Fixing Your Kettlebell Clean & Press

The kettlebell clean & press is a magnificent exercise. I've sang its praises for a long time, so I won't bore you by repeating myself. But, in short, it's a terrific full body exercise that combines a ballistic hinge and a high tension overhead press. The range of motion is pretty much as big as it gets (from betwixt the legs to the bell being locked out over the head). The main muscles worked are the shoulders and triceps, but, almost every major muscle group in the body is somewhat stimulated – one way or another – throughout the exercise.

The problem is it's a tricky exercise to master. It takes practice to develop the skill of it, and repetition to achieve great strength and muscle mass from the exercise. At a certain level, there's no getting around the need to practice the exercise to master the form. 

But, with this article, I hope to expedite that learning process so you can begin clean & pressing the right way, today, and start getting the most out of this wonderful strength and muscle building kettlebell exercise.

Let's dive in.

The steps.

The common mistakes.

The fixes.

Step 1:

Tame the clean to the rack position.

Common Mistake:

Letting the bell swoop out in front too much and allowing it to flip over your wrist.

The Fix:

(Part 1) Keep the lats tight (think: squeeze the armpit). 

(Part 2) Keep the elbow attached to the rib cage.

(Part 3) Punch the fist through the kettlebell window, allowing the kettlebell to rotate around the hand.

Step 2:

Brace and press.

Common Mistake:

Improper rack or pressing start point.

The Fix:

Mind the rack position! Elbow tucked, grip on handle with neutral wrist (no weak, floppy wrists allowed). Hand positioned at or around collar bone. Hand should be in line with or inside the shoulder. Never have the hand outside of shoulder width in the rack position.

Step 3:

Eccentric press and bringing the kettlebell back to the rack position.

Common Mistake:

Losing tension and allowing elbow to flare out to the side.

The Fix:

SLOW DOWN! Elbow should be oriented forward. Think of doing a single arm neutral grip chin up or pulldown. Engage the lat, pack that shoulder!

Step 4:

Drop from the rack back to the clean.

Common Mistake:

Tossing the kettlebell out and away from the body. Letting the kettlebell swoop down below the knees.

The Fix:

Tame the arc. Keep the bell close to your body and "catch" the bell in a hinge position to then reverse the move. Similarly to the concentric (lifting) portion: we want to keep the elbow attached to the rib cage. 

A good drill is to stand about an arm's length away from a wall (preferably one that you don't care about dinging up until you get the hang of things) and practice your clean and clean drop. This will teach you how to hinge deep but pull and drop the bell in a vertical fashion (rather than a swooping semi circle) keeping it close to your body during the clean portion of the exercise. 

That's it. Thanks for being here. I hope you found this helpful.

Watch the YouTube video essay here: https://youtu.be/X2ceSKdiZSA?is=kPZ3tdrUeh2ZM0q0