Once you become familiar with the kettlebell as a commonly used gym tool, it’s easy to understand its effectiveness and usefulness in various workout routines.
When using this cast iron ball with a handle in a fitness program, the athlete is aware that there is a wide range of exercises and execution techniques in which they can incorporate a kettlebell.
From the simpler exercises like swings or some twists around your torso, to more complex movements, involving only one arm at a time.
Among the examples of slightly more advanced exercises is the kettlebell clean.
What is a kettlebell clean?
We could describe this execution as a low swing that continues until the front position. Let’s analyze these two parts of the movement to better understand it.
As we mentioned, the swing is one of the most classic movements to perform with this type of weight. It involves swinging the weight back and forth, while holding it by the handle with extended arms. The weight will extend between the legs to reach the furthest point behind us during the swing and then reach chest height, at the front end.
Having to perform a low swing means you don’t need to reach chest height in an upright position, but you should aim to reach your navel in a straight line; so you’ll need to make a smaller swing, still passing between the legs and keeping the center of gravity lower.
The front position, on the other hand, is an intermediate position between the swing and the full swing: in this situation, you need to find a balanced position without wasting energy. It involves completing a movement, bringing your body into an upright and stable position, holding the kettlebell at the chest, supported by one hand. The involved arm will be completely pressed against the torso and the elbow, bent, will also be close to the body.
In this position, the weight doesn’t stress the spinal column but directly the pelvis, on which the elbow, that is directly above it, bears all the weight. In this case, all the load falls within the support area between the legs: as long as it remains within this area, there will be no energy dispersion.
Two ways to perform the clean
Based on specific positions and movements that the athlete chooses to incorporate between the two previously explained phases, we will have two different executions of the exercise.
You can choose to perform the clean through a squat or through the hip hinging.
In the first case, you will perform a squat swing to reach the front position. In this case, to facilitate the swing, you will perform a squat-like motion that allows to execute the movement of the swing. By bending the legs, the kettlebell will be free to reach the farthest point of the swing, between the athlete’s legs.
In the second case, a power swing is performed and you will attach the final front position to it. The hip hinging movement involves bending the body forward in length, almost creating a 90-degree angle between the torso and the legs: this movement assists in performing the swing as it counterbalances the position of the kettlebell and contributes to the weight’s thrust.
What is the purpose of using the kettlebell in the clean?
Basically, it serves the same purpose we were aiming for in performing the classic swing: primarily to increase the athlete’s ability to generate power in the lower limbs.
Based on the motor pattern chosen to perform this movement, different muscle groups will be trained: if a squat is added to assist the swing, you will work more on the front of the thighs; if, on the other hand, it’s not the bent legs at the center of the movement, but a straight back that slightly leans forward to allow the swing, you will work more on the posterior part, such as the glutes and the hamstrings.
Instead in the second part of the movement, the front position, we will involve the upper limbs of the body.
One first movement will work on the diagonal-posterior shift of the shoulders, engaging in this way the muscles in that area and those of the scapula; meanwhile, moving the elbow backward will engage the biceps and part of the triceps.
The final part, the interlocking, and the search for balance with the weight at chest height, will involve the pectoral area, but in a secondary and marginal way.
In any case, the clean is not an exercise for the arms or the upper body. In fact, if you feel the muscles in your shoulders or biceps working too much, it means you are performing an incorrect movement, trying to accelerate the execution process.
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