How to do a Clean
Reviewed by JP Michelsen, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Clean
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Clean is a compound, explosive exercise that targets a wide range of muscle groups including the legs, back, and shoulders. It involves lifting a barbell from the ground to your shoulders in one fluid motion. This exercise improves power, strength, and coordination, and is often used to develop overall athleticism and prepare for more complex Olympic lifts.
- Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and slightly angled out with a loaded barbell on the ground next to your shins.
- Hinge at the hips and flex the knees to allow you to grab ahold of the barbell in an overhand grip shoulder-width apart.
- Maintain a straight and rigid spine as your press through your heels to pull the barbell off the ground in a vertical path next to your body by extending your hips and knees.
- Once the barbell passes over your mid thigh, explode your hips, knees, and ankles into extension to pull the barbell up to chest height still keeping it next to your body.
- Catch the barbell on the top of your chest by snapping your elbows underneath the bar, palms facing up, and drop into a quarter squat underneath the bar.
- Stand upright before lowering the barbell to the starting position.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Clean standards by male, female, weight, age and height
Use this calculator to see Fitbod's possible first recommendations for you. This would be your starting line, based on more than 4.5 billion logged sets from 1.1 million users.
- beginner8reps45lbs1 Rep Max55lbs
- intermediate8reps55lbs70lbs
- advanced8reps65lbs80lbs
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Alternative Exercises to Clean
1. Deadlift
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2. Power Clean
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3. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
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4. Romanian Deadlift
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5. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
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6. Sumo Deadlift
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