The power clean and jerk is a complicated movement but definitely one that can be done, with the help of coaching, safely and efficiently! Read more for some tips or watch the video above.

Power clean Starting Position

Hop up and down a few times to see where your feet land. This is your starting position for your feet.

The barbell should be at mid-shin and your hips low enough to where your arm pits are directly above the bar.

1st movement

Hips and shoulders rise together as one unit while your back stays at the same angle you started with.

Power position

This is where the magic happens. The barbell moves upward and your shoulders are stacked above the bar, the result is ending in the power position. The bar remains close to your body. Knees are still bent and legs are loaded, ready to explode.

Triple Extension

Arms. Legs. Hips. All 3 must be fully extended before elbows are allowed to bend. Once the triple extension is hit, elbows go straight up, like a robot.

Receiving position

The last part of the clean. Fast elbows are a must! As you are pulling your elbows straight up, like a robot, aggressively pull yourself under the bar landing in the power position. Hips are back, knees are bent, and back remains flat. The barbell must remain over feet as to not topple over forward, or fall back risking injury.

Jerk starting position

You are back in the power position at the end of your clean. Two options: you can stand all the way up and reset or you can use this as the first dip to begin your jerk.

Dip

Starting from a standing position with the barbell in the front rack, return to the starting position. As a result, your hips are loaded, legs are ready to fire, and your back is flat.

Drive

Use the power from your legs and hips to thrust energy up your body until the bar floats and becomes weightless. The power is coming from your hips and your hips should extend fully

Push under

When the bar floats, that is your cue to begin an aggressive push for your body to go under the bar. You can avoid being an uncomfortable starfish by landing with your feet a little outside of your shoulders or in other words, your squat stance. Your feet should land at the same time you lock out the barbell

Too much info?

As you can probably tell, the power clean and jerk is a complicated movement, and as a result can be scary for some to learn on their own. There are many moving parts at one time and subsequently it can be difficult to make sure you are doing this movement correctly on your own. No worries. That’s where we come in. All of our new members go through a 1-on-1 sequence of sessions to get these movements down safely! Schedule your free intro here to learn more.