Training guide
The clean and jerk is two lifts in one: you pull the bar from the floor to the front of your shoulders, stand up and get still, then dip, drive and split your feet to send it overhead on straight arms. It's the heavier of weightlifting's two lifts, and the jerk is mostly a leg lift: your arms only finish it.
The evidence is coaching-body guidance and small studies. Weightlifting training raised jump height more than ordinary strength training in a review of 16 studies, and the sport has about 2.4 to 3.3 injuries per 1,000 hours of training, mostly minor. Learn it with a coach and light weights, from the top down.
This guide covers the jerk step by step on the 3D figure, the three jerk styles and your footwork, the progression from presses to the full lift, sets and reps, the common mistakes and the warning signs to act on. The clean itself is in our power clean guide.
The clean takes the bar from the floor to the front of your shoulders: caught in a full front squat it's a clean, caught higher with your knees bent it's a power clean. You stand up and get still, then the jerk drives the bar overhead to straight arms, usually landing in a split. Lifters clean and jerk about 18 to 20% more than they snatch.
The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) and the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) teach the lifts by "reverse chaining": the end of the lift first. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) suits the full lift to people with at least a year of strength training and good mobility, and British Weight Lifting calls a local club "one of the best ways to learn from qualified coaches". Learn the power clean and the push press first.
Dip straight down about a tenth of your height with your trunk upright, drive up hard through your legs, then push yourself under the bar, locking your arms as your feet land in a split. Your arms only finish the job.
The split jerk is by far the most common style and gives the widest base front to back. The power (or push) jerk lands in a quarter squat, and the squat jerk in a full squat, which few people use. People lift about 95% of their split jerk in a power jerk and 87% in a push press.
Sets of 1 to 3, twice a week while you learn (our editorial starting point). Weightlifters jerk on 2 or 3 days a week, with most of their strength-speed work at 70 to 95% of their best. End the set when the bar slows or a rep looks different.
Weightlifting has about 2.4 to 3.3 injuries per 1,000 hours of training, and 90.5% of elite US lifters' injuries cost a day or less of training. Across US emergency departments, the most common cause of a weight-training injury was a weight dropping on someone, so use bumper plates and a clear platform, and learn to miss before you need to.
"Power" means catching the bar with your feet flat and knees bent above a full squat; a clean without "power" is caught at the bottom of a front squat, sometimes called a squat clean. The rules let you catch both parts of the lift "splitting or bending the legs".
All three jerks start with the same dip and drive. The split jerk lands with one foot forward and one back; the power jerk, also called the push jerk, lands in a quarter squat with your feet roughly where they started; the squat jerk lands in a full overhead squat. The push press isn't a jerk: you dip and drive, then press the bar the rest of the way with your feet staying down.
The dip (a quick quarter squat with the bar on your shoulders), the drive (your hips, knees and ankles straighten to send the bar to its highest point), the catch (overhead in a split) and the recovery (standing up with the bar still overhead).
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After the clean you must bring your feet back into line, straighten your legs and become motionless before the jerk. The jerk is one movement to straight arms, and you finish with your feet in line and everything still before you lower the bar. Pressing out the arms after you've landed, bending and straightening your elbows in the recovery, an effort to jerk you don't finish, deliberately bouncing the bar and dropping it from above your shoulders all fail the lift. Our weightlifting page covers the rest of the sport.
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From Catalyst Athletics' split jerk, jerk balance and jerk recovery pages, the NSCA's position statement and ACE's clean and jerk article; the hand width is our editorial suggestion. Practise missing with a dowel or an empty bar first: push the bar away and step out from under it, as our move page advises.
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The movement on the figure: Split jerk
The International Weightlifting Federation's rules ask you to be still with your knees straight before the jerk and allow you to adjust the bar; the reset cue is our move page's.
