Barbell Clean and Jerk
Hinge, barbell, glutes, quadriceps and front delts
The clean and jerk lifts a barbell from the floor to the shoulders in one pull, then drives it overhead with a dip and drive of the legs. It trains the whole body for power: the glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings pull and drive, the shoulders and triceps lock the bar out. It is a technical lift, best learned from a coach with an empty bar.
Setting up
- Stand with the feet hip width apart and the bar over the middle of the feet.
- Grip just outside the legs, chest up and back flat.
- Start with an empty bar or a light technique bar.
How to do a barbell clean and jerk
- Push the floor away to lift the bar past the knees.
- Jump the bar up with a hard drive of the hips and pull yourself under it.
- Catch the bar on the front of the shoulders with the elbows high, then stand.
- Dip at the knees with the chest up, then drive the bar overhead.
- Push yourself under it with locked arms and stand still with the bar overhead.
Breathing. Breathe in and brace before the pull, take a fresh breath at the shoulders, and breathe out once the bar is locked out.
Muscles worked
- Mainly
- Glutes, quadriceps and front delts
- Also
- Hamstrings, traps, triceps and upper back
Common mistakes
- Pulling with the arms early. The arms only guide the bar, so keep them long until the hips have driven.
- Bar swinging out in front. A bar away from the body is lost, so keep it close all the way up.
- Pressing the bar out instead of driving it. The legs move the bar overhead, so dip and drive, then lock out.
Guide
