10 Best Clean And Press Alternatives for Shoulder Strength

The Clean And Press pulls a barbell off the floor with a hip drive, catches it at your shoulders, then asks you to stand and press it straight overhead. The Bradford/rocky Presses is the top swap because it keeps the same barbell and the same delts, but you sit down and alternate lowering the bar behind your head and back to the front instead of pulling it off the floor. Without a bar to load, the Double Kettlebell Push Press lets your legs help drive two kettlebells up instead.

Original Exercise: Clean And Press

Clean And Press
Primary Muscle
Delts
Equipment
Barbell
Difficulty
Advanced
Type
Compound
Secondary Muscles: Abdominals, Calves, Glutes, Hamstrings, Lower Back, Middle Back, Quadriceps, Shoulders, Traps, Triceps
How to Perform Clean And Press
  1. Assume a shoulder-width stance, with knees inside the arms. Now while keeping the back flat, bend at the knees and hips so that you can grab the bar with the arms fully extended and a pronated grip that is slightly wider than shoulder width. Point the elbows out to sides. The bar should be close to the shins. Position the shoulders over or slightly ahead of the bar. Establish a flat back posture. This will be your starting position.
  2. Begin to pull the bar by extending the knees. Move your hips forward and raise the shoulders at the same rate while keeping the angle of the back constant; continue to lift the bar straight up while keeping it close to your body.
  3. As the bar passes the knee, extend at the ankles, knees, and hips forcefully, similar to a jumping motion. As you do so, continue to guide the bar with your hands, shrugging your shoulders and using the momentum from your movement to pull the bar as high as possible. The bar should travel close to your body, and you should keep your elbows out.
  4. At maximum elevation, your feet should clear the floor and you should start to pull yourself under the bar. The mechanics of this could change slightly, depending on the weight used. You should descend into a squatting position as you pull yourself under the bar.
  5. As the bar hits terminal height, rotate your elbows around and under the bar. Rack the bar across the front of the shoulders while keeping the torso erect and flexing the hips and knees to absorb the weight of the bar.
  6. Stand to full height, holding the bar in the clean position.
  7. Without moving your feet, press the bar overhead as you exhale. Lower the bar under control .
Pro Tips
  • Category: Strength
  • Force: Push
  • Movement type: Compound

Ranked Clean And Press Alternatives

Best Match
Bradford/Rocky Presses

1. Bradford/Rocky Presses

99.1% Match
Delts Barbell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a Military Press Bench with a bar at shoulder level with a pronated grip (palms facing forward). Tip: Your grip should be wider than shoulder width and it should create a 90-degree angle between the forearm and the upper arm as the barbell goes down. This is your starting position.
  2. Once you pick up the barbell with the correct grip, lift the bar up over your head by locking your arms.
  3. Now lower the bar down to the back of the head slowly as you inhale.
  4. Lift the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale.
  5. Lower the bar down to the starting position slowly as you inhale. This is one repetition.
Ez Barbell Anti Gravity Press

2. Ez Barbell Anti Gravity Press

98.5% Match
Delts Ez-barbell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Start by standing with your feet shoulder-width apart and holding the ez barbell with an overhand grip.
  2. Raise the barbell to shoulder height, keeping your elbows slightly bent and your palms facing forward.
  3. Press the barbell overhead, extending your arms fully.
  4. Lower the barbell back to shoulder height and repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Push Press

3. Push Press

95.1% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
Standing Two-Arm Overhead Throw

4. Standing Two-Arm Overhead Throw

95.1% Match
Delts Medicine-ball Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart holding a medicine ball in both hands. To begin, reach the medicine ball deep behind your head as you bend the knees slightly and lean back.
  2. Violently throw the ball forward, flexing at the hip and using your whole body to complete the movement.
  3. The medicine ball can be thrown to a partner or to a wall, receiving it as it bounces back.
Double Kettlebell Push Press

5. Double Kettlebell Push Press

94.5% Match
Delts Kettlebell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Clean two kettlebells to your shoulders.
  2. Squat down a few inches and reverse the motion rapidly. Use the momentum from the legs to drive the kettlebells overhead.
  3. Once the kettlebells are locked out, lower the kettlebells to your shoulders and repeat.
Push Press - Behind The Neck