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The movement on the figure: Clean and jerk
Most lifters split. In 52 lifts by 32 elite men, the split gave a front-to-back stability angle of about 47 degrees against 14 for the squat jerk. In 13 national-level lifters who missed a jerk forwards and then made it at the same weight, the made lifts moved the bar further back, and a fast knee bend in the dip went with the misses.
You drive, then drop into a quarter squat as your arms lock, with your feet staying roughly in place. It comes between the push press and the split jerk in the NSCA's teaching order, and some lifters keep it as their competition style.
Caught in a full overhead squat. It takes great shoulder mobility and stability and a strong overhead squat, and few lifters use it.
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You'll learn both: the NSCA's progression goes through the push press and the push jerk before the split jerk. Most people end up splitting, because it lifts the most and gives the most room for error (our reading).
In the split, your front shin is about upright, your back knee softly bent and your weight shared between your feet; Catalyst Athletics teaches an even split. Find it with the step to split, a lunge step into your jerk position with the bar on your back, then the jerk balance, which drives from a partial split into the full one.
Whichever feels steadier: try both with a dowel and keep the one you land on more solidly, then use the same foot every time (our suggestion; we found no study).
Catalyst Athletics steps the front foot back about a third first, then brings the back foot up, because the back leg makes a steadier post. ACE says it's safer to step forward to the front leg. No study has compared them; our move page uses front foot first.
In a review of 16 studies with 427 people, weightlifting training (cleans, snatches, jerks and pulls) raised jump height more than ordinary strength training in 9 studies (effect size 0.95) and about as much as jump training. The edge for sprinting wasn't statistically significant, and the studies varied a lot.
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The drive lasts about a quarter of a second, with bar speeds of 1.06 to 1.9 metres a second and power outputs of 2,500 to 6,760 watts, highest at 70% or more of the best lift. The NSCA notes it's the only sport in which people have lifted three times their body mass overhead.
Source 1
In 46 trained men, the push press was lightest, then the push jerk, then the split jerk. In 15 men and 15 women, the best push press, push jerk and split jerk were about 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2 times body weight in men and 0.8, 0.9 and 0.9 in women. The gaps were bigger in skilled weightlifters (22%) than in CrossFit athletes (11%).
At the same load, 80% of the best push press, the forces and power of the dip and drive didn't differ between the push press, push jerk and split jerk in 16 lifters. What differs is how far you drop under the bar.
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No trial has tested the clean and jerk on its own against other lifts, and most studies are small, short and in young men. How long it takes to learn is coaches' estimate: NSCA coaches plan 2 to 4 weeks or 2 to 4 months of progressions, and ACE says perfecting the lift can take years.
Move on when every rep of a stage looks the same, not by the calendar. The doses are in the moves below and in the sets and reps section.
A strict overhead press, a comfortable clean-grip front squat and a hang power clean that looks the same every rep. NSCA coaches build front squats, clean-grip deadlifts and stiff-leg deadlifts first, then hang cleans and push presses, then the clean and the split jerk, and only then the clean and jerk.
The press and the push press. The NSCA teaches them from behind the neck first, then in front; with stiff or painful shoulders, or after a dislocation, keep everything in front of your head, as our overhead press guide says.
Jerk dip squats with the empty bar, then power jerks, catching in a quarter squat.
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Find your split with the step to split, then practise the jerk balance from a partial split, weight even between your feet.
From the front of your shoulders, light, in sets of 1 to 3.
A hang power clean and jerk, then a power clean and jerk from the floor, then the full clean and jerk, with your coach.
Front squats and push presses build the strength behind the lift. Experienced lifters add jerk recoveries, standing up from a split under a bar taken from the rack, with 90 to 100% or more of their best jerk.
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Work up in order. The jerk dip squat and the jerk balance give their doses on their pages; for the rest, sets of 1 to 3, light, while you learn (our editorial starting point).
