Kettlebell cleans can be pre-cursor for deadlift, lets check how it can be. First let’s understand how to perform Kettlebell cleans.
- Place the Kettlebell 1 feet ahead of your feet. Push your butt backwards and look straight ahead.
- Clean the Kettlebell to the Shoulder driving the force through your Legs and Hips. Ensure that elbow and hips remain intact with each other in entire movement. As the kettlebell approaches your shoulder, rotate the wrist inwards and rest the kettlebell on cavity formed by forearm, biceps and chest.
- Slowly and smoothly lower the Kettlebell back towards the floor ensure you hook the bell once it passes the hip line, keep your Hamstrings loaded at all times and quads relaxed.
While you rack the bells on the iliac crest your knees should be straight and arms relaxed. Do not overstress in any position which can allow the heart rate to go up, ensure that heart rate remains low.
So what is the relation between the two? Often I am asked questions in my seminar of relation between the Kettlebell training and its importance for power lifting or strength training. The kettlebell swing and clean is great developer of the posterior chain (which includes calves, hamstrings, glutes, spine) and will teach you how to develop snap in your hips. Kettlebell clean makes useful assistance movement for the squat and deadlift.
If you are lifting Kettlebells doing swings and snatch movements but never done deadlift, your body is much capable of doing deadlifts with far more capacity then you could think off. The repetitive movement of snatch or clean makes the hip hinge pattern of deadlift strengthened same muscles which are being used in deadlift.
In training program for deadlift, for few weeks you can get started with kettlebell cleans, before you start of with deadlift, which actually can benefit deadlift training program in many ways.
Kettlebell clean is technical lift and requires through flexibility and mobility in lower back, lats, glutes and hamstrings. Perfecting the technique of the Kettlebell clean will help prevent you from injury during your workouts but also generate a fantastic power and strength base. Using the Kettlebell is far safer as oppose to trying to perfect the Barbell clean (due to equipment) and will aid you in your quest to build that explosive power needed to lift the bar from the ground.
Having shared the benefits of kettlebell training in my articles in krunch, many athletes and fitness enthusiast have tried lifting kettlebells under certified instructors and feedback what we get is always so satisfying.
Try Kettlebell, Be Kettlebell Strong!