Quads · Barbell

Power Clean and Press

Floor to shoulders to overhead, one big chain.

Power Clean and Press exercise demonstration
QuadsSecondary: Shoulders, GlutesBarbell

How to do it

  1. Set up over the bar and explosively pull it to your shoulders, catching in a quarter squat.
  2. Stand tall to rack the bar at your shoulders.
  3. Brace your core and press the bar straight overhead.
  4. Lower the bar back to the shoulders, then to the floor, and reset.

The one cue that matters

Drive the clean with the hips and the press with a tight core, no leaning back.

Muscles worked

This combo chains two big efforts into one lift, an explosive power clean driven by the quads and glutes, then a strict press with the shoulders carrying the bar to lockout. Because the bar travels from the floor to overhead, almost nothing gets left out, and the clean taxes your legs before the press even starts. It is a brutal strength and conditioning tool when barbell time is short.

FAQ

How is this different from a clean and jerk?

The press. A jerk uses leg drive to launch the bar overhead, while here you rack the bar, stand tall, and press strictly, which is slower but builds more raw pressing strength.

Should every clean be followed by a press?

In this movement yes, one clean then one press is one rep. If your press fails long before your clean does, that gap is worth training separately.

Why do I lean back during the press?

The bar is heavy for your shoulders and your brace switched off after the clean. Re-brace hard once the bar is racked and squeeze your glutes before pressing, or take weight off the bar.

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