Strength Training · Olympic Weightlifting · Functional Fitness · Conditioning
Medicine-Ball Clean
The medicine-ball clean takes a ball from the floor to your chest in a deep squat before you stand. It trains leg and hip power, squat strength, and coordination.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 1 min 30 sec
How to do it
- Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart, with the ball on the floor between them.
- Squat down with your hips back, keeping your back in its natural alignment.
- Grasp the lower sides of the ball with straight arms.
- Drive through the floor to fully extend your hips and knees, sending the ball upward close to your body.
- Drop beneath the ball into a deep squat with your hands rotating underneath it.
- Receive the ball against your chest at the bottom of the squat.
- Stand fully upright with the ball supported at your chest.
- Lower the ball to the floor under control.
Form cues
- Brace your belly before the drive
- Shrug at the top
- Knees follow your toes
- Keep your whole foot grounded when catching
Common mistakes
- Curling the ball upwardKeep your elbows straight until your legs finish driving so your arms do not do the lifting.
- Catching high before squattingMove under the rising ball so the catch happens in the squat, rather than performing two separate movements.
- Ball rolling away from your chestTurn your palms upward to form a secure shelf beneath the ball instead of only squeezing its sides.
Safety
The fast lift and deep catch can strain your back or knees if the ball is too heavy or fatigue disrupts your positioning. A missed catch can strike your feet or throw you off balance.
- Learn with a light ball before adding weight or speed.
- Use a clear, nonslip floor with room to step away from a missed catch.
- Keep your hands and the ball dry for a reliable grip.
- End the set when catches become unstable or your back starts rounding.
If deep squatting causes back, hip, or knee pain, get advice from a physiotherapist before practicing the full-depth catch.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Medicine Ball
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 2–3
- Target
- 5–8 reps
- Rest
- 1 min 30 sec
Choose a weight that lets you practice crisp individual repetitions rather than rushing through the set.