Key Points
Arnold Schwarzenegger said his all-time favorite exercise is the clean and press. "It covers everything," the bodybuilding icon told Men's Health..
However, when asked by Men's Health what his all-time favorite exercise is, the former Mr. Olympia picked an Olympic lift popular in CrossFit, the clean and press.. Usually performed with a barbell, the clean and press is what's known as a double movement compound lift, consisting first of a "pull" (the clean) and then a "push" (the press)...
In the clean portion of the movement, you move the barbell up the body from the ground to a front rack position, resting across your collar bones, and in the press portion, you push the bar up above your head to finish with your arms extended and legs straight...
Hinge at the hips and bend at the knees, keeping your back and arms straight and chest lifted, lowering yourself down to grab the bar with an overhand grip, with your hands outside your legs.Keeping the bar close to your body and your core engaged, drive through the floor and pull the bar upwards in an explosive movement..
As the bar passes your knees, shrug your shoulders and drop your body to catch the bar in a front rack position with your elbows high and your knees bent.Push through your heels again and use your hips to straighten your legs and drive the bar upwards over your head, straightening your arms at the top.Return to the start position by reversing the exercise: lower the bar to your shoulders and then to the floor, keeping your back straight and core engaged..