3D demoStanding overhead pressIntermediate · A barbell + A dumbbell
3D demoPush pressIntermediate · A barbell
3D demoJerk dip squatIntermediate · A barbell
3D demoPower jerk (push jerk)Advanced · A barbell
3D demoJerk balanceIntermediate · A barbell
3D demoSplit jerkAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoHang power cleanAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoPower cleanAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoClean and jerkAdvanced · A barbellTwice a week while you learn, with a day between (our editorial starting point, as for the power clean). Weightlifters jerk on 2 or 3 days a week, and some in every session.
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3 to 5 sets of 1 to 3 jerks, and singles or doubles of the full clean and jerk (our editorial starting point; Catalyst Athletics programmes jerks in sets of 1 to 3). One coach in ACE's article uses 3 sets of 3 to 5 with light weights while people learn; we prefer fewer reps, because technique slips as a set goes on.
Start with a dowel or an empty bar, and add weight only when every rep looks the same. Later, most strength-speed work sits at 70 to 95% of your best. Don't set your weights as a percentage of your body weight.
Rest 2 to 3 minutes between sets. End the set when the bar slows or a rep looks different, and never go to failure (our editorial starting points, as in the power clean guide).
First in your session, while you're fresh. Warm up with 3 to 5 minutes of easy movement, wrist and shoulder mobility, then an empty-bar rehearsal of each part of the lift.
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The bar then drives out in front of you. Dip with your weight over your whole foot and your trunk upright; pause jerk dip squats help.
You lose tension at the bottom, and a fast knee bend went with missed jerks. Keep the dip controlled, about a tenth of your height.
Your arms are still straightening after your feet land: a fault in competition. Power jerks and jerk balances teach you to lock your arms as your feet land.
Leaning your chest through instead of stepping your front foot and hips into the split, or loading the front leg. The jerk balance fixes both.
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Or a back foot that wobbles or collapses. Practise the step to split, then jerk balances, and keep your feet hip-width apart side to side, not on a tightrope.
Brace, keep your ribs down, and work on your shoulder mobility so the bar can sit overhead without arching.
Source 1
Jerking before you're still after the clean: a failed lift in competition, and a rushed jerk in training.
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Pulling with your arms early, or yanking the bar off the floor. Our power clean guide covers both.
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About 2.4 to 3.3 injuries per 1,000 hours of training, similar to other non-contact strength and power sports and low compared with contact sports, and 2.6 in elite Swedish lifters. In elite US lifters, 90.5% of injuries cost a day or less. Knees (21%), the lower back (19%), hands (15%) and shoulders (15%) are the usual places. Most of these studies were of low quality.
At the 2008 Olympic Games, weightlifting was among the sports where 15% or more of athletes were injured.
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In US emergency department records, 65.5% of weight-training injuries came from a weight dropping on someone. Use bumper plates on a clear platform, and practise missing: push the bar away and step out from under it.
Coached, age-appropriate weightlifting has a low injury rate, and most young people's weight-room injuries are accidents that supervision prevents. The NSCA asks for no more than 10 young lifters per coach and no adult programmes.
The rack and the lockout need range: the NSCA lists problems resting the bar on the shoulders "because of shoulder flexibility issues" and elbows that won't straighten among its technique errors. Jerks from behind the neck are easier to learn but best avoided with stiff or injured shoulders.
Blood pressure peaks very high during heavy lifts, partly from holding your breath: a mean of 320/250 mmHg in 5 bodybuilders doing leg presses to failure. After a clean and jerk at 90 to 95% of their best, 18 experienced lifters were at about 147/87 and back to normal within 15 minutes. Heavy lifting also raised eye pressure, by about 26 mmHg in one study. A brief breath hold is hard to avoid above about 80% of your best; the American Heart Association says controlled high blood pressure is fine for low to moderate effort with proper breathing.
Get advice before heavy lifting with uncontrolled high blood pressure, heart disease or chest pain when you're active, a pacemaker or defibrillator, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, a hernia, or recent eye or tummy surgery, as our breathing guide sets out. After an inguinal hernia repair the NHS says no heavy lifting for 4 to 6 weeks.
