Exercise Facts
| Movement Pattern | Hinge, Power, Push, Unilateral |
|---|---|
| Muscle Group | Core, Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads, Shoulders, Triceps |
| Equipment | Dumbbells |
| Environment | Gym, Home |
| Skill Level | Advanced, Intermediate |
| Series | Dumbbell Power Series |
Overview
The Dumbbell Clean & Press is a total-body compound exercise that blends lower-body power with upper-body control. It builds strength, speed, and coordination while improving endurance and explosiveness essential qualities for functional and hybrid athletes.
Start with dumbbells on the floor outside your feet. Hinge at the hips, grip the weights, and explosively drive through your legs and hips to lift them to shoulder height (the clean). From this rack position, brace your core and press the dumbbells overhead to full lockout (the press). Lower them under control and repeat.
This movement targets the glutes, quads, hamstrings, shoulders, and triceps, while also engaging the core for balance and stabilization. It develops power through the hips and coordination through the transfer between clean and press a pattern mirrored in many athletic and HYROX-style workouts.
Common mistakes include pulling with the arms instead of the hips, losing core tension between phases, or pressing from a weak base. Cue “drive from the legs,” “catch strong,” and “press tall.”
In Relentless Bravery Fitness, the Dumbbell Clean & Press is a signature hybrid movement a test of focus, rhythm, and precision under fatigue. It demands smooth transitions, even breathing, and relentless control.
Programming can vary: use 4×5 per side for power, 5×10 alternating for conditioning, or 10 rounds of 10 for a brutal 100-rep endurance challenge.
Setup (Steps)
Stand with dumbbells on floor outside feet, chest tall, hips back.
Execution (Steps)
Drive through hips to clean dumbbells to shoulders, then press overhead to full extension.
Coaching Cues
“Hips first. Catch strong. Press tall.”
Common Faults & Fixes
Early arm pull → drive from hips. Losing balance → engage core before press.
Programming Ideas
4×5 for strength, 5×10 for conditioning, 100 reps for endurance.
Variations
Alternating arm, single-arm, squat clean & press.
Regressions
Dumbbell hang clean, push press only.
Standards & Competition Notes
Dumbbells start from floor, end in full overhead lockout.
Safety Notes
Keep neutral spine and control the descent.
