10 Best Kettlebell Alternating Hang Clean Alternatives for Grip and Forearm Strength

Original Exercise: Kettlebell Alternating Hang Clean

Primary Muscle

Forearms

Equipment

Kettlebell

Difficulty

Intermediate

Type

Compound

Secondary Muscles: Shoulders, Traps, Core

How to Perform Kettlebell Alternating Hang Clean

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in each hand with an overhand grip.
2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight and chest up.
3. Allow the kettlebells to hang in front of your body with your arms fully extended.
4. In one fluid motion, explosively extend your hips, shrug your shoulders, and pull the kettlebells up towards your shoulders.
5. As the kettlebells reach shoulder height, rotate your wrists and catch the kettlebells in the rack position, with your palms facing inward and the kettlebells resting on the outside of your forearms.
6. Lower the kettlebells back down to the starting position and repeat the movement with the opposite arm.
7. Continue alternating arms for the desired number of repetitions.

Ranked Kettlebell Alternating Hang Clean Alternatives

Best Match

1. Open Palm Kettlebell Clean

78% Match

Hamstrings Kettlebell Intermediate Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Place one kettlebell between your feet. Clean the kettlebell by extending through the legs and hips as you raise the kettlebell towards your shoulders.
2. Release the kettlebell as it comes up, and let it flip so that the ball of the kettlebell lands in the palms of your hands.
3. Release the kettlebell out in front of you and catch the handle with both hands. Lower the kettlebell to the starting position and repeat.

2. Bottoms-Up Clean From The Hang Position

76.9% Match

Forearms Kettlebell Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Initiate the exercise by standing upright with a kettlebell in one hand.
2. Swing the kettlebell back forcefully and then reverse the motion forcefully. Crush the kettlebell handle as hard as possible and raise the kettlebell to your shoulder.

3. One-Arm Kettlebell Clean

75.9% Match

Hamstrings Kettlebell Intermediate Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Place a kettlebell between your feet. As you bend down to grab the kettlebell, push your butt back and keep your eyes looking forward.
2. Clean the kettlebell to your shoulders by extending through the legs and hips as you raise the kettlebell towards your shoulder. The wrist should rotate as you do so.
3. Return the weight to the starting position.

4. One-Arm Open Palm Kettlebell Clean

73.2% Match

Hamstrings Kettlebell Intermediate Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Place one kettlebell between your feet.
2. Grab the handle with one hand and raise the kettlebell rapidly, let it flip so that the ball of the kettlebell lands in the palm of your hand.
3. Throw the kettlebell out in front of you and catch the handle with one hand.
4. Take the kettlebell to the floor and repeat. Make sure to work both arms.

5. Snatch From Blocks

69.4% Match

Quads Barbell Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Begin with a loaded barbell on boxes or stands of the desired height. A wide grip should be taken on the bar. The feet should be directly below the hips, with the feet turned out as needed. Lower the hips, with the chest up and the head looking forward. The shoulders should be just in front of the bar, with the elbows pointed out. This will be the starting position.
2. Begin the first pull by driving through the front of the heels, raising the bar from the boxes.
3. Transition into the second pull by extending through the hips knees and ankles, driving the bar up as quickly as possible. The bar should be close to the body. At peak extension, shrug the shoulders and allow the elbows to flex to the side.
4. As you move your feet into the receiving position, forcefully pull yourself below the bar as you elevate the bar overhead. The feet should move to just outside the hips, turned out as necessary. Receive the bar with your body as low as possible and the arms fully extended overhead.
5. Keeping the bar aligned over the front of the heels, your head and chest up, drive through heels of the feet to move to a standing position. Carefully return the weight to the boxes.

6. Split Clean

68.1% Match

Quads Barbell Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. With a barbell on the floor close to the shins, take an overhand grip just outside the legs. Lower your hips with the weight focused on the heels, back straight, head facing forward, chest up, with your shoulders just in front of the bar. This will be your starting position.
2. Begin the first pull by driving through the heels, extending your knees. Your back angle should stay the same, and your arms should remain straight. Move the weight with control as you continue to above the knees.
3. Next comes the second pull, the main source of acceleration for the clean. As the bar approaches the mid-thigh position, begin extending through the hips. In a jumping motion, accelerate by extending the hips, knees, and ankles, using speed to move the bar upward. There should be no need to actively pull through the arms to accelerate the weight; at the end of the second pull, the body should be fully extended, leaning slightly back, with the arms still extended.
4. As full extension is achieved, transition into the third pull by aggressively shrugging and flexing the arms with the elbows up and out. At peak extension, aggressively pull yourself down, rotating your elbows under the bar as you do so.
5. Receive the bar with the feet split, aggressively moving one foot forward and one foot back. The bar should be racked onto the protracted shoulders, lightly touching the throat with the hands relaxed. Continue to descend to the bottom position, which will help in the recovery.

