Dumbbell Clean

glutes, hamstrings, quads, core, shoulders, trapsDumbbells

Dumbbell cleans fire up your hamstrings, glutes, and shoulders. They build athletic coordination and prep your body for complex multi-joint movements.

How to do it

1Stand upright with feet shoulder-width apart, holding dumbbells at your sides.

2Hinge at your hips and bend your knees slightly, lowering the dumbbells to just below your knees.

3Explosively snap your hips forward and drive upward to create vertical momentum.

4Catch the dumbbells on your shoulders by dropping into a soft squat and driving your elbows forward.

5Stand up tall, fully extending your hips and knees with dumbbells secured on your shoulders.

Common mistakes

Rounding your back during the hinge, putting dangerous stress on your lower back.

Curling the weights with your biceps instead of driving through your legs.

Catching the dumbbells on stiff legs, sending harsh impact through your joints.

Breathing

Inhale as you hinge down into position. Exhale as you snap up, catch the weights on your shoulders, and stand tall.

Make it harder or easier

To scale down, use lighter dumbbells and a smaller hinge range to master the hip snap.

To scale up, combine the clean directly into a front squat or overhead press.

This is general guidance, not a medical opinion. Listen to your body: if it hurts, stop. If you have an injury or a chronic condition, talk to a doctor first.