The clean and jerk movement has been trained by the CrossFit champions for several months, because the clean and jerk movement is not like other movements and needs modest experience and knowledge of how to deal with Olympic Barbell and so on.
This does not mean that beginners in CrossFit or people who do not have previous experience in lifting weights will not be able to do it, they just need some experience and a few attempts to do their first clean and jerk.
That is why in this post, I will help you to learn to do Clean and Jerk in a professional way, and this does not mean how you will do it literally, but rather what you should do to make it easy for you, and the benefits and mistakes that beginners make.
Stay with me to find out together.
3 Steps you should take to master Clean and Jerk in the correct way
There are a lot of videos and many people trying to explain how to perform the clean and jerk, but few of them explain the steps that you must take in order to do the clean and jerk movement professionally.
improve your ability to lift weights first.
For example, let’s consider the movement of Clean and Jerk like a truck, and you are the driver, but you do not have a driver’s license. This means that if you risk driving the truck, you will definitely get into a traffic accident. The same is true of the movement of Clean and Jerk because it requires skill and experience in performance. Well, you might ask How can I have this experience?
- Step 1: Get used to the Barbell
First, you must get used to weight exercises, and get your hands used to touching the barbell and learn lifting techniques, and the correct ways to place your hands on the barbell.
- Step 2: Mastering similar exercises first
Second, you must get used to some easy exercises that will improve your performance in lifting weights, such as the deadlift exercise, which is a little closer to the clean and jerk movement, there is also the Over Head Press and this movement will help you well to do the clean and jerk as well, and There is the Back Squats… and so on.
These exercises can be done correctly with the help of your personal trainer or trainers on YouTube also can help you perform it, you should complete this step before you take the step of doing a clean and jerk.
- Step 3: Divide the Clean and Jerk into 3 parts
Third, The clean and jerk movement is done in two steps (the clean is the first movement, the jerk is the second movement), but the stages of doing these two steps take place approximately in 9 stages.
I’ll make things easy for you, try to divide 9 movements into 3 parts, try to practice only the first 3 parts for about a week or two until you master them, then pass to the second 3 parts, start with the first parts that you have become master, then add the remaining 3 parts, also repeat this well in each session training or at the end of the lessons, then add the last 3 parts and work in the same way.
How to perform Clean and Jerk CrossFit?
The clean and jerk movement is almost done in 9 steps, and the most important thing is to do it the right way, so if you want to bypass the steps we have already mentioned and do the clean and jerk movement directly, there is no problem with that, but you must do it with a tape Weightless.
Movement 1: Find the snatching fist
Finding the snatch grip is the first thing you must learn, and it starts from placing the bar close to your feet, then picking up and then standing holding the bar with your hands in front of your thighs.
Movement 2: Clean Muscle
Stand straight, keeping the barbell firmly in your fists, pull the bar up and place it just over the top of your shoulders.
Pro tip: keep the elbows up and flip the elbows over as quickly as possible.
Movement 3: Rack Drill
This movement is located inside the clean muscle, you should put the bar on your shoulders in a professional way, hold the barbell in front of your thighs, pull up and then jump quickly to the pickup position.
This movement helps to bear heavy weight, so that a quick jump helps to carry the weight quickly over the shoulder.
Pro tip: move your feet as fast as possible
Movement 4: Hang Power Clean
Hanging Power Clean combines the third movement and the second movement, you hold the bar above the knee, pop down a little, keep your back straight, pull the bar quickly to the top, then do a shelf digging movement (ie, pick up position) until the bar is directly above your shoulders.
Movement 5: Hang Full Clean
After doing all the previous movements, the Hang-Full-Clean movement comes and it is like a snatch, after the barbell becomes above the shoulders, you do a squat.
Movement 6: power clean
Finding your starting point, pick up the bar from the ground as if you were going to do a deadlift, then stand up and quickly stretch.
Movement 7: Full Clean from the ground
This movement combines all the previous movements, first you start to find the starting point, you do the Power Clean movement, then the Hang Power Clean movement, then the Full Clean movement, you pick up the iron bar, get ready to stand up and stretch quickly, then comes the turn of picking up, and go down to the Bottom squat.
Movement 8: Preparing For Jerk
The movement of your jerk comes after squatting, you press your feet well, keep the bar above the shoulders and at the same time above the palms of your hands as well, then try to get up straight, you must help yourself to get up by carrying the bar on your hands and shoulders do not let the whole weight fall On your knees and feet.
Movement 9: Strict Press
This is the last movement once you succeed in it, you have made a successful clean and jerk movement, after the movement of your traction, prepare well to press the bar above your head, keep your elbows upside down and ready to push the bar up, once the bar reaches the middle of the road, push your head slightly forward and then Press all the way up.
Clean and Jerk CrossFit muscles worked
Clean and Jerk improves multiple muscles, including: Deltoid, Rectus Abdominis, Serratus, External Oblique, Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis, Gastrocnemius Medial Head, Biceps, Triceps.
The Clean and Jerk is a full body workout, and for this you must do it in the right way because you use many muscles to do it and you must know well how to use each muscle in order to benefit from it well, and also to avoid the risk of injury.
====> It’s better to master the snatch before Clean and Jerk < ====
What Clean and Jerk CrossFit is good for?
CrossFit athletes do Clean and Jerk, because they are good at improving muscle power and testing their endurance.
According to NCBI, Clean and Jerk is an Olympic lift, involving many multi-joint movements while using fast movement speed, and Clean and Jerk exercises are usually used because they are good at monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of training programs.
Clean and Jerk CrossFit benefits
The benefits of Clean and Jerk are many, and they are not limited to athletes who are thirsty for sports only, but even some people who suffer from problems of back contraction, bending of the trunk or balance disorders, right and left flexion and many problems that can be Clean and Jerk from the causes which may mitigate these problems. (NCBI)
The benefits of Clean and Jerk that athletes get.
- Improve muscle strength.
- Improve muscle endurance.
- It strengthens the muscular system.
- Effective in treating imbalance problems while lifting barbell.
- Increase aerobic carrying capacity.
- Enhances motor skills.
- Sports conditioning.
The benefits of Clean and Jerk that people who suffer from muscle spasms get.
- Addresses stump bending problems.
- Help people who are unable to extend the back.
- Helps restore balance.
- Muscle endurance.
Note: For people with convulsions, the Clean and Jerk exercises are performed with an empty bar.
Common Clean and Jerk CrossFit mistakes
Mistakes that many people make while doing Clean and Jerk are often caused by not getting enough experience or not exercising enough to do this movement, and this is completely normal if you are a beginner.
If you are making these mistakes while performing the clean and jerk movement