Clean & Press

Clean & Press Instructions

• Position your mid-foot underneath the bar in an athletic stance about shoulder-width apart.
• Toes pointed straight ahead.
• Be in a strong athletic position: knees flexed, core and glutes activated, chest up, and shoulders back. 
• With a neutral spine, flex at the knees and hips to assume a strong pull position.
• Grab the bar with an overhand grip, keep your upper back tight and shoulders pinned back. 
• Neck is in a neutral position and the bar is close to your shins
• Pull by your driving your heels through the floor, keeping your core tight, and using your upper back to keep the bar close to your body. 
• Once the bar passes your knees, explode & extend your hips, knees, and ankles & shrug your shoulders to vertically elevate the bar.
• Catch the bar at the top in a front rack position. 
• You want to maintain a slight knee and hip bend with your core braced.
• Your back should not be excessively arched.
• To begin, slightly dip your knees and hips then explode upwards extending your hips, knees, and ankles to push the bar to a stabilized position overhead.
• Imagine bringing your armpits forward to stabilize the weight overhead. 
• At the top, the bar is directly above your head with your elbows are locked out.
• Neck is in a neutral position with your eyes fixated straight ahead.
• Ribs are stacked on top of your pelvis.
• Glutes are engaged with your knees slightly bent.
• For the downward part of the exercise, lower the bar to the shoulders in a controlled manner.

*Tips*

• This exercise takes a good bit of practice, start with lighter weight and perform many sets strictly to build technique. 
• The arms do not pull the weight up on the pull. Firing your ankles, knees, and hips raises the bar vertically.
• Keep your core tight for the duration of the exercise.
• Don't let the bar stray from your mid-line. You want to keep the bar as close to your body as possible.