Barbell Clean and Jerk
- Target muscle
- —
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Body part
- Weightlifting
- Type
- Strength
The barbell clean and jerk is a two-part Olympic weightlifting lift that trains the whole body explosively. The clean pulls the bar from the floor to the front of the shoulders, driving the legs, hips, and posterior chain while the traps and core brace; the jerk then dips and drives the bar overhead, locking it out with the shoulders and triceps. It builds full-body power and is one of the two contested lifts in the sport.
How to do the Barbell Clean and Jerk
- 1Set up with the bar over your mid-foot, feet about hip-width apart, and grip the bar just outside your knees with a hook grip. Set your back flat, chest up, and shoulders slightly ahead of the bar.
- 2Push through the floor to lift the bar past your knees, keeping it close to your body and your back angle constant as the bar rises.
- 3Once the bar passes your thighs, extend your hips, knees, and ankles explosively, shrugging the bar upward to accelerate it (the second pull).
- 4Pull yourself under the bar and rotate your elbows quickly around and up, catching the bar racked across the front of your shoulders in a front-squat position.
- 5Drive out of the front squat to stand fully upright, with the bar resting on your shoulders and elbows high — this completes the clean.
- 6From standing, brace your core and dip straight down a few inches by bending the knees, keeping your torso vertical.
- 7Reverse the dip explosively to drive the bar off your shoulders, then split or push your feet apart and punch your arms to receive the bar locked out overhead.
- 8Stabilize the bar overhead, then step your feet back in line and stand tall under control before lowering or dropping the bar to finish the lift.
Form tips
- Keep the bar close to your body throughout both the pull and the dip-drive; a bar that swings away forces you to chase it and kills the lift.
- Use bumper plates and lift on a platform so you can safely drop the bar if a rep goes wrong, and keep the space around you clear to bail.
- Finish the second pull with a full, aggressive extension of the hips before you pull under — rushing under the bar early robs the lift of power.
- Keep your elbows high in the front rack and punch your arms hard to lock out the jerk; a soft lockout overhead is unstable and easy to lose.
- This is an advanced, technical lift — learn it light under a qualified coach before adding load, and never grind a rep you can't control overhead.
Common mistakes
- Yanking the bar off the floor with the arms or the hips shooting up first, which breaks position and leaves no power for the second pull.
- Catching the clean with low elbows, which lets the bar roll forward off the shoulders and stresses the wrists.
- Dipping with the torso pitching forward before the jerk, which sends the drive out in front of you instead of straight up.
- Pressing the bar out with the arms instead of receiving it with locked elbows under a split, which is slow and risks missing heavy weight.
- Training heavy without bumper plates or room to bail, leaving you nowhere to dump a failed rep safely.
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does the barbell clean and jerk work?
It's a full-body lift. The legs, hips, and posterior chain pull the bar from the floor and drive it overhead, the traps finish the pull, the shoulders and triceps lock the bar out overhead, and the core braces to keep you stable throughout.
Is the clean and jerk good for beginners?
It's an advanced, highly technical Olympic lift, so it's not the best starting point on your own. Beginners should learn the positions light with a qualified coach before loading the bar.
What's the difference between the clean and the jerk?
They're two halves of one lift. The clean brings the bar from the floor to the front of your shoulders and you stand it up; the jerk then drives that bar from your shoulders to locked out overhead.
Do I need bumper plates for the clean and jerk?
Yes — bumper plates and a platform let you safely drop the bar if a rep fails, which is essential since the bar finishes overhead. Always keep room around you to bail out of a missed lift.
How many sets and reps should I do?
Because it's explosive and technical, it's trained in low reps — typically 1 to 3 reps for 3 to 5 sets, keeping quality high. Stop the set before form breaks down.
