Kettlebell Technique Basics | The Clean

As Northampton’s Leading Personal Trainer and Kettlebell Expert, I know the importance of getting the basics right….

Why do it?

The clean is both an exercise it itself and a transitional exercise for many others such as the jerk, press, squat or lunge. The resting point of this exercise is commonly referred to as the rack position.

How to do it

The majority of the movement is as the swing.

1. Place the bell in front of you with the handle at 90 degrees, crease at the hips and place your hand on the bell with your thumb at the back or at the front.  Keep your head in a neutral position.
2. Then activate the triple extension as per the swing but unlike the swing you will pull the bell back towards yourself rotating it clockwise as you do so and then catch it so it rests in the triangle of your forearm and bicep. If you perform the clean with the thumb at the front, then you will not need to rotate the bell on the way up. As the bell comes up into position, let it slide down your palm so as it finishes resting on the heel of the palm.
3. Your legs should be locked, hips forward.

The bell should sit comfortably in this position with your hand at the centre of your chest if you’re a man or slightly to the side if you’re a lady. Practise this and on each clean adjust the position until it feels correct. Eventually you will learn to adjust the power of the upswing so you can catch the bell with minimal impact on your arm. Reverse the movement for the downswing.

If you experience any fatigue in your biceps whist performing multiple swings, this indicates that you are attempting to ‘muscle up’ the weight as opposed to using your hips correctly.

Make sure that you keep the kettlebell close to your body as you clean it. One way to ensure this happens is to try your cleans in front of a wall. Stand quite close to a wall you don’t much care for and try the clean. Attempt to get as close to the wall as possible without actually touching it with the kettlebell. This will ensure that you keep a tight arc and don’t therefore let the bell swing too wide from the body. In order to get the kettlebell into the rack position from the these tight confines, you will be forced to use the correct pulling action on the kettlebell. The kettlebell will travel in a J shape. It will swing underneath you and then move in a straight line as you pull your shoulder blade back to get the kettlebell into the rack position.