Kettlebell Double Clean
What Is the Kettlebell Double Clean?
Kettlebell Double Clean is a compound exercise that primarily targets the glutes and hamstrings and also engages the lower back, quadriceps, upper back, shoulders, biceps and grip. It is an intermediate-level movement that takes two kettlebells from a backswing between the legs up to the front rack position at the chest, powered by a fast hip extension rather than by the arms.
The double clean builds explosive hip power and teaches you to receive a heavy, evenly balanced load at the shoulders. Because it delivers both bells to the rack, it is also the entry point for the double-bell lifts that start there, such as the Kettlebell Double Military Press, the Kettlebell Double Jerk and the Kettlebell Front Squat. Many programs use it as the first movement of a double-kettlebell complex or as a conditioning drill in sets of 5 to 10 reps.
In kettlebell sport, the clean is the first half of the long cycle, an event that can be contested with two bells of equal weight. The Kettlebell Double Clean and Jerk and the Kettlebell Double Clean and Press pair this same clean with a jerk or a strict press on every rep, while this page covers the clean on its own.
The hips do most of the work. The arms only guide the bells close to the body and turn the hands into the handles at the top. On the way down, the elbow flexors slow both bells before the hinge takes over, which is why the biceps often feel the lift the next day. Compared with the Kettlebell Single-Arm Clean, two bells keep the hips and shoulders square and allow more total load, but they remove the anti-rotation challenge of a single bell and need a wider stance so both bells pass between the thighs.
The lift suits lifters who already have a solid Kettlebell Swing and a clean, quiet single-arm clean on each side. If it feels too hard, build the hinge with the Kettlebell Deadlift and the swing first, then start doubles with two bells lighter than your single-arm clean weight.
Muscles Worked
- Biceps Femoris
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- Primary
- Erector Spinae
- High
- Semitendinosus
- High
- Adductor Magnus
- Medium
- Biceps Brachii
- Medium
- Deltoid
- Medium
- Upper Trapezius
- Medium
- Vastus Lateralis
- Medium
Instructions
- Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width and your toes turned out a little, holding a kettlebell in each hand at arm's length between your thighs with an overhand grip.
- Brace your midsection, pull your shoulders down and back, and unlock your knees.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees so the bells swing back between your thighs, keeping your back flat and your forearms close to your inner thighs.
- Drive your hips forward and stand up hard, letting the bells float up close to your body with your elbows tucked by your sides.
- As the bells pass your waist, turn your hands inward and slide them through the handles so the bells roll around your wrists instead of flipping over them.
- Receive both bells in the rack position: fists in front of your chin, palms facing each other, elbows down and tucked against your ribs, and the bells resting on the outside of your forearms.
- Finish tall with your knees and hips locked out, and pause briefly while breathing behind your brace.
- To lower, turn your hands and let the bells drop toward your hips with your elbows close, then hinge as your forearms reach your hips so the bells swing back between your thighs.
- Drive straight into the next rep, and after the last one, let the bells swing back once more and guide them to a stop in front of your thighs or set them down.
Common Mistakes
Curling the bells up
Pulling the bells up with the arms instead of driving them with the hips limits the load you can handle and overworks the biceps and shoulders.
Letting the bells crash onto the forearms
A wide, looping arc lets the bells flip over the hands and slam into the forearms, so keep them close and slide your hands through the handles as they pass your waist.
Rounding the back on the backswing
Letting the spine round as two bells swing between the legs puts heavy, repeated load on the lower back instead of the hips.
Stance too narrow
With the feet close together the two bells hit the thighs or knees on the backswing, so set the feet wider than shoulder-width to give them room.
Elbows flaring in the rack
Elbows that drift out to the sides leave the bells hanging on the shoulders and bend the wrists back instead of resting the load on the trunk.
Dropping the bells without hinging
Letting the bells fall straight down with the legs locked yanks on the arms and back, so wait until your forearms reach your hips before you hinge.
Injuries
Kettlebell Double Clean is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. Two bells double the load on the lower back, wrists and elbows compared with a one-arm clean, and the lift is fast, so small errors are repeated on every rep. The lower back is at risk when the spine rounds on the backswing or when the bells drift away from the body. The forearms and wrists take a beating when the bells loop out wide and flip over the hands into the rack, and the elbows and biceps work hard to slow both bells on the way down.
Keep the bells close to your body, hinge with a flat back, and slide your hands through the handles as the bells pass your waist so they roll around your wrists instead of crashing onto them. Keep the elbows tucked against the ribs in the rack and the wrists straight, and stay braced through the whole rep, including the drop.
If the lift is too much, regress to the Kettlebell Swing, the Kettlebell Single-Arm Clean or the Kettlebell Deadlift, and come back to doubles with lighter bells. Once the double clean is consistent, progress to the Kettlebell Double Clean and Press or the Kettlebell Double Clean and Jerk.
Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in the lower back, pain in the wrist or elbow that stays after the rep, or numbness or tingling in the hands. Also end the set when your grip or your back position starts to fade, because a tired double clean tends to turn into a curl with a rounded back.
- Primary Focus
- Full body
- Equipment
- Kettlebell
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Should beginners start with the double clean?
No. Most coaches teach the Kettlebell Swing and the Kettlebell Single-Arm Clean first, because two bells expose any weakness in the hinge or the rack and leave little room to correct it mid-set.
- Q: How heavy should the two kettlebells be?
Start with a pair that is lighter than the bell you clean with one arm, and use two bells of the same weight. Add load only when every rep lands quietly in the rack without the bells hitting your forearms.
- Q: Why do the kettlebells bang my forearms?
The usual cause is a wide arc that lets the bells flip over your hands at the top. Keep your elbows close to your body, let the bells float up near your torso, and push your hands through the handles as the bells pass your waist so they roll into place.
- Q: Why are my biceps sore after double cleans?
On every rep your elbow flexors slow two bells as they drop from the rack before your hips take over. That braking work is a normal source of soreness in the upper arms, especially when you are new to doubles.
- Q: Do I have to rack the bells and swing them back between my legs on every rep?
In the version shown here, yes: each rep starts with a backswing between the thighs and ends in the rack, then the bells drop and swing back for the next rep. Parking the bells on the floor between reps is a fine way to learn the movement, but it removes the backswing that powers the clean.