Barbell Clean And Jerk
An Olympic lift that cleans the bar from the floor to the shoulders, then jerks it overhead to a locked finish.
How to do it
- Set a loaded barbell over the midfoot, grip it just outside the legs, and brace with a flat back.
- Pull the bar from the floor past the knees, then extend the hips, knees, and ankles to accelerate it.
- Pull under the bar and catch it on the front of the shoulders, then stand to a full front rack.
- Dip a quarter squat with a vertical torso, then drive the legs and send the bar overhead.
- Split or squat under the bar and lock the elbows with the head through.
- Recover the feet to a parallel stance and hold the overhead lockout before lowering the bar.
Key technique cue
Keep the bar close, and drive the jerk with the legs; arms only lock out.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Letting the bar swing away from the body on the first pull.
- ✕ Pressing the jerk with the arms instead of driving with the legs.
- ✕ Catching the clean with a collapsed chest and low elbows.
- ✕ Cutting the hip extension short so the second pull never happens.
Benefits
- ✓ Trains a full pull from the floor and an overhead drive in one lift.
- ✓ Builds the timing that transfers to other Olympic and athletic pulls.
- ✓ Gives a true competition lift, not a power-clean substitute.
About the exercise
The clean and jerk is one of the two competition lifts in Olympic weightlifting. The clean pulls a barbell from the floor to the front rack in one motion: a first pull to the knee, a second pull that extends the hips, and a catch on the shoulders. After standing tall, the jerk dips and drives the bar overhead while the feet split or squat under it, then recovers to a locked stance. The quads, glutes, back, shoulders, and trunk do the main work; the lift is a full-body specialization that also needs overhead squat and jerk practice. It is the full two-part Olympic lift, not a power clean alone.
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