“Does the Clean and Press work your legs enough?” (NOT what you might be thinking…)

If you need a proven Clean + Press program, follow Wendell’s footsteps and grab your copy of ‘THE GIANT’ here.
​​https://chasingstrength.com/kettlebel...

And if you aren’t sure about how to get the most leg work out of either your Cleans, or your Presses, or both?

Make sure you grab ‘THE GIANT’ - Premium, which comes with Deep Dive ‘How To’ videos.
https://chasingstrength.com/kettlebel...

And if you absolutely insist on including Squats with your Clean + Presses?

Use Kettlebell MAXIMORUM.
https://go.chasingstrength.com/kettle...
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This was the gist of an email I go the other day from Wendell, in which he asked the following:

“Hi there! I recently purchased The Giant. Could you advise me on how legs will benefit on the program without doing extra leg work?”

So, here’s the deal about how the Clean + Press works your legs.

1- The Posterior Chain, Part 1 - Knee Rehab

This is something I rarely see anyone speak about.

Sure, people talk about KBs working the posterior chain -

The muscles responsible for walking, running, and jumping:

Calves, hamstrings, glutes, erector spinae (lower back).

Cleans work that muscle group spectacularly.

Not only will properly programmed Cleans make your posterior chain stronger, but they will improve your leg and cardiovascular endurance.

And that means less effort to walk up hills, mow the lawn, shovel snow, dig holes, or even just go out on a long ruck.

But what most people don’t know is that strengthening those muscle groups by “hinging” can actually reduce, even eliminate knee pain for some people.

(I’ve used this strategy for almost 30 years.)

And that’s a BIG Win for guys (and gals) our age.

2- The Posterior Chain, Part 2 - A Stronger Squat

A stronger posterior chain from doing Cleans opens up the ability to Squat for some people.

And this makes sense, especially if knee pain keeps you from squatting.

And for others, it makes their Squat stronger.

This is because a stronger posterior chain makes it easier to stay upright in the Squat, instead of tipping forward, which can not only hurt your knees, but strain / injure your lower back.

So, don’t be surprised if a heavy dose of Clean + Presses makes your Goblet Squat or Double KB Front Squat feel easier.

Speaking of Presses…

3- The Press - A Quad Trainer

So many guys have very little idea about how to Press correctly.

They mistakenly believe that the Press is a “shoulder exercise.”

Well, it certainly works your shoulders, but not ONLY your shoulders.

A proper Press works your entire body -

INCLUDING your LEGS.

Especially your quads (quadriceps) - the front of your legs - most often associated with Squat, Leg Press, and Leg Extensions in the “bodybuilding world.”

How?

Through isometric muscle actions.

Isometrics are where force - the highest forces possible - are generated without movement.

Here’s an example: Make a fist - now make it tighter - TIGHTER!

Feel how much tension that creates?

That’s an isometric muscle action.

And you should be doing that with your quads when you Press. (Among other things.)

Isometrics increase your muscle coordination and your ability to recruit more muscle fibers, so you can lift heavier weight.

So not only do isometrics “work your legs” and make them stronger, it also delivers a stronger Press to you.

Hopefully, this alleviates any fear you might have about “only” doing Clean + Presses, especially for working your legs.

If you want to follow in Wendell’s footsteps, I leave a link to the same program he used in the description below along with the link to another program where you can add in “extra leg work” if you want.

Stay Strong,
Geoff