Olympic Lifts
Clean & Jerk
The Clean & Jerk is our 3rd, and most complicated Olympic Lift. The athlete should not attempt in until he / she has demonstrated proficiency in the Clean, as well as the Snatch lifts. Read through all the pointers and watch each video before starting. Our Weightlifting homepage has introductory material and documents that should be understood before a lifting program begins.
CJ1a: Clean & Jerk, Full Movement: There are many steps and technicalities associated with this lift. Make sure you are proficient in the other two lift, as well as the progressions of this lift, BEFORE attempting it. Also, the “How to Miss” videos are at the bottom of this page. Practice those movements as well before attempting to lift a weight over your head.
CJ1b: Clean & Jerk, Full Movement: Take time to pause the video and study her starting position, her foot placement at various points of the movement, as well as the position of her arms. As with the other lifts, the muscles in the legs and buttocks create most of the momentum that gets the weight over the lifter’s head. The arms provide some strength to the lift, but are mostly a guide. Keep the bar close to the body (bar path) on the way up. The weight is split 50 / 50 in the landing position.
CJ2a & 2b:
Clean & Jerk Transition Movement
CJ 2a: C&J Transition Movement: In this movement, Kelsey is demonstrating that there is a slight change in the hand / wrist positional at the top of the Clean… if the athlete is adding the Jerk.
CJ2b: C&J Transition Movement: Self-Explanatory
CJ3a & b
Clean & Jerk Footwork
CJ3a: C&J Footwork: Pay close attention to the Starting Position and the Finishing Position for the legs / feet. Notice the positioning / spacing of the legs allows for proper balance (the weight is split 50 / 50) - especially when the lifter has 170 pounds over her head, for example.
CJ3b: C&J Footwork
CJ4a & 4b:
Clean & Jerk: Jerk Dip
CJ4a: Jerk Dip: This isa pretty easy lift, but pay attention to the grip transitions and elbow / arm angles.
CJ4b: Jerk Dip: Notice her head is ALWAYS up / facing forward - NEVER down. Notice she has pushed the elbows through / up. She also had to release the grip slightly to achieve this position. Much of the weight is resting on her shoulders and collar bone region.
CJ5a & 5b:
Clean & Jerk: Strict Press
CJ5a: CJ Strict Press: This lift is complete strictly with the arms and shoulders. The rest of the body just needs to maintain posture.
CJ5b: CJ Strict Press: Notice she pushes her head through / presses the weight slightly back over her head. The extended (upper) position is not comfortable. “Push through the bar.”
CJ6a & 6b:
Clean & Jerk: Jerk Push Press
CJ6a: C&J Push Press: Unlike the Strict Press before, she is now engaging the legs and buttocks to generate lifting speed / power.
CJ6b: C&J Push Press: A common theme throughout our weightlifting videos is that the lifter needs to understand that the legs provide much of the speed that the competitive weightlifter needs to launch the weight overhead. An excellent Olympic lift allows the legs to do the bulk of the work while rest of the body gets out of the way and contributes to keep the weight close to the body and moving efficiently. The moment the lifter becomes inefficient with heavy weights, the lift is likely to fail / fall short of the athlete’s ability.
CJ7a & 7b:
Clean & Jerk: Power Jerk
CJ7a: C&J Power Jerk: Again, when we see the word “Power” in the front of the title, that means the lifter is going to leave the ground about half an inch or slightly more. Notice when she catches the weight overhead, her legs are slightly bent / she is catching the weight in a slight squat position.
CJ7b: C&J Power Jerk: Pause the video at different spots and take note of her posture and form.
CJ8a & 8b:
Clean & Jerk: Split Jerk
CJ8a: C&J Split Jerk: Although you don’t see the word Power in the front of this title, notice that she is leaving the ground. The word, Split, pretty much tells the athlete this movement is explosive. You will not reach the Split position without significant force.
CJ8b: C&J Split Jerk: Pay close attention to her posture and positions throughout this explosive movement. She has mastered all of the progressions leading up to this difficult exercise and is able to control the movement. Athletes should not be attempting this movement with weights unless they have excelled at the Snatch and Clean movements.
CJ9a & 9b:
Clean & Jerk: Miss Front
CJ9a: C&J Miss Front: As with all misses, the goal is to separate the lifter from the out-of-control weight bar. Practice these movements and ensure the athlete understands how to slightly push the weight forward, while the athlete escapes to the rear.
CJ9b: C&J Miss Front: Self explanatory.
CJ10a & 10b:
Clean & Jerk: Miss Back
CJ10a: C&J Miss Back: Notice she aggressively moves forward as the weighted bar drops behind her. The athlete must practice this skill and know how to get out of the way. Do NOT allow athletes to attempt this movement until they demonstrate success in all other lifts and progressions, as well as this miss drill. It will be difficult to extend the arms / elbows. Attempt to push the weight away from the body and move the feet away from the direction of the bar.
CJ10b: C&J Miss Back: Imagine a 170 pound bar landing on the Achilles or calf. You can see that she is about to be struck by the falling bar, but she has committed to moving her body forward quickly. Our document, “The Basics” tells coaches and lifters that they should NOT be performing these lifts unless basic coordination skills are demonstrated by the lifter. Maturity is a factor as well - if the lifter is more worried about being embarrassed because of the drop then he / she is worried about getting out of the way, then he / she should not be in the weight room.