An athlete looking at changing their fortune in the tracks should consider adding the dumbbell clean and press to their training routine.
Most coaches and athletes can benefit from this exercise as it increases total body strength and power movement.
It is a fantastic workout to develop metabolic fitness, movement and body power. However, it requires deep mastery.
HOW TO DO DUMBBELL CLEAN AND PRESS PROPERLY
- Start with weight for this exercise that you can handle for two to three sets of six to ten repetitions. It’s important to pick a weight that lets you to maintain proper form in all sets.
- Hold two dumbbells and place them on either side of your body. Face your legs with your palms up. Keeping your shoulders back and keeping your knees slightly bent is the best way to maintain a strong posture.
- Your shoulders must be level with your hips, and your head and neck should be in a neutral position. Y your chin should always be tucked in during the maneuver.
- Make sure that your weight is distributed evenly throughout your feet, from your toes to your heels. Get down on the ground with your feet and hold on tight.
- Pre-stress your shoulders, hips, and core muscles. Keeping your arms at your sides with a small bend in your elbows is the ideal position.
- Maintain a neutral spine, and bend your hips, knees, and ankles while maintaining the dumbbells close to your body.
- Your legs should be parallel or slightly below parallel to the floor when you are at their lowest point. When lowering, you should only go as far as your pelvis can support.
- Launch your legs like you are jumping out of the ground to start the upward motion.
- Rotate your arms so that your elbows are facing forward at chest level as you raise the dumbbells off the floor.
- Reverse the movement by going back down into a squat with the dumbbells on your shoulders.
- Finish with your legs as close to or just below parallel to the floor as you can manage. Only go as low as you can while still maintaining a firm squatting position and a level pelvis.
- Thrust the dumbbells upward while maintaining your posture.
- Lower the dumbbells back to your sides and begin the next rep by lowering into a squat stance.
WHAT MUSCLES DO DUMBBELL CLEAN AND PRESS
All major muscle groups in the body work in the dumbbell clean and press. Its nature of a compound exercise targets these muscles almost simultaneously except chest muscles.
Consequently, with each stage of the exercise – the clean and press – different muscles work.
Here is an elaborate list of muscles worked during the clean:
- Glutes
- Hamstring
- Calves
- Quads
- Spinal Erectors
- Biceps
The following muscles are active during a press.
- Traps
- Triceps
- Shoulders
DUMBBELL CLEAN AND PRESS BENEFITS
Getting on with this exercise has a lot of benefits for you. Here is what your body gains.
STABILIZING MUSCLES
The workout stabilizes muscles in your body because the training ensures all major muscles are active.
The muscles in your arms, shoulders, lower back, and core stabilize while you raise the dumbbells through a full range of motion.
INCREASES MUSCLE STRENGTH AND SIZE
Anyone aiming to look more muscular would benefit from this workout as it targets a wide range of muscle groups.
The end result is bigger muscles.
GRIPPING STRENGTH IMPROVES
Speed and force are essential in lifting weight thereby, activating forearms and improving gripping power.
INCREASES METABOLIC RATE
You require a lot of energy to lift and all major muscles aid you to do this. In addition, this boosts the metabolic rate by using more fat to fuel the workout.
BUILDS MUSCULAR AND CARDIOVASCULAR ENDURANCE
The fact that this is a compound movement workout means it is good for a cardiovascular workout. You move the weight a lot farther with this exercise than with any other.
The end result is achieving a higher heart rate due to the intensity of the workout.
Moreover, this same intensity working all primary muscles builds endurance in the muscles.
ALTERNATIVES TO DUMBBELL CLEAN AND PRESS
There are three major alternatives to this workout.
DUMBBELL CLEAN AND JERK
The best exercise you can venture into focuses on overall body strength, and dumbbell clean, and jerk gives precisely this.
You lift the dumbbells explosively and catch them in a full squat stance as you perform this exercise.
Nevertheless, this workout requires a high degree of skill in performing it. You can perform it as long as you are strong enough.
SINGLE-ARM DUMBBELL CLEAN AND PRESS
To improve your lifting technique, practice the exercise one arm at a time.
The focus with this alternative is unilateral – it works each arm at a time.
KETTLEBELL CLEAN AND PRESS
Consider utilizing a heavier kettlebell for experienced lifters when doing the exercise.
Kettlebells help in strengthening both core stability and grip.
They challenge your stability and can assist you in balancing out any strength imbalances on either side.
DUMBBELL CLEAN AND PRESS MISTAKES TO AVOID
Many weightlifters are prone to making these three mistakes when doing the dumbbell clean and press.
CURL THE WEIGHT UP
To control and stabilize the weight when it is in the top position, you should only feel your biceps a little bit.
There are a lot of benefits to curling the weight up, but you won’t get them if you do it the other way around.
TOO MUCH TORSO ROTATION
In the single-arm dumbbell clean, anti-rotation of the torso pulls out the shoulder from its position.
This destabilizes your core and distorts the hip alignment which leads to improper form and necessitates back injury.
EXCESSIVE SHOULDER AND LOW BACK ROUNDING
Rounding shoulders and low back too many times is likely to wear and tear back.
This is because the real action comes from the spine and could lead to back pain and other problems in the long run.
CONCLUSION
The dumbbell clean and press has more benefits than just strengthening and building muscular endurance.
This exercise gives you an opportunity to improve other bodily functions like metabolism as well as calorie and fat burning.
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