How to Do the Kettlebell Tactical Clean

THE CLEAN IS one of the most foundational movements of any kettlebell flow—or any type of kettlebell workout, period. The exercise is a key maneuver for building power, and it also gives you a transitional move as you bring the bell into the rack position, from which you can do a whole number of things, like pressing overhead, stepping into a lunge, or just holding to challenge your core.

You might tire of doing the same old cleans, however, especially if you’re working with just one kettlebell. That’s where this exercise, the kettlebell tactical clean, comes into play. It’s a staple move included in the new Kettlehell workout program, now available for MH MVP Premium members on All Out Studio.

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What Is Kettlehell?

Jah Washington, winner of the MH Next Top Trainer and owner of Harlem Kettlebell Club, designed the program to expand your base of kettlebell knowledge while offering challenging, effective workouts.

All you need to do the program is a single, medium-weight kettlebell, and each of the sessions is just 20 minutes long, giving you plenty of time to fit your workouts within even the busiest of schedules.

How to Do the Kettlebell Tactical Clean

Washington says that the tactical clean is good for more than just introducing some variety into your kettlebell training. The movement builds power, athleticism, and also hits your abs and glutes.

The trainer uses three steps to perform the tactical clean:

Start an Arm’s Length Away

Like a traditional kettlebell clean, you’ll start with the weight an arm’s length away from you on the floor. Push your butt back, then bend at the waist and extend your arm to grab the handle. You’re ready to start from this position.

Off-Hand Ready

Here’s where the standard kettlebell clean and the tactical clean diverge. As you hike the weight back between your legs to initiate the movement, you’ll also shift your off-arm back behind your torso. Once you clean the weight up, “uppercut” your off arm (i.e., drive forward) with an open palm, ready to grab the handle to hold in the rack position. From here, you can reverse the movement, allowing the bell to swing back between your legs, as you repeat and continue to alternate arms.

Park the Bell Back at the Start

Once you’ve finished the prescribed number of reps and you’re ready to end the set, it’s time to return the bell back to the floor. From the rack position, rotate your wrist to allow the weight to fall between your legs, then extend your arm forward to place it in front of you.

How to Get More Kettlehell Moves

If you want to learn more exercises like the kettlebell tactical clean and you want to see how to put them into practice within a larger program, you’ll want to check out all of our Kettlehell workouts. They’re only available for MH MVP Premium members. You’ll immediately gain access to Kettlehell Vol. 3 when you join, along with hundreds of other streaming fitness sessions and more.

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