6. Push Press - Behind The Neck

93.6% Match
Delts Barbell Advanced Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Standing with the weight racked on the back of the shoulders, begin with the dip. With your feet directly under your hips, flex the knees without moving the hips backward. Go down only slightly, and reverse direction as powerfully as possible. Drive through the heels create as much speed and force as possible, moving the bar in a vertical path.
  2. Using the momentum generated, finish pressing the weight overhead be extending through the arms.
  3. Return to the starting position, using your legs to absorb the impact.
Barbell Skier

7. Barbell Skier

90.1% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell in front of your thighs with an overhand grip.
  2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and chest up.
  3. Simultaneously lift the barbell up towards your shoulders while jumping slightly off the ground.
  4. As you reach the top of the movement, quickly reverse the motion and lower the barbell back down to the starting position.
  5. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.
Band Twisting Overhead Press

8. Band Twisting Overhead Press

89.1% Match
Delts Band Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place the band under your feet.
  2. Hold the band handles at shoulder height with your palms facing forward.
  3. Engage your core and press the band overhead, fully extending your arms.
  4. As you press, twist your torso to one side, keeping your hips stable.
  5. Pause for a moment at the top, then return to the starting position.
Anti-Gravity Press

9. Anti-Gravity Press

88.5% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Place a bar on the ground behind the head of an incline bench.
  2. Lay on the bench face down. With a pronated grip, pick the barbell up from the floor. Flex the elbows, performing a reverse curl to bring the bar near your chest. This will be your starting position.
  3. To begin, press the barbell out in front of your head by extending your elbows. Keep your arms parallel to the ground throughout the movement.
  4. Return to the starting position and repeat to complete the set.
Barbell Shoulder Press

10. Barbell Shoulder Press

88.5% Match
Delts Barbell Intermediate Isolation
How to perform this exercise
  1. Sit on a bench with back support in a squat rack. Position a barbell at a height that is just above your head. Grab the barbell with a pronated grip (palms facing forward).
  2. Once you pick up the barbell with the correct grip width, lift the bar up over your head by locking your arms. Hold at about shoulder level and slightly in front of your head. This is your starting position.
  3. Lower the bar down to the shoulders slowly as you inhale.
  4. Lift the bar back up to the starting position as you exhale.
  5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Why You Might Need a Clean And Press Alternative

A barbell might not be free, or the pull off the floor before the press might be more setup than you want today. The Clean And Press asks for a bar and floor space to load it from, so these swaps trade that bar for a pair of kettlebells, an EZ bar, a medicine ball or a band while still pressing overhead with your delts. Some keep a full barbell load. The EZ Barbell Anti Gravity Press swaps the straight bar for a curved one, which suits wrists that prefer it, and the Double Kettlebell Push Press moves the load into two kettlebells, with a quick dip and drive from your legs to help send them up.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

If a barbell is free and you want the closest match to the press itself, take the Bradford/rocky Presses: same bar, same delts, but you sit down and swap the floor pull for an alternating press to the front and behind your head. Want to stay standing? The Push Press - Behind The Neck keeps the same barbell, racked and pressed behind your neck. With a pair of kettlebells, the Double Kettlebell Push Press lets your legs drive both bells overhead, good for anyone easing off a heavy load. With only a band, the Band Twisting Overhead Press keeps you pressing overhead with nothing to rack or clean. The Push Press keeps the same barbell and delts, so if the floor pull is what makes it feel like too much, that is the smallest change you can make.

Frequently Asked Questions

What muscles does the Clean And Press work?

Your delts take the main load through the press overhead, and the pull off the floor before it brings in your hamstrings, glutes, quads, traps and grip. Your abs and lower back help hold a flat back on the way up. The Double Kettlebell Push Press and the Push Press - Behind The Neck keep some of that leg drive, since both dip at the knees and drive up to get the weight moving overhead.

Can I do a Clean And Press swap at home?

Yes, if you have a pair of kettlebells or a band. The Double Kettlebell Push Press keeps the press overhead and lets your legs help drive the weight, while the Band Twisting Overhead Press has you stand on a band, press the handles overhead and twist your torso to alternate sides, with no bar to load or clean.

What should I pick if the Clean And Press itself feels too heavy today?

The Push Press. It keeps the same barbell and the same delts as the Clean And Press, with no pull off the floor to set up first. If you want the press with no leg drive at all, the Barbell Shoulder Press has you seated on a bench in a rack, lowering the bar to your shoulders and pressing it back to lockout.

Which swaps still use a barbell?

The Bradford/rocky Presses, the Push Press, the Push Press - Behind The Neck, the Barbell Skier, the Barbell Shoulder Press and the Barbell Standing Close Grip Military Press all keep a barbell, so you don't need to switch equipment at all.

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