Barbell Clean and Jerk

HOW TO DO IT

1. 1Grip the bar just outside your legs with an overhand or hook grip.
2. 2Pull the bar from the floor by driving through your heels and extending your knees.
3. 3Aggressively extend your hips and shrug to accelerate the bar upward.
4. 4Pull yourself under the bar and catch it in a front squat position.
5. 5Stand up fully with the bar racked on your front shoulders.
6. 6Dip slightly and drive the bar overhead while splitting or pushing your feet.

COMMON MISTAKES

• Bending the arms too early during the first pull.
• Allowing the bar to swing away from the body during extension.
• Catching the clean with the torso leaning too far forward.
• Pressing the jerk instead of driving the body under the bar.

TIPS

• Keep the bar close to your shins throughout the first pull.
• Drive your elbows up and forward immediately after the second pull.
• Punch your hands up violently rather than pressing the weight slowly.
• Maintain a tight core to stabilize the spine during the catch.

SAFETY

• Ensure adequate wrist mobility to prevent injury when catching the bar.
• Do not attempt this lift without mastering the separate clean and jerk components.

DETAILS

Muscles

Full Body

Equipment

Barbell

Type

Strength Training

Difficulty

Expert

Tracked as

Weight & Reps

TECHNIQUE

Base movement

Clean

Load position

Front rack

Arms

Both

Legs

Both

Hand orientation

Pronated (palms down / away)

Body position

Standing