7. Snatch

67.6% Match

Quads Barbell Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Place your feet at a shoulder width stance with the barbell resting right above the connection between the toes and the rest of the foot.
2. With a palms facing down grip, bend at the knees and keeping the back flat grab the bar using a wider than shoulder width grip. Bring the hips down and make sure that your body drops as if you were going to sit on a chair. This will be your starting position.
3. Start pushing the floor as if it were a moving platform with your feet and simultaneously start lifting the barbell keeping it close to your legs.
4. As the bar reaches the middle of your thighs, push the floor with your legs and lift your body to a complete extension in an explosive motion.
5. Lift your shoulders back in a shrugging movement as you bring the bar up while lifting your elbows out to the side and keeping them above the bar for as long as possible.

8. Split Snatch

66.8% Match

Hamstrings Barbell Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Begin with a loaded barbell on the floor. The bar should be close to or touching the shins, and a wide grip should be taken on the bar. The feet should be directly below the hips, with the feet turned out as needed. Lower the hips, with the chest up and the head looking forward. The shoulders should be just in front of the bar. This will be the starting position.
2. Begin the first pull by driving through the front of the heels, raising the bar from the ground. The back angle should stay the same until the bar passes the knees.
3. Transition into the second pull by extending through the hips knees and ankles, driving the bar up as quickly as possible. The bar should be close to the body. At peak extension, shrug the shoulders and allow the elbows to flex to the side.
4. As you move your feet into the receiving position, forcefully pull yourself below the bar as you elevate the bar overhead. The feet should move forcefully to a split position, one foot forward one foot back. Receive the bar with your body as low as possible and the arms fully extended overhead.
5. Keeping the bar aligned over the front of the heels, your head and chest up, drive through heels of the feet to move to a standing position, bringing your feet together.

9. Kettlebell Hang Clean

66.7% Match

Hamstrings Kettlebell Intermediate Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell in front of your thighs.
2. Bend your knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips, keeping your back straight.
3. Lower the kettlebell towards the ground, allowing it to swing between your legs.
4. Quickly extend your hips and knees, using the momentum to swing the kettlebell up to shoulder height.
5. As the kettlebell reaches shoulder height, rotate your wrists and catch the kettlebell in the rack position, with your elbow tucked in and the kettlebell resting on your forearm.

10. Smith Machine Hang Power Clean

62.7% Match

Hamstrings Smith-machine Advanced Isolation

How to perform this exercise

1. Position the bar at knee height and load it to an appropriate weight.
2. Take a pronated grip on the bar outside of shoulder width and unhook the bar from the machine. Your arms should be fully extended with your head and chest up. Your elbows should be pointed out with your shoulders back and down. Your hips should be back, loading the tension into the hamstrings. This will be your starting position.
3. Initate the movement by forcefully extending the hips and knees, accelerating into the bar. Ensure that you keep your arms straight during this part of the motion.
4. Upon full extension, rebend the hips and knees to lower your receiving position.
5. Allow the arms to flex at this point, rotating the elbows around the bar to receive it on your shoulders.

Why You Might Need a Kettlebell Alternating Hang Clean Alternative

You may substitute the kettlebell alternating hang clean for several reasons: wrist or elbow pain from repetitive wrist snap, lack of kettlebells, or a desire to target grip strength more directly. Alternatives reduce shear at the wrist by increasing isometric grip demand or changing load vectors. For example, towel pull-ups increase finger flexor activation while removing the ballistic elbow snap; cue: keep shoulders packed and pull through the hands to emphasize brachioradialis and finger flexors. If you have lower-back sensitivity, choose carries or isolated holds that maintain a neutral spine and limit dynamic hip impulse.

How to Choose the Right Substitute

Select a substitute based on the primary deficit you want to train: grip endurance, maximal grip strength, or the hip-to-grip power transfer. If you want grip endurance, pick timed holds or rope climbs; cue: squeeze the implement hard and breathe to sustain forearm activation. For maximal grip strength, use heavy plate pinches or farmer carries with long holds to load finger flexors and wrist flexors isometrically. If you want to preserve the hinge and power pattern, use dumbbell hang cleans and focus on rapid hip extension with a soft elbow to transfer force into the forearm.

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