Clean and Jerk
The classic weightlifting competition lift: pull the bar from the floor to the shoulders, then drive it overhead and catch it with locked elbows.
Muscles worked
Primary
Full Body
Secondary
Equipment
How to do it
- Set the bar over midfoot and grip just outside the legs with a neutral spine.
- Drive through the legs, extend the hips hard, and pull the bar to the shoulders.
- Catch the bar on the shoulders in a squat and stand tall.
- Reset the feet under the hips and brace for the jerk.
- Dip a few inches by bending the knees with the torso vertical.
- Drive the bar overhead and catch it in a split or with re-bent knees, elbows locked.
- Recover to standing with the bar overhead, then lower it under control.
Watch for
- Elbows dropping as you catch the clean.
- Leaning forward during the dip.
- Pressing the bar out instead of catching with locked elbows.
Breathing
Brace before the clean, take a fresh breath before the dip, exhale once the bar is stable overhead.
Tip
If the jerk fails before the clean does, practice dips and drives from a rack with lighter weight.
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