Clean & Press vs. Squat vs. Deadlift for Mass & Size

The clean and press, squat and deadlift can all develop muscle mass and size. However, the clean and press is a highly technical exercise that primarily trains power and speed. If your goal is muscle size rather than power, squats and deadlifts will probably play a larger role in your program than the clean and press will.

According to the principle of exercise specificity, your body responds to the specific demands you place upon it. Muscle growth, also called hypertrophy, requires high-volume workouts with six to12 reps per set and three to six sets per exercise. Keeping rest periods short so that your muscles can't recover completely between sets increases the stress, stimulating more growth. Resting for 30 to 90 seconds between sets is ideal.

The clean and press is a two-part exercise that works the legs, hips and core as well as the shoulders and arms. In the first stage -- the clean -- the athlete lifts the barbell from the floor with a powerful extension of the hips and then drops under the bar to catch it on his shoulders. In the second stage -- the press -- he presses the bar overhead.

The squat and deadlift train the hip and leg muscles. They also target the core, requiring a strong isometric contraction of the back muscles to stabilize the spine. In the deadlift, the athlete lifts the barbell from the floor, while in the squat, the barbell is supported on the shoulders and upper back. Because they target the largest muscles in the body, the squat and deadlift are a fundamental part of most programs to develop mass and size.

The technically demanding nature of the clean and press requires short sets and long rest periods, making it unsuitable for high-volume workouts that build maximum muscle size. Power exercises such as the clean and press may still be useful, though, because they stimulate fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are very susceptible to growth. Since the squat and deadlift are less technical than the clean and press, they are safer to include in a high-volume workout program.