hard and pull it up into a locked out position.
5. Touch and go. Bring it back down, touch the floor, and switch sides when you're done.

Don't let your hips shoot up first, and don't try to pull it off the ground with your arm. Lock your back, lift with your legs and pull straight up.

Dumbbell thruster

The thruster combines a full front squat with an overhead press, so it hits the quads, shoulders, arms and core. I'll do it with a barbell or kettlebells too, but dumbbells challenge you in a more unilateral way.

Bring the dumbbells to your shoulders and take your squat stance with your chest up and elbows up. Squat deep, opening up your hips, heels and toes down. Then use your legs to drive the weight overhead in one motion.

Here's a sample workout I like. Do 21, then 15, then 9 reps of each:

• Dumbbell thruster
• Pull-up
• Hand release push-up

FAQ

What muscles does the dumbbell clean and press work?

Pretty much everything. It trains hip power, shoulder strength and core stability, and it gets your conditioning up at the same time.

Should I strict press or push press after the clean?

Either works. You can press with your upper body only, push press it, or use the momentum from your legs out of the catch to drive it straight overhead.

Why does my clean feel like a bicep curl?

You're pulling with your arms instead of your hips. Snap your hips and knees open first and let the dumbbells follow.

Is the dumbbell clean the same as a barbell clean?

Same idea, different tool. The version I teach here is a power clean, caught tall rather than in a full squat. If you want the barbell lift, see my clean technique guide.

The bottom line

Let the hips throw the dumbbells to your shoulders and keep your ribs down when you press. Stay light while you learn it, because a heavy clean and press done with your arms is just a sloppy curl.

Want a plan that uses these moves? Start with my free dumbbell program, or get every J2FIT program in one app for $29/month.

Coach Mike Dewar, MA, USAW2. Founder, J2FIT Strength & Conditioning. 20+ years coaching, D1 and D3 strength coach.