The NHS says you can keep up strength training at the gym if you already do it, but avoid activities where you could fall or bump your tummy. Tommy's says pregnancy isn't the time for your heaviest weights and warns against free weights hitting your bump, so most people switch to lighter presses and pulls (our reading).
The squat jerk and behind-the-neck work are for experienced lifters with a coach; leave out behind-the-neck presses with neck or shoulder pain or after a dislocation. The kettlebell versions are lighter ways to practise the dip, drive and catch, at 3 to 5 sets of 2 to 5 each side (their move pages).
3D demoSquat jerkAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoBehind-the-neck push pressAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoOne-arm kettlebell clean and jerkAdvanced · A kettlebell
3D demoOne-arm kettlebell split jerkAdvanced · A kettlebell
3D demoDouble kettlebell jerkAdvanced · A kettlebell
3D demoBarbell clean and pressAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoDumbbell cleanIntermediate · A dumbbellA few slow reps of each in your warm-up. The overhead squat with a dowel checks that you can hold a bar overhead with your trunk upright.
3D demoWrist & forearm flowBeginner · No equipment
3D demoQuadruped wrist rocksBeginner · No equipment
3D demoThoracic rotationBeginner · No equipment
3D demoFoam roller thoracic extensionBeginner · A foam roller
3D demoOverhead lat stretch at a bench (elbows on the bench)Intermediate · A bench or box
3D demoOverhead stick stretchBeginner · Other / check instructions
3D demoOverhead squatAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoKnee-to-wall ankle rockBeginner · A wallThe jerk technique workout walks the progression from the dip to the full clean and jerk; the weightlifting workouts add the snatch and the strength behind both lifts, and the power clean workout teaches the clean.
A 45-minute technique session for the jerk: the dip and drive, the power jerk, footwork into the split, light split jerks and, when ready, the clean and jerk.
45 minIntermediate13 movesCardio machine, Other / check instructionsA 60-minute coached technique session: wrists, ankles and overhead squats, then the snatch and the clean and jerk built from the top down with light weights.
60 minBeginner15 movesCardio machine, A wallA 65-minute strength session for weightlifters: front squats, clean pulls at or above your best clean, push presses, Romanian deadlifts and trunk work.
65 minIntermediate11 movesCardio machine, A wallA 40-minute technique session for the power clean: the rack and hang positions, the jump and the turnover, light hang power cleans, then cleans from the floor.
40 minIntermediate14 movesCardio machine, A wallA 15-minute warm-up and mobility routine for CrossFit-style training: easy rowing, shoulder, wrist, hip and ankle mobility, shoulder-blade work and squats.
15 minBeginner14 movesCardio machine, A wallIf you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise. The American Heart Association says these need immediate medical evaluation.
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For sudden chest pain that doesn't go away, spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness. For palpitations that don't stop, or come with chest pain, breathlessness or feeling faint. If someone faints while exercising. For a headache that started suddenly and is extremely painful, for example while straining under a heavy lift. For back pain with pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs, loss of feeling around your genitals or bottom, or changes in your bladder, bowels or sexual function: don't drive yourself. For arm pain that comes on suddenly with pressure, heaviness or squeezing across your chest. If glaucoma symptoms come on suddenly, such as intense eye pain, a red eye or blurred vision.
If you injure your arm and hear a snap, or it changes shape, tingles or feels numb. A pop or snap with sudden pain during a lift, then bruising at the front of the elbow and a bulge in the upper arm, could be a torn biceps tendon: don't wait for it to settle, as it's best repaired within the first 2 to 3 weeks.
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A pop or tearing feeling at the front of the knee after a fall, stumble, jump or landing, then you can't straighten the knee or lift the straight leg off the bed, there's a dent above or below the kneecap, or the kneecap sits higher or lower than on the other side. Go to A&E or an urgent treatment centre, or get help from NHS 111.
