Front delts exercise
Dumbbell Clean and PressHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Front delts, Glutes
- Also works
- Quads, Traps
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Dumbbell Clean and Press?
- Stand with a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs.
- Push your hips back so the dumbbells reach just above your knees, back flat.
- Drive your hips forward and pull the dumbbells up close to your body onto your shoulders.
- Stand tall, press the dumbbells straight overhead, then lower with control.
Cues
- Hips drive first, arms follow.
- Keep the weights close.
- Ribs down as you press.
Common mistakes
- Lifting with your arms: let the hip drive launch the weights.
- Arching your back overhead: brace your stomach and squeeze your glutes.
- Rounding your back in the dip: push your hips back with your chest up.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Two dumbbells, hang start from just above the knees, power clean to the shoulders in a quarter squat, stand, then a strict press overhead with palms facing each other. OriGym's two-arm dumbbell pattern; ACE shows the single kettlebell version with a swing start, which is not shown.
Starting position
Standing tall, feet hip- to shoulder-width apart (25–35 cm), toes forward. A dumbbell in each hand hanging in front of the thighs, arms straight, palms facing the body. Abs braced, shoulders down, chest up.
The movement
Dip: push the hips back and bend the knees so the dumbbells slide to just above the knees, back flat. Clean: drive the hips forward and the legs straight explosively, shrug, and pull the elbows high and out so the dumbbells travel up close to the body; then whip the elbows round and under so the dumbbells land on the front of the shoulders, palms facing each other, as the knees bend into a quarter squat to receive them. Stand tall. Press: brace and push both dumbbells straight up until the arms are straight over the shoulders, head moving slightly back and then through. Lower to the shoulders under control, then to the thighs with soft knees and a slight hip hinge.
Breathing
Breathe in before the dip, out through the clean; breathe in at the shoulders, out as you press.
Tempo
0.8 s dip, 0.5 s clean, 0.4 s catch and stand, 1 s press, 0.5 s hold, 1.5 s lower to the shoulders, 1 s lower to the thighs (5.7 s).
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Pull: full hip and knee extension, heels may rise 2–3 cm; dumbbells within 10 cm of the body.
- Catch: knee flexion 30–45° (quarter squat), dumbbells resting on the front of the shoulders, elbows pointing forward and down.
- Press lockout: shoulder elevation about 175°, elbows straight, dumbbells over the shoulders about shoulder-width apart, ribs down (no back arch).
- Spine neutral throughout; feet stay flat except at the top of the pull.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Dumbbell Clean and Press is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
