This Exercise Will Have You Running Faster and Feeling Strong in No Time

Updated on 6/20/2018 at 5:40 PM

I'm a personal trainer, and I love explosive workouts. Growing up as an athlete, explosive movements were imperative to my soccer and track-and-field training. Explosive movements translate to your overall speed, power, and strength, which is the main reason I do them (they're also great functional movements). Olympic lifting is hands down one of my favorite training modalities, but I do realize that not everyone wants to strength train in this manner and some just need to learn how to do it. If you're the latter, you're in luck. I adapted one of my favorite moves — the power clean — and I swear it will tone every single muscle in your body.

Here's how to do it:

Start in a slight squat (close to a 45-degree bend in your knees) with a 10-pound dumbbell in your right hand.
Make sure that your back is flat, your weight is shifted back into your heels, and your right arm is extended down, in front of your right shin.
From here, drive your right arm straight up leading with your elbow. Simultaneously drive your heels through the ground, doing a slight jump coming into a fully extended position.
Next, flip your wrist so that the dumbbell is tight by your right shoulder as you lower into your squat position.
Stand up and straighten your right arm overhead. This completes one rep.
Do 10 reps on your right arm and repeat with the weight in your left arm.