Dumbbell Power Clean

Muscles worked

Setup

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and dumbbells placed on the floor just outside your feet.
2. Hinge at the hips and bend your knees to reach the handles, maintaining a flat back and proud chest.
3. Grasp the dumbbells with a neutral grip (palms facing each other) and engage your core.
4. Position your shoulders slightly in front of the weights with your gaze fixed a few feet ahead on the floor.

How to do it

1. Explosively extend your hips, knees, and ankles (triple extension) to drive the dumbbells upward, keeping them close to your body.
2. As the weights reach chest height, shrug your shoulders and quickly rotate your elbows underneath the dumbbells.
3. Catch the dumbbells at shoulder height in a partial squat position, exhaling sharply upon the catch.
4. Stand up fully to complete the movement, then carefully lower the weights back to the starting position with a controlled hinge.

Form checklist

• Keep the dumbbells traveling in a straight vertical line close to your shins and torso.
• Ensure your heels stay grounded until the moment of explosive hip extension.
• Maintain a neutral spine throughout the pull; do not allow your lower back to round.
• Land with 'soft knees' during the catch to absorb the weight safely.
• Avoid 'curling' the weights; the upward momentum should come from the hips, not the arms.

Pro tips

• Think about 'jumping' with the weights to ensure maximum power output from the lower body.
• Focus on a fast elbow turnover; the quicker your elbows move under the dumbbells, the more stable your catch will be.
• Imagine the dumbbells are weightless at the peak of the shrug before you pull yourself under them.

Make it harder

• Perform a 'Dumbbell Squat Clean' by catching the weights in a full deep squat instead of a partial squat.
• Add an overhead press (Dumbbell Clean and Press) to increase the total body demand and shoulder involvement.

Frequently asked

What muscles does the dumbbell power clean work?

The dumbbell power clean primarily targets the calves, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and trapezius, and also works the abs, erector spinae, and obliques as secondary muscles.

What equipment do you need for the dumbbell power clean?

The dumbbell power clean uses dumbbell.

Is the dumbbell power clean good for beginners?

The dumbbell power clean is rated advanced. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.

Related exercises

• Kettlebell One Arm CleanIntermediate · biceps, calves, deltoids, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and triceps
• Barbell Snatch From BlocksAdvanced · adductors, calves, glutes, hamstrings, lats, quadriceps, serratus anterior, and trapezius
• Barbell Clean And JerkAdvanced · deltoids, erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and trapezius
• Barbell Hang Power CleanAdvanced · erector spinae, glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and trapezius