Exercise Video
Kettlebell Assisted Dead Clean Drill
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Kettlebell Exercise Information
Kettlebell Clean
A kettlebell clean is an exercise that brings the kettlebell from a position below the hips into a racking position via an explosive fast and clean movement. The most common starting positions are dead from the ground and the racking position.
Several different movements can be used to move the weight but the most common ones are the hip hinge and the squat.
The kettlebell clean is an important aspect of kettlebell training as with almost every kettlebell exercise the weight needs to be brought into the racking position. But besides that, it's also a great exercise for cardio, strength, and power.
Programming
How the kettlebell clean is programmed partly determines the goal it reaches. For strength, program heavy and lower reps; for endurance, program light to medium and higher volume; for power, program between medium and heavy weight with low reps.
Endurance
The kettlebell clean is a great exercise to program for endurance combos as it allows the muscles to have a little break by moving the work to other muscle groups. In the clean and jerk, for example, the jerk requires a lot from the upper body in regards to racking and the jerk itself. The clean breaks it up and allows the athlete to last longer.
Racking Position
No matter the variation of the kettlebell clean, the kettlebell(s) always end up in a racking position. The racking position is where the kettlebell(s) are held at chest height with the elbow(s) under the weight and the shoulders are pulled down. There is a lot to learn about racking, as it's not just for receiving the weight, but also for resting and transitioning.
This variation of the kettlebell clean is without a doubt one of the most important parts of a beginner's kettlebell journey. At Cavemantraining, we program this as a drill to teach beginners the most important aspects of any clean, and that is:
- Pull with the legs
- Keep the arms straight
- What you should never feel working in the arms
- Hook grip
- Grip transition
- Hand insertion
- Decelerate with the legs
- And so on
This drill delivers all this to the athlete if the drill is performed as intended, which is slow and step-by-step with pauses in between each step to drill the movement and all important other aspects of a clean.
There are many different clean variations, we have chosen the dead clean as the first progression in the kettlebell journey of a beginner because the squat movement comes more naturally to most people. It allows the athlete to break the movement down step-by-step and experience the important things, with the most important one being the grip transition. Not learning or understanding the grip transition that's required during kettlebell cleans and snatches is the biggest culprit for bruised wrists, ripped hands, and elbow problems.
Although intended to be used as a drill, this variation can also be used for beginners to safely bring a kettlebell from the ground into a racking position to perform other exercises.
RPM
Slow tempo:
6RPM for the Kettlebell Assisted Dead Clean Drill at a fast tempo.
Fast tempo:
6RPM for the Kettlebell Assisted Dead Clean Drill at a fast tempo.
Alternatives
Alternatives for this exercise are:
Common Mistake(s):
This information flows through from Kettlebell Clean
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Broken wrist grip
Employing a broken wrist grip where wrist is extended (or flexed) and the line is broken at the wrist joint.
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Elbow disconnected in racking due to tension
The elbow is disconnected from the body in the racking position because everything is tight and tense.
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Flipping the kettlebell over the fist on the drop
FLipping the kettlebell over the first on the drop from racking into the backswing for another clean or other action.
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Seeing the palm of the hand in racking
The palm of the hand is facing forward in the racking position and usually, this is paired with the bell (the round bit of the kettlebell) being positioned on the outside of the arm rather than on the inside and the handle lays horizontally within the palm rather diagonally (45-degree angle).
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The drop from racking is not guided
The drop from racking is not guided and results in a jerk on the arm.
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The heels are raised
The heels are raised in the snatch, clean, or swing.
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Using a weight that’s too light for a ballistic/power exercise
Using a weight that’s too light for a ballistic/power exercise.
Kettlebell Assisted Dead Clean Drill
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Going faster than intended (drill)
Completing the exercise fast without breaking it down and focussing on the important parts of this drill.
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Not bringing the kettlebell high enough in the dead clean drill
Not bringing the kettlebell high enough in the dead clean drill. The kettlebell should come as high as demonstrated in the video as this is where in a real clean the hand insertion would happen and not around hip level.
Also know as: Assisted Dead Clean
Parent exercise: Kettlebell Clean
This is a: Loaded Exercise Variation
Is loaded with equipment: Kettlebell
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On-page quicklinks:
Exercise Photo Gallery
Kettlebell Clean
This is the photo gallery from the parent exercise Kettlebell Clean.
Photos
This is a collection of photos related to this exercise.
Kettlebell Assisted Dead Clean Drill
Side View
This is a collection of photos for the side view of this exercise.
Related Workouts or Warm-ups
Form and Technique
This section explains the form and technique for the Kettlebell Assisted Dead Clean Drill exercise.
As a registered member you will be able to evaluate yourself against the technique and record any issues which you can then work on.
Set-Up
Form
Goal
Muscles Used:
Lateral Info:
Unilateral Exercise, Unilateral Load
Exercise Benefit(s):
Body Position(s):
Kettlebell Grip(s):
Hook Grip, Loose Grip, Racking Safety Grip
Exercise Speed(s):
Stance(s):
Feet Wide Stance 0°, Feet wide stance 40°
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