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Thick Dumbbell Clean and Overhead


Scott Styles

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How about some advice on cleaning thick dumbbells and getting them overhead?

I've got a 100lb baby inch from FBBC that I want to get overhead with one hand. First step was picking it up - I can do that on a good day.

Next step is getting it to my shoulder. I find if I can deadlift a weight 5 times on my 2.5" loadable dumbbell, I can clean it once. I seem to be able to push press anything I can clean on the thick handle. So far I am up to 72.5lbs overhead. Snatch is about 10lbs lighter.

Straddling the dumbbell and cleaning it long ways (like a hammer curl) seems significantly stronger than attempts with it parallel to my chest (like a barbell clean). I really did not expect this, since the dumbbell ends up tumbling around my hand, but it tests stronger. I thought I would be better off high pulling the weight and ducking under it, so I could catch the weight on my chest. That theory did not test out.

Sometimes I practice with the normal dumbbells at my gym - I've gone up to 80lbs on one of those. I hesitate to go much heavier than my 2.5" max, considering injury risk. I actually find the clean much easier than the push press here. I could probably one arm snatch an even heavier weight, though I have not tried.

My work with the normal dumbbells confirms hand strength is my limiter, so I spend a lot of time just picking up my loadable 2.5" bell at sub-maximal weights, to get volume in. I'll also do volume on cleans, to work on technique. I don't think mine is very good.

I find core strength key to getting my leg drive into the weight for the push press. I've been doing windmills and volume on single arm cleans and presses, to bring that up.

I noticed in the video of Mark Henry cleaning the inch, he might actually drive his hips into the head of the dumbbell on the way up. That seems like a good idea, but I'm not nearly so coordinated.

I've brought the 100lb thick dumbbell to my shoulder using two arms and held it there with one arm a few times, to get used to having the weight up there. Man does it feel heavy that way. Nothing like when my body feels coiled from cleaning a weight up there with one arm.

When I look at videos of strongmen putting big dumbbells overhead, they actually put the head of the bell way back on the upper trap. I played around with this a little, but I cannot find a comfortable position with it. I don't think the push press will be my limiting factor, so I haven't spent much time on it. I do see those guys go crazy heavy using this technique, well over over 200lbs.

I am interested in other people's experiences. I tried searching for past threads, but didn't have much luck.

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I personally clean better with it starting parallel though it turns as I dip and drive my elbow under it. For the overhead portion when the bell is larger I rest the head on my shoulder, allows for great leg drive.

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The easiest way up is the between-the-legs swing.  If you'd prefer, set it on your knee and give it a push upwards with your leg while pulling with both arms (on the side you want to clean to, obviously).  The only way to beat the weight is to shoulder part of it.  If you try to hold it away from your shoulder, your leg-drive will be counteracted by your arm intuitively moving downwards as your legs drive upwards, so you'll miss a heavy press (and possibly hurt your shoulder).  Just set the very edge of the dumbbell right next to your trap, on the ball of your shoulder (make a V with it, meaning, don't have a large portion of it touching your shoulder).  Depending on the size, it literally may be touching your head as it will be angled upwards, probably about 30 degrees or so from your shoulder.  This allows your hand to touch the side of the DB (side away from your head) and have better balance.  Much like when you pick-up a big DB, if you can push your hand against a side, it comes up more easily.  If you can achieve that balance, and some degree of "comfort" just holding it, you can now bring in the leg drive.  The trick is, you aren't actually pressing it...you are catching it.  Drive it up and catch it, but make sure your grip is there, or it will go out front, or drop behind.  Check out Dimitar Savatinov as he is the current WR holder.  Being good at the monster DB is 100% form over a certain weight because you can't just muscle it up.

One final helper: wear wrist wraps as they'll make the load feel lighter - they won't press it for you, but they'll help mentally.

 

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When my clean was going up, I was working reps , lets say you target 100, try to get as many reps as you can cleaning 80 to 85 lbs, and do the drop and catch too the negative will make you stronger.  Now if you skilled at jerk, it be the technique that yields most possible poundage possible, however if you not go with push press.  On 2.5 inch ironmind handle my best clean and pp was 98 and I ran out of weight, i just won an inch style pro db, so i will resume doing the lift

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I am definitely not careful about finding a good position for the dumbbell ahead of the push press. I'll play with it more. I didn't realize the WR was upwards of 300lbs. Surely I've got a third of that in me.

Another thing I've been doing is face pulls every workout. I figure attending to shoulder health is a good idea when putting heavy weights overhead. I think they've made me more stable at lockout. My posture is more upright, which I guess helps the push press.

I'm loving my fbbc pro dumbbell. It's awesome how solid and compact the thing is. I do wish I'd been more attentive about getting standard plates that are flat, with no ridges or sharp edges.

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When I do it, I just snatch it and get under it like I would a BB snatch. I haven't done a DB snatch in awhile.

 

Edit: I know you are talking about cleaning it, but I personally find snatching it to be more effective and for me safer. Maybe I lack the strength to clean it properly I don't know. But I think you might try snatching it in whatever grip combination you are comfy in.

Edited by KapMan
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When I lift on a thick handle it always feels lighter in weight. I can clean and press this FBBC baby inch. But when I do the same weight with a normal handle it feels easier. Maybe because on thick handles I am putting too much pressure? Also, snatches are definitely harder than a clean.

 

How easy do you clean your 100 LB weight with a normal handle?

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I do find snatching a normal dumbbell easier than push pressing it. I originally hoped to get the thick dumbbell overhead with a snatch, but with grip as the limiting factor, the lift is much harder. I suspect the handle diameter where this change happens is highly individual. I'm far from wrapping the 2.5" handle. I was originally training for this with a set of normal fat gripz and found the snatch weights on those similar to the clean and push press.

I have not gone heavier than the 80lber for a normal dumbbell. With my current technique, that is a near limit lift for me on the push press. I think the biggest risk is to my shoulders, when going overhead. I've been keeping that part of the lift sub maximal for safety. As long as it is 5-10lbs heavier than my current thick handle max, I figure it's good.

 

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I never broke into 100s but when I was cleaning in the 90s a lot of torque was on my wrist.  I never felt any wrist pain snatching, but my thick handled snatch is more than 20 lbs below my pp, also about 20 lbs below my regular barbell snatch or dumbbell swing.

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