Tuesday, March 15, 2011

A Slow-Motion Analysis of the Kettlebell Clean Technique

Cleaning the kettlebell, that is bringing the kettlebell from a position below your knees to the front of your shoulder, is a fun exercise, as well as an important skill to master so you can safely perform exercises with the kettlebell on the front of your shoulder (called the rack position).   However, many clients have difficulty performing the kettlebell clean correctly.  They often end up banging their shoulders because of poor technique. So, I put together a slow-motion video to show the important steps for cleaning the kettlebell correctly.

 I break the technique down into five steps.  You should already have two steps (loading the hips and the hip snap) already mastered with the kettlebell swing.  If not, work on mastering the swing, first.  Here are the five steps for the cleans:
  1. Loading the Hips
  2. The Hip Snap
  3. The Low Row
  4. Form the Pedestal
  5. The Drop