Last Updated on 29 July 2025 by Greg Brookes
A kettlebell clean and press combines the hip-driven clean with the overhead press into one fluid movement. This compound exercise not only engages over 600 muscles but also challenges your heart, making it a cornerstone for full-body strength, coordination, and conditioning.
It’s essential to master the clean and the press separately before merging them into a smooth, powerful sequence.
What Is the Kettlebell Clean and Press?
This movement begins with a clean, lifting the bell from the floor to your rack, followed by a press, driving the kettlebell overhead. It blends hip extension, core stability, and pressing strength into a singular, dynamic flow.
Why the Clean and Press Matters
The kettlebell clean and press is one of the most time-efficient movements in strength training.
It combines explosive hip drive with strict overhead control, creating a blend of power, coordination, and stability.
This single exercise challenges nearly every muscle group, reinforces proper movement mechanics, and elevates your heart rate, making it perfect for building both strength and cardiovascular fitness.
It’s also excellent for correcting left-to-right imbalances, as each side must stabilise and press independently.
- Builds total-body coordination and muscle engagement
- Trains explosive hips and controlled shoulder lockout
- Boosts conditioning while building lean strength
- Saves time by combining two movement patterns
- Promotes symmetry and unilateral control
Muscles Worked
- Lower body: hamstrings, glutes, quads
- Core: abdominals, obliques, spinal stabilizers
- Upper back: lats, traps, rhomboids
- Shoulders and arms: delts, triceps, forearms
- Grip: finger flexors and wrist stabilizers
How to Perform the Kettlebell Clean and Press (Step-by-Step)
- Stand with the kettlebell between your feet, spine neutral
- Hinge at the hips and grip the bell with one hand
- Explosively drive through your hips to clean the bell into the rack
- Pause momentarily at the rack to stabilize and breathe
- Engage your core and press overhead with control
- Lock out the elbow and hold momentarily
- Lower the bell back to rack, then to the floor under control
Tip: If your forearm is bruising, you’re likely pulling with your arm instead of leading with the hips. Aim for a smooth, quiet catch in the rack.
Watch a Video of the Kettlebell Clean and Press in Action:
Progression and Variations
- Clean and Push Press – adds power from legs to assist press
- Clean and Jerk – uses a dip and drive for heavier overhead loads
- Double Kettlebell Clean & Press – bilateral loading, more demand on posture
- Hang Clean & Press – starts from a standing swing instead of floor
- Swing–Clean–Press Complex – combines ballistic and grind patterns
Training Time and Impact
- Average time per rep: 3–4 seconds
- Working set (5 reps per side): approx. 1 minute
- Best performed 2–3 times per week
- Excellent for both muscle-building and fat loss phases
Programming Examples
Strength Block
- 4 sets of 5 reps per arm
- 90 seconds rest between sides
- Focus: controlled tempo with heavy bell
Metabolic Circuit
- 6 clean and press per side
- 10 kettlebell swings
- 10 goblet squats
- Repeat for 4 rounds
Flow Complex
- 1 swing → 1 clean → 1 press → 10-metre overhead carry
- 3–5 rounds per arm
Coach’s Insight: Greg’s Take
I’ve coached the clean and press with everyone from weekend warriors to competitive athletes. What I love is its versatility. You train explosive hips, sharp posture, and pressing strength all in one drill.
When you pause at the rack, it changes everything. Your breathing improves, your focus sharpens, and the overhead lockout becomes intentional, not rushed. That’s what takes your kettlebell work from mechanical to masterful.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Pulling with the arm instead of driving with hips
- Letting the bell crash into the forearm
- Pressing before stabilising the rack position
- Arching the lower back during the press
- Neglecting to reset breath before each press
Fix It Tips
- Visualize zipping your jacket during the clean for smoother path
- Brace your core before each press like someone’s about to punch your gut
- Use a metronome or breath cue to stay consistent
Warm-Up Drills
- Deadstop swings x10
- Light rack holds x10 seconds each side
- Shoulder band rotations x15
- Windmills with light bell x6 each side
- Clean to pause rack holds x5 each side
Programming Tips and Reps
- 4–6 reps per side for strength
- 6–10 per side for conditioning and flow
- Use in:
- Strength-focused sessions
- High-intensity circuits
- Unilateral balance routines
- Technique drills during deload weeks
Pair With:
- Goblet Squat
- Kettlebell Swing
- Renegade Row
- Overhead Carry
When to Use This Exercise
- To develop full-body integration
- In time-efficient full-body workouts
- To reinforce clean and press fundamentals
- As a main lift for minimal-equipment programs
Related Exercises You Can Try Next
- Goblet Squat – builds foundational lower-body strength
- Kettlebell Swing – generates hip power for explosive cleans
- Turkish Get-Up – enhances shoulder stability and motor control
- Overhead Press – reinforces pressing mechanics and breathing
Want More Smart Kettlebell Training?
Explore my full arsenal of kettlebell workouts and programs designed for real-world strength, fat loss, and longevity. Built with experience, tested by hundreds of clients, and backed by solid programming principles.
Combine strength and coordination with more classic lifts in the kettlebell exercises guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
It targets the glutes, hamstrings, core, shoulders, arms, and grip. This is a head-to-toe strength builder.
Yes. It builds power while driving your heart rate. Ideal for hybrid goals.
Yes, start with light weight and practice the clean and press separately first.
Pick a kettlebell that you can clean and press cleanly for 5–6 reps without losing form.
Absolutely. Single-arm pressing reveals and corrects side-to-side differences.
Add a pause drill: swing → pause → clean → pause → press. Master each phase before linking them together.
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