In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care. For wrist pain that's severe, or a snap, grinding or popping when it happened, a wrist you can't move or hold things with, or lost feeling in your hand. For sudden or very bad shoulder pain, an arm you can't move, or pins and needles that don't go away. For a knee that's very painful, can't take your weight, is badly swollen, or locks or gives way. For an arm that hurts when you exercise but eases when you rest. For a headache brought on or made worse by exercise. For a painful hernia, or one with feeling sick.
Stop, sit or lie down until it passes, and get up slowly. If it keeps happening, see your GP.
If a joint pain is sharp, builds during a set or lingers into the next day, swap to an easier option, such as push presses instead of jerks, and see a clinician if it persists.
Injury rates in training are about 2.4 to 3.3 per 1,000 hours, similar to other non-contact strength sports, and most elite injuries cost a day or less. Competition is riskier. In young people, injuries are uncommon with supervised, age-appropriate programmes. The risk lies in learning alone and going heavy too soon.
Your legs drive the bar and you drop under it; your arms only finish the lockout. Pressing the bar out after you've landed fails the lift in competition.
The NSCA and the International Weightlifting Federation teach it the other way round, from the top down, though NSCA coaches note there's no consensus on the best route.
Weightlifting training raised jump height more than ordinary lifting, and coaches use the jerk with athletes for strength and speed. But no trial has tested the clean and jerk itself against simpler lifts, and the power clean and push press give much of the benefit with less skill (our reading).
Pull the bar from the floor to the front of your shoulders (the clean), stand up and get still, then dip, drive and split your feet to send it overhead on straight arms (the jerk). Bring your feet back into line and stand still before you lower it. Learn the two halves separately first: the power clean and the push press.
All three start with the same dip and drive. In a split jerk you land with one foot forward and one back; in a push (or power) jerk you land in a quarter squat with your feet roughly in place; in a squat jerk you land in a full overhead squat. People lift about 95% of their split jerk in a push jerk and 87% in a push press.
You'll learn both: the NSCA's teaching order goes through the push press and the push jerk before the split jerk. The split jerk is the most common style and gives the steadiest base front to back, so most lifters end up there.
There's no fixed answer. NSCA coaches plan anything from 2 to 4 weeks to 2 to 4 months of progressions, and ACE says perfecting the lift can take years. Move on when every rep of a stage looks the same, not by the calendar.
It's strongly advised. The NSCA teaches the lifts coached and from the top down, and British Weight Lifting calls a local club one of the best ways to learn from qualified coaches. ACE suits the full lift to people with at least a year of strength training.
Start with a dowel or an empty bar, and let your technique, not a target number, decide when to add weight. Charts of beginner weights aren't based on research. Weightlifters' heavier work sits at 70 to 95% of their own best.
Nearly all of them: ACE lists the glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, trapezius, forearms, shoulders, lats, back extensors, calves and triceps, with the deep trunk muscles steadying you. Your legs and hips do most of the driving in both halves.
Less than its reputation suggests: weightlifting has about 2.4 to 3.3 injuries per 1,000 hours of training, mostly minor. Most of the risk comes from learning alone and going heavy too soon, so learn with a coach, lift on bumper plates and practise missing.
In the jerk your legs drive the bar and you drop under it; in a press your arms push it up with your legs straight. The jerk puts far more weight overhead, while the press is simpler and builds shoulder strength. In competition, finishing a jerk with a press-out fails the lift.
Usually the front rack: the bar should rest on your shoulders with a relaxed grip, not in your palms. Work on your wrist and shoulder mobility and try a slightly wider grip. See a GP if the pain hasn't improved after 2 weeks.
Whichever feels steadier. Try both with a dowel, keep the one you land on more solidly, and then use the same foot every time; we found no study to settle it.
Twice a week while you learn, with a day between, is a sensible start. Weightlifters jerk on 2 or 3 days a week in sets of 1 to 3, and train front squats and pulls in separate strength sessions.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
