Best Exercise In Ever: Kettlebell Clean to Drop Squat

So this past weekend was kind of a holiday one here in Alberta. Monday was a holiday known as “Family Day,” with the goal being to spend time with your family and enjoy their company and possibly the weather. So what did Lindsay and I do? Work out and then each play Angry Birds on our various electronic devices (I also did some computer stuff, but that’s neither here nor there).

Another thing that this meant was I got to sleep in a little on both Sunday AND Monday, which meant I promptly came down with a short-lived head cold that pretty much sucked all types of fail. This either means I’m not meant to take days off or I should take them more frequently so I can let my immune system recover better and not be prone to these things once every 2 months when I do have a day off.

Now one thing this means is that my intensity during a workout may not be through the stratosphere during my workout, but it meant I could get in some much needed recovery work and also some mobility work to help me feel more like Superman when the time comes to lift heavy stuff up and put it back down again.

One of the movements I like to work on with mobility is a fairly complex one but a fantastic one for total body movement. The clean into a drop press is one of those “Big Bang for your Buck” movements that takes a lot of shoulder, thoracic spine, and hip mobility while also requiring some core control and balance through the feet and shoulders to pull it all together.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImTQ2rXylfQ’]

A main goal of the movement is to try to have a net zero movement of the kettlebell from the rack position at the top of the clean to the lockout of the press at the bottom of the squat. What this means is that as you drop into the squat you press simultaneously, meaning you have to think a little and possibly may rip a hole in the matrix by trying to understand what’s going on.

To make this one a little easier for those with tighter hips, try using a small plate under your heels to allow for a greater range of motion. To make it easier for those with control and coordination issues (I’m thinking distance athletes here), try using a variation where the one arm just remains overhead and coordinated movement isn’t required.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5fk-jzBWVg’]

I don’t mean to throw distance runners under the bus with that last statement, but let’s be honest here. Most distance runners don’t typically exhibit the greatest control and coordination, which is why they gravitate to running (or cycling) in a straight line with as few bends or alterations in terrain as possible. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and just because you enjoy cranking out 80 miles a week and then wondering why you have hip and shin issues doesn’t mean you should feel bad about not being able to coordinate the movement of your arms and legs in anything other than a run stride motion.

Also, to be honest, most distance athletes aren’t well suited to being highly mobile. They tend to save energy by staying stiff and tight and bouncing down the road like an errant racket ball thrown down the street.

Anyways, back on topic. This is a great warm up movement to help “grease the groove” to help people looking to do overhead movements like a press or snatch, and also for those looking to gain some control over their thoracic spine during extension movements.

Start off by using a fairly light weight and pushing for 5 or 6 reps per side, focusing on dropping into the movement with control and getting the weight vertical over your shoulder. Go to the depth you can manage while holding the weight over your shoulder if you have any restrictions to the squat, and make the main focus staying vertically loaded from the weight through the shoulder and through the middle of the foot.

Enjoy!!