Kettlebell Double Clean and Press
What Is the Kettlebell Double Clean and Press?
Kettlebell Double Clean and Press is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders, glutes and quadriceps and also engages the hamstrings, upper back, triceps and core. It is an intermediate-level movement that links three patterns in every rep: a clean from the floor with a kettlebell in each hand, a full front squat as the bells land in the rack position, and a strict press of both bells overhead.
The lift trains explosive hip and knee extension, leg strength and overhead pressing strength in one movement, which makes it a time-efficient choice for full-body strength sessions, kettlebell complexes and conditioning circuits. Heavy sets of 3 to 5 reps build strength, while lighter, continuous sets turn it into demanding conditioning work. It is not a kettlebell sport competition lift: the double-bell event there is the long cycle, which finishes with a jerk rather than a press.
The work shifts through the rep. The glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps accelerate the bells off the floor, the quadriceps and glutes take over again to stand up out of the squat, and the deltoids and triceps finish the press while the trapezius and serratus anterior rotate the shoulder blades upward. Holding two bells keeps the load symmetrical, so the trunk braces evenly, but a weaker side shows up quickly in the press. Cleaning to a standing rack without the squat takes most of the extra quadriceps work out, and adding a short dip and drive turns the press into a push press that lets the legs help.
The press nearly always limits the load, so choose a pair of kettlebells you can press strictly for every planned rep. Lifters new to kettlebells should first be comfortable with the Kettlebell Deadlift, Kettlebell Goblet Squat, Kettlebell Hang Clean and Kettlebell Single-Arm Military Press before putting the pieces together with two bells.
Muscles Worked
- Deltoid
- Primary
- Gluteus Maximus
- Primary
- Vastus Lateralis
- Primary
- Biceps Femoris
- High
- Upper Trapezius
- High
- Vastus Medialis
- High
- Erector Spinae
- Medium
- Rectus Abdominis
- Medium
- Serratus Anterior
- Medium
Instructions
- Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and a kettlebell on the floor beside each foot.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to grip both handles with an overhand grip, arms straight, back flat and chest up.
- Drive through your whole foot and stand up explosively, extending your hips and knees so the bells rise close to the front of your legs.
- As your hips reach full extension, pull your elbows back and up and let your hands rotate around the handles so the bells roll over onto the backs of your forearms.
- Drop straight down into a deep front squat as the bells land in the rack, with wrists straight, elbows tucked in front of your ribs, hands near your chin and heels flat.
- Stand up out of the squat with the bells held in the rack.
- Brace your core, squeeze your glutes and press both bells straight up until your elbows lock out over your shoulders, without leaning back.
- Lower the bells back to the rack under control, then hinge and guide them down to the floor beside your feet to reset for the next rep.
Common Mistakes
Curling the bells up
Pulling the kettlebells up with the arms instead of driving them with the legs and hips turns the clean into a heavy curl and wastes the energy needed for the press.
Bells crashing onto the forearms
Letting the bells loop away from the body or gripping the handles too tightly makes them flip over the hands and slam into the forearms instead of rolling around the wrists.
Rounding the back at the floor
Starting each rep with a rounded spine or with the hips shooting up first puts the pull on the lower back instead of the hips and legs.
Loose rack position
Landing the bells with bent-back wrists or elbows flared away from the ribs leaves the load hanging in front of the body and makes both the squat and the press harder to control.
Chest collapsing in the squat
Letting the chest drop or the heels lift as you receive the bells pulls the weight forward and puts the lower back and knees in a weak position.
Leaning back to press
Arching the lower back to get the bells overhead shifts stress onto the spine and usually means the bells are too heavy for a strict press.
Injuries
Kettlebell Double Clean and Press is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. It combines a fast pull from the floor, a deep squat and an overhead press, so the lower back, wrists, shoulders and knees all carry load in a single rep, and fatigue in a long set tends to break down the pull and the press first.
The lower back is most exposed when the spine rounds as the bells leave the floor or when the lifter leans back to finish the press. The wrists and forearms take a beating when the bells swing wide and flip over the hands instead of rolling around them, and a bent-back wrist in the rack strains the forearm. The shoulders are loaded at the top of their range overhead, which becomes a problem when limited upper-back or shoulder mobility forces the arms forward or the lower back to arch. Keep the back flat at the floor, keep the bells close to the body, land them with straight wrists and elbows tucked, and brace the trunk and glutes so the press finishes with the bells stacked over the shoulders.
To regress, practice the pieces separately with one bell: the Kettlebell Deadlift for the pull, the Kettlebell Hang Clean for the rack, the Kettlebell Goblet Squat for the squat and the Kettlebell Single-Arm Military Press for the press. Progress by adding weight to the pair only when every press is strict, or by building to longer continuous sets.
Stop the set if you feel sharp or pinching pain in the shoulder overhead, pain in the lower back, numbness or tingling in the hands, or wrist pain that does not ease once the bells are racked correctly.
- Primary Focus
- Full body
- Equipment
- Kettlebell
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Does each rep have to start from the floor?
In the version shown, the bells return to the floor and each rep starts from a dead stop, which trains strength off the floor and makes every rep a fresh setup. Many lifters instead swing the bells back between the legs and clean again for continuous reps, which is faster but takes more skill to keep the bells close.
- Q: Is this the same as the kettlebell long cycle?
No. The long cycle in kettlebell sport is a double clean followed by a jerk, where the legs dip and drive the bells overhead, while this exercise finishes with a strict press that the shoulders and arms complete on their own.
- Q: Do I have to squat when I clean the bells?
No. Receiving the bells in a full front squat, as shown, adds a squat to every rep and works the quadriceps harder, but you can also clean to a standing rack and press from there if a deep squat under two bells is not yet comfortable.
- Q: How heavy should the kettlebells be?
Let the press decide. Choose a pair you can clean smoothly and press strictly for every planned rep without leaning back, since the clean and squat can usually handle more than the shoulders can press.
- Q: Should I use one kettlebell or two?
Start with one. A single bell lets you learn the clean, rack and press and shows up any difference between sides, and two bells then add load and train both sides at once. For a lift that is harder to control overhead, try the Kettlebell Double Snatch once this one is solid.