Coaching Cues: The Clean & Jerk

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by Yas Parr, BSc

FIRST PULL

Start position – feet are placed in the jump position with the bar over the lower end of the laces. There is some debate as to the angle of the back; some coaches suggest that the start position should be similar to the deadlift, with the first pull producing a more mechanically efficient vertical bar path. Other coaches advocate a more upright posture, minimizing torque at the hip and with the theory of eradicating early fatigue of the lumbar erectors, arguing that the muscles of the lower back become tired and so will lose rigidity during the second pull, and flexion is inevitable. Both techniques have shown great success and are advocated by various elite Olympic Weightlifting coaches.

This post gives instructions on performing the first variation. The body is set with the hips slightly higher than the knees. The head and neck are in line with the spine or tilted back slightly, which will facilitate the spinal erectors. The lifter takes a large breath to fill the abdominal cavity with air, lifts the chest, and sets the scaps, grasping the bar with an overhand grip.

Maintaining a good hip-shoulder line is vital in preserving tension and rigidity during the clean. If the rigid hip shoulder line is compromised and the back starts to round, then some of the force produced by the lower body will be lost by the flexion of the trunk. Keeping this good hip-shoulder line comes from isometric tension of the postural muscles.

When grasping the Olympic bar, care needs to be taken not to grasp the bar too tight, as this will cause tension to travel up the arm’s musculature. Excessive tension in the arm can impede a seamless transition from extension to flexion during the Clean. The same can also be said from flexion to extension during the Jerk due to the firing of the antagonist’s muscles. Advanced practitioners of the Olympic lifts have an effortless sequence of relaxation and tension of the muscles used.

The weight should pass down through the balls of the feet. As the first pull is initiated, the weight is shifted backward towards the heels as the bar rises towards the knees.

Like the other Olympic lifts, the Clean & Jerk is one of those lifts where becoming technically proficient comes from continuous repetition of practice. The ability to pull the bar comes from generating force through the feet into the ground.

The lifter should aim for maximum acceleration from the onset. The first pull is very important, and if done well, the barbell’s own inertia will keep it moving vertically. As with any other lift, good form/technique is key, the first pull should be as fast as possible but not at the expense of good form. The greater the lifter’s starting strength the better the first pull. A slow first pull makes it very difficult to have an ‘explosive’ second pull, and so, therefore, preparing for ‘receiving’ the bar is very challenging.

SECOND PULL

This is the most powerful phase of the clean, vigorous triple extension followed by a shrug with the arms remaining straight until the end of the shrug. The bar doesn’t stop moving, and the arms remain straight, at which point they will slightly bend, and the elbows become high. When watching a high-level lifter moving from the transition phase to the second pull, the speed of the movement is so great that the bar almost appears to bounce off the thighs.

The lifter should prepare to change direction before completing triple extension. Preparing to change direction before completing the second pull enables the lifter to move efficiently under the bar, so completing the pull is not a conscious effort. This does not mean full extension does not occur. If hip extension is incomplete, the lifter will jump forward in the catch.

When the bar reaches the highest point, the lifter enters the catch rapidly, gets his/her body under the bar, and repositions the feet to an overhead squat position. As he/she drops, they rotate the wrists, and the elbows move forward and up with the bar resting on the anterior delts.

If the bar is caught around parallel, the lifter can get a good bounce out of the bottom, making good use of the Stretch Shortening Cycle (SSC) to increase power output. Rising in a standard front squat.

JERK

With the elbows high, there is a slight pause and a deep breath followed by a small controlled dip. Aggressive extension, throwing the head back helps to get more extension and moves the face away from the bar creating a clear straight path for the bar to now travel overhead. Failure to do so will mean the bar is a little forward and the lifter will have to quickly move forward to try and save the lift. Extension is so powerful that the feet leave the floor for a split second before the lifter drops down under the bar into a split stance with the arms fully extended. Once the arms are locked overhead if the lift was good the feet will usually return to level from a combination of the front foot moving back and the back foot moving forward. Effective use of the SSC is also key when performing the jerk component of the lift. The type of strength used when switching rapidly from the eccentric phase (bending the legs) to the concentric phase is ‘reactive strength’. The faster this switch from eccentric to concentric the higher the level of power produced.

About Yas Parr

Yas has been in the health & fitness industry since 1996 and has been a strength & conditioning coach since 2005. He has a BSc in Sports Performance (Hons) and many certifications in Strength & Conditioning, fitness and nutrition. Experience includes training trainers, royalty, executives, and athletes from child to adult Olympic and professional. He earned his degree at an Academy of Sports Excellence in the UK under the tutelage of Professor Ian Jeffries, PhD, which enabled him to gain academic knowledge and experience working with elite athletes daily while learning from world-class coaches. 2006 Yas flew to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs to obtain USA Weightlifting’s ‘Sport Performance Coach’ certification.

He is lucky enough to have traveled the world teaching for the Poliquin Group and now resides in Long Beach, CA, operating Guv’nors Boxing Club with his wife.