A cue I often use for the snatch and clean is “Slow, faster, fastest” to help athletes understand the tempo of the lift, and how it should accelerate the further into the movement you are.

I realized that the cue applies for jerks thanks to one of my athletes bringing it up. If you find yourself often pressing out jerks, I would be willing to bet some Adistar 08’s that the tempo is the main issue that needs work. Here’s what that looks like in each phase of the jerk:

1. Dip: Slow

2. Drive: Faster

3. Transition: Fastest

Something important to note is that tempo is only in relation to each other. This means that the dip shouldn’t be “slow”, but it should be slower than the drive, and the drive slower than the transition.

In addition to keeping these cues in mind when training, if you are still struggling to feel the tempo, here are a few exercises to train to work on each phase.

1. Jerk Dips: These are a great tool if you tend to dip too fast. I recommend doing these very heavy, 110+% of your best jerk is a good starting point.

2. Pause Jerk: These are a great tool if you dip too low or get pulled out of position and end up driving too slow. These are a moderate weight variation. Stay in the 75-85% range here.

3. Tall Jerks: This is definitely more of a “drill” than a variation, but still great for feeling the “punch” under the bar. Stick with the bar to 30% range for multiple reps here.

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