10 Best Two-arm Kettlebell Clean Alternatives for Limited Equipment

The Two-arm Kettlebell Clean is done standing with a kettlebell. Ranked closest by our scoring: the Landmine Linear Jammer and Kettlebell Pirate Ships. A harder version, the Two-arm Kettlebell Jerk, is listed below as a progression rather than a swap.

Two-arm Kettlebell Clean

Each substitute is scored on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. Read how we rank alternatives

How to Do the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean

The steps for the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean itself, so you can judge how close each substitute below really is.

Shoulders, with calves, glutes, hamstrings, lower back, traps · Kettlebell · Intermediate · Compound

  1. Place two kettlebells between your feet. To get in the starting position, push your butt back and look straight ahead.
  2. Clean the kettlebells to your shoulders by extending through the legs and hips as you raise the kettlebells towards your shoulders. Rotate your wrists as you do so.
  3. Lower the kettlebells back to the starting position and repeat.

The 10 Best Two-arm Kettlebell Clean Alternatives

10 substitutes, ranked by how closely each one matches the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean on movement pattern, muscles worked, equipment and body position. The higher the score, the less you change. Cards with a "How to perform it" link open to show the steps; every card title links to that exercise's own alternatives page. Harder versions are tagged as progressions and kept out of the top spot even when they score higher.

Each link re-ranks the list below for the kit it names. Pick one to hide the substitutes you cannot set up.

  1. Landmine Linear Jammer

    1. Landmine Linear Jammer

    79% match

    Shoulders · Advanced · Compound

    A good swap when you have a barbell to work with, and it still works the shoulders.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. Position a bar into landmine or, lacking one, securely anchor it in a corner. Load the bar to an appropriate weight and position the handle attachment on the bar.
    2. Raise the bar from the floor, taking the handles to your shoulders. This will be your starting position.
    3. In an athletic stance, squat by flexing your hips and setting your hips back, keeping your arms flexed.
    4. Reverse the motion by powerfully extending through the hips, knees, and ankles, while also extending the elbows to straighten the arms. This movement should be done explosively, coming out of the squat to full extension as powerfully as possible.
    5. Return to the starting position.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: shoulders, the same as the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean
  2. Two-arm Kettlebell Jerk

    Progression

    2. Two-arm Kettlebell Jerk

    78% match

    Shoulders · Advanced · Compound

    Pick this when you want a harder version that still works the shoulders.

    • Kettlebell
    How to perform it
    1. Clean two kettlebells to your shoulders. Clean the kettlebells to your shoulders by extending through the legs and hips as you swing the kettlebells towards your shoulders. Rotate your wrists as you do so, so that the palms face forward. Squat down a few inches and reverse the motion rapidly driving both kettlebells overhead. Immediately after the initial push, squat down again and get under the kettlebells. Once the kettlebells are locked out, stand upright to complete the exercise.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: shoulders, the same as the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean
    • Balance: harder to stay steady on than the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean
  3. Stiff-legged Dumbbell Deadlift

    3. Stiff-legged Dumbbell Deadlift

    70% match

    Hamstrings · Intermediate · Compound

    A looser match: it works the hamstrings rather than the shoulders.

    • Dumbbell
    How to perform it
    1. Grasp a couple of dumbbells holding them by your side at arm's length.
    2. Stand with your torso straight and your legs spaced using a shoulder width or narrower stance. The knees should be slightly bent. This is your starting position.
    3. Keeping the knees stationary, lower the dumbbells to over the top of your feet by bending at the waist while keeping your back straight. Keep moving forward as if you were going to pick something from the floor until you feel a stretch on the hamstrings. Exhale as you perform this movement
    4. Start bringing your torso up straight again by extending your hips and waist until you are back at the starting position. Inhale as you perform this movement.
    5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: hamstrings, not shoulders
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean
  4. Trap Bar DeadliftPlay demonstration

    4. Trap Bar Deadlift

    69% match

    Glutes · Intermediate · Compound

    A looser match: it works the glutes rather than the shoulders.

    • Trap-bar
    How to perform it
    1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the trap bar on the ground in front of you.
    2. Bend at the hips and knees to lower yourself down and grip the handles of the trap bar with an overhand grip.
    3. Keep your back straight and chest up as you begin to lift the trap bar off the ground by extending your hips and knees.
    4. As you lift, focus on driving through your heels and squeezing your glutes at the top of the movement.
    5. Lower the trap bar back down to the ground by bending at the hips and knees, keeping your back straight throughout the movement.
    6. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

    Sets and reps: 3 or 4 sets of 6 to 10 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: glutes, not shoulders
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean
  6. Deadlift With Bands

    6. Deadlift With Bands

    67% match

    Erector Spinae · Advanced · Compound

    A looser match: it works the erector spinae rather than the shoulders.

    • Barbell
    How to perform it
    1. To deadlift with short bands, simply loop them over the bar before you start, and step into them to set up. For long bands, they will need to be anchored to a secure base, such as heavy dumbbells or a rack.
    2. With your feet, and your grip set, take a big breath and then lower your hips and bend the knees until your shins contact the bar. Look forward with your head, keep your chest up and your back arched, and begin driving through the heels to move the weight upward. After the bar passes the knees, aggressively pull the bar back, pulling your shoulder blades together as you drive your hips forward into the bar.
    3. Lower the bar by bending at the hips and guiding it to the floor.

    Sets and reps: 3 to 5 sets of 5 to 8 reps.

    Why this matches
    • Primary muscle: erector spinae, not shoulders
    • Equipment: free weights, the same as the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean
    • Body position: standing, the same as the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean

Why You Might Need a Two-arm Kettlebell Clean Alternative

You might substitute the Two-arm Kettlebell Clean because of shoulder pain, lack of kettlebells, poor mobility, or programming goals that favor strength or hypertrophy over power. Substitutes let you reduce load on the wrists and scapula, isolate the deltoids, or emphasize hip extension without the aggressive rack position. For example, use a dumbbell clean to split load between hands and reduce shear on the shoulder; cue: pull with the hips, keep a neutral spine, and absorb the weight by flexing the elbows into the rack. Choose a substitute that preserves the intended movement pattern: hip drive into a shoulder catch.

Two-arm Kettlebell Clean FAQ

What muscles does Two-arm Kettlebell Clean work?

The Two-arm Kettlebell Clean recruits the shoulders (primarily anterior and medial deltoids) along with the traps, upper back, glutes, hamstrings, and core. Biomechanically it relies on hip triple-extension to generate momentum and scapular elevation to catch the weight; cue: drive the hips and keep the scapula slightly retracted on the rack.

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