Is the Clean and Press that good an exercise?

Be like Nutella

I run and do other cardio but I have a light barbell - 20kg and I want to condition with it in the simplest way possible in as short a time as possible (3 mins each day)

Would I do well if I focused purely on doing Clean and presses each day?

(say 30-40 explosive reps over 3 or 4 mins each day?)

I know it's not heavy but would this increase my general explosiveness just doing this one exercise each day given I'm about as strong and fit as somebody who say plays for a local GAA team?
thanks for any advice

if wrong place direct me pls : )

Hanley

Nothing light will increase explosiveness. Nor will working under fatigue.

Do you want fitness/conditoning, or explosiveness?

Be like Nutella

cheers, ok so need more weight... but I can't see meself being able to c+p much more than 40 kilos for a good few reps...

basically got the clean and press idea from watching a GSP Rushfit DVD today and in the explosive strength section most of the hard looking exercises were pressing DBs or cleaning DBs or both combined so I said to myself well obviously the clean and press is a tough and useful exercise to increase general explosiveness in arms/shoulders and legs.. what do you think?

mcwinning

In my opinion you would be better served going with low reps on the C and P to gain explosiveness. If I remember correctly, during power exercises peak power occurs at 3 reps and is maintained until 5 reps in a set, after which point power output drops dramatically. Also, just personal observation here, but technique tends to get sloppy on higher rep sets. Something like 5 sets of 3 reps might work better for you if you want to get more explosive.

Be like Nutella

that sounds like smart shtuff gona try that startin tomory...cheers 3-5 reps by a few rounds! I'll add weight as I get better form and explosivityness : )

Is the c+p deadly tho? like if I just did that would I be laughin?

mcwinning

It's a really good exercise as long as your form is good. If your form is sloppy there will be a pile of wasted energy and it probably won't transfer to making you more explosive/athletic. My form isn't so great (I'm working on it) and my shoulder flexibility isn't where it should be, so I find jump squats to be a pretty good alternative. Your best bet is to try to find someone who competes in or coaches weightlifting to give you the best advice and tips to improve your form!

Hanley

Be like Nutella wrote: »

Is the c+p deadly tho? like if I just did that would I be laughin?

No. You'll be limited severely by crappy technique and your shoulder strength.

Be like Nutella

Hanley: Honest I like it... but not idealist : )

mcwinning: cheers will do... technique technique technique got it!!

found loads of stuff online to teach you how to do it right, likely errors and yeah deffo will start with squat jumps like in the GSP Rushfit video... in the DVD they tend to do just 6 or 7 each round with about 3 or 4 seconds between each rep to reset so it's all about technique and 100% explosion.

gona start with some squat jumps and c+p 20kg until I get good at it.
7 reps per round, 3 rounds 5 mins a day I should get some gains.

cheers

CrazySka

What do you want the explosive power for? I would have thought if you spend lots of time getting explosive at clean and press (which i suppose will turn into c&j of sorts if your doing lots of fast reps) that will leave you just that, good at doing fast clean and presses or jerks, what's your transfer from that with relation to where you want to be or what you want to do? What's your endgame here, what do you want to improve?

20KG is too light number one but secondly the amount of time you will spend learning the clean and press effectively could probably be better spent on something else if you just want to get conditioned or even as you call it explosive.

If funds are limited buy a decent weight kettlebell and a skipping rope, get educated on kb snatches, swings, c&p's, rows and learn to use the rope. These will be better tools in developing "explosiveness" assuming that explosiveness relates to your ability to go all out for relatively short periods.

Hanley

CrazySka wrote: »

What do you want the explosive power for? I would have thought if you spend lots of time getting explosive at clean and press (which i suppose will turn into c&j of sorts if your doing lots of fast reps) that will leave you just that, good at doing fast clean and presses or jerks, whats your transfer from that with relation to where you want to be or what you want to do? Whats your endgame here, what do you want to improve?
20KG is too light nuber one but secondly the amount of time you will spend learning the clean and press effectively could probably be better spent on something else if you just want to get conditioned or even as you call it explosive.
If funds are limited buy a decent weight kettlebell and a skipping rope, get educated on kb snatches, swings, c&p's, rows and learn to use the rope. These will be better tools in developing "explosiveness" assuming that explosiveness relates to your ability to go all out for relatively short periods.

Good post.

Be like Nutella

tis indeed cheers

I have a 14kg KB and a 20kg bar and a rope and I do skip fairly often.

like I said I just want to increase my general physical explosive power i.e. upper and lower body and I thought from what I could tell from that GSP Rushfit thing that c+p was a way to go but cheers for the advice.

As far as what I would like to accomplish with my new found explosive power : ) I dunno really just to increase my general fitness I suppose I'm 32 so want to simply get fitter and faster if poss, maybe get back into MMA training or just be stronger in a better way I suppose... way I see it most people don't use their new found strength much these days - more so training for the sake of training and health so I wouldn't pretend to be too different from them but ideally I'd like to get back into BJJ and MMA and this sorta power would suit that goal and probably make me more likely to do it but I agree that you should just do the thing you want to do to get better at that thing i.e. sport specific... for now I'd just like a simple routine I could do with a bar (or KB I suppose depending on which is thought to be better if you were to choose one) to increase power in as much of my body as possible using just one maybe two exercises that would take mere minutes each day.... which may not be possible I don't know.

CrazySka

Fitter and faster in minutes a day i'm skeptical of to be honest man, Im pretty much the same age as you and train 1-2 hrs a day 5 days a week with strength and metcon elements, and in my opinion (others may disagree in - 2 times or +2 times ) you need to devote that kinda time to getting really really top notch results.

Having said that fitter and faster can be achieved in 20 minutes a day using a decent weight kettlebell, not sure how strong you are but id say your going to need a 16kg bell if your a beginner, 20 if your a little bit on.

in relation to what you want a KB is perfect imo because of the transfers between exercises, swings to squats in clean position to shoulder presses to snatches can be achieved quickly and with no disruption to the flow of your workout once you get proficient with it, maybe you could move a bar around fast too but I dont think you get the same range of exercises you get with a bell.

Plenty of good KB + bodyweight routines on websites, some searches on here or the H+F forum will throw up some good routines or have a look on Dominic Munnellys site too.

Be like Nutella

thats great cheers for all that lads - will have to create a short session using the KB and bar for cleans and squats and c+p. I keep fit by running so I'm just looking to gain some power with a short bar/KB session that becomes habit each day.

cheers for advice will check out that site

Mellor

If you can do something for 30-40 reps the load isn't high enough to build power (or strength). On the other hand, if you up the load you'll prob struggle to clean properly. So in that situation the power generated isn't going anywhere.
Clean variations ate great for power, but only when you can do them correctly you are wasting your time.

I'd forget about trying to force in C&J. There are loads if exercises that will serve you a lot better than cleaning poorly.