How To Fix Cleaning More Than You Jerk
Every week I answer questions submitted by you on my podcast, The Last Set Best Podcast which you can find on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts! This weeks question comes from @Kob
“How do I get stronger for my jerks? My cleans always feel good but I can’t seem to put it together and finish with the jerk.”
This is a great question and one I KNOW many of you guys struggle with, so here’s a few suggestions!
P.S. If you struggle with jerks, my new Welcome To Hell: 12-Week Weightlifting Program is perfect for you! It has two days/wk focused on fixing your jerk and uses many of the exercises we’ll cover in this article!
Tip #1: Do More Jerks
The most surefire way to get better at jerks is to do more jerks.
I know, duh - sue me.
But there’s a ton of ways you can do more jerks in your program, so here’s a few of my favorites.
First, you can use variations like the 1 Clean + 2 Jerks complex to help get extra reps in. I’ve even used 1 Clean + 3 Jerks in my training programs! It’s a great way to do more reps, and one big benefit is that the last jerk of the complex feels exactly as hard as a max Clean and Jerk does, which gives you a chance to practice making jerks with a similar amount of fatigue as you’ll have after a heavy clean.
You can also separate the Clean and the Jerk by doing jerks from the rack or blocks. Because the jerk is so complex, it can help to work on these without the fatigue of a clean before. I would also avoid doing cleans in your training on their own. If you’re already better at them then they probably don’t need their own dedicated training block.
Whichever way you do more jerks, it won’t matter unless you’re also using these reps to work on Tip #2.
Tip #2: Fix Your Technique
Everyone knows they probably need better technique, but where should you focus to improve your jerk?
I’ve got a full video breaking down the jerk technique checklist, which you can find here, but here’s the bullet points.
Rack Position: If the bar can’t get into a good spot on your shoulders, your jerks will feel forward and have timing issues and weak leg drive. If mobility is the reason you can’t get a good front rack position, then check out my free Mobility101: Guide for Weightlifters here.
Dip Position: If you are dipping forward or too low, driving forward, collapsing in the core, or rushing the descent, you will have issues later on. That’s a ton of things to focus on, but that’s why it’s SOO important. There’s too many ways to mess up the dip to not pay attention to it.
Pause In The Split: This is a hack for improving your split position. If your balance is forward, you won’t be able to pause, and you’ll make micro corrections to your technique that allow you to pause in the split, aka have a better jerk.
You can use lighter drills or variations to work on your technique AND get practice the jerk more often with less fatigue.
Here’s a few of my favorites…
Footwork Drills: If split foot placement is an issue even at lighter weights, these are a game changer. 20-30 reps every day
Tall Jerks: Great for jerk timing, especially the transition of leg drive to punch under. 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps as often as you need should do the trick.
Jerk From Split: This is a GAME CHANGER for balance in your split position. If your feet are in the right spot, but you’re forward on the front leg, then these will help a ton. 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps every day should get you right.
Tip 3#: Get Stronger Overhead
It’s less common to struggle with jerks due to overhead strength, usually the culprit is either technique or volume, but it can happen.
In The 7 Lifts To Get STRONG For Olympic Weightlifting, I recommend two key exercises for upper body strength for the jerk…
Strict Press
While increasing your 1RM Strict Press won’t necessarily increase your 1RM Jerk; there are plenty of world class lifters with average strict press abilities; it does help to have more muscle around the shoulders. For this reason, I recommend doing presses in the 1-10 rep range, with most of your time being in the 5-10 rep range, but it’s still good to feel a heavy lift in the 1-5 rep range every so often.
Try working up to a heavy set of 1-5 reps, then knock the weight down by 10-20% for 3-5 sets of 5-10 reps for an effective strict press workout!
Push Press
The goal of this exercise is to build overhead strength and power, and as you’re able to use the same dip and drive as you do in the jerk, you can use much heavier weights than you can Strict Press. This means the Push Press is best used in the 1-5 rep range as it won’t build much muscle, even in the 5-10 rep range.
One way you can get the best of both worlds is to work up to a heavy top set of 1-5 reps in the push press, then drop the weight down for 3-5 sets of 5-10 reps of Strict Press. This allows you to build strength and power with the Push Press, as well as muscle and strength with the Strict Press.
Hopefully you found this article useful! You can find the full episode of the podcast linked below as well as on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. If you have a question you’d like to submit for the podcast, click here!
If you struggle with jerks, then check out the Welcome To Hell: 12-Week Weightlifting Program! I wrote this with a heavy emphasis on increasing your jerk, and is one of the most successful programs I’ve evr written. Get your copy here!
And if you’re new to olympic weightlifting then check out my free Weightlifting101: Beginner Guide + 6 Week Program! It’s got everything you need to learn the snatch, clean, and jerk safely and correctly the first time, for free!