Push Jerk
Barbell overhead lift driven by a short leg dip, received in a partial squat with the feet planted.
How to do it
- Take the bar in a front rack across the shoulders with the elbows down and in front of the bar.
- Set your feet in your squat stance with your weight balanced over the whole foot.
- Brace your trunk and dip by bending the knees only, keeping the torso vertical.
- Reverse hard and drive the bar off the shoulders with the legs.
- Punch the elbows into lockout overhead and receive the bar in a partial squat with the feet planted.
- Stand up with the bar stable overhead, then lower it back to the rack position.
Key technique cue
Short dip, then explode; catch with locked elbows over the head.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Dipping too deep, which slows the reversal and turns the lift into a slow press.
- ✕ Letting the torso pitch forward in the dip, which sends the bar out in front of the body.
- ✕ Pressing with the arms before the legs finish, which loses the drive and stalls the bar at eye level.
- ✕ Receiving with soft elbows, which puts the load on the shoulder joint instead of the skeleton.
Benefits
- ✓ Moves heavier overhead loads than a strict press by adding leg drive.
- ✓ Trains the dip and drive timing that transfers to the split jerk.
- ✓ Builds overhead lockout strength and stability under speed.
Progression: from easier to harder
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Step 1 You are here - Push Jerk
- Split Jerk
About the exercise
The push jerk moves a barbell from the front rack to overhead using the legs, not the arms. You dip about ten percent of your height with a vertical torso, drive the bar up off the shoulders, then punch the elbows into lockout and settle into a partial squat before standing. What separates it from the power jerk is the feet: in a push jerk they stay connected to the floor in the squat stance instead of moving. The quadriceps are the target, with the shoulders, traps and triceps supporting. It is the overhead lift that CrossFit and weightlifting programs use most often.
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