Legs · Barbell
Barbell Clean Deadlift
How to do the barbell clean deadlift, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Hinge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Set up over the barbell with feet hip-width apart and a shoulder-width grip, hips slightly lower than in a regular deadlift to mimic the clean start. Drive through your legs and extend your hips to lift the bar to mid-thigh with a flat back, then lower it under control.
- 1Feel your hamstrings and glutes drive the bar off the floor
- 2Keep your back flat and chest up as you lift
- 3Push through your heels and extend your hips fully at the top
Common mistakes
- Avoid rounding your back or letting the bar drift forward
- Don't let your hips shoot up before the bar moves
- Avoid jerking the bar; build speed smoothly off the floor
Muscles worked
The barbell clean deadlift mainly works the glutes, lower back, and hamstrings, with the forearms, upper traps, quads, lats, mid traps, upper abs, lower abs, and calves assisting.
- GlutesPrimary
- Lower BackPrimary
- HamstringsPrimary
- ForearmsSupport
- Upper TrapsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- LatsSupport
- Mid TrapsSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Lower TrapsMinor
- AdductorsMinor
Kovo programs the barbell clean deadlift for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More glutes exercises
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- How to do the airdyne bike
- How to do the arc trainer
- How to do the assault bike
- How to do the medicine ball atlas stone lift
- How to do the b stance hip thrust
Last reviewed June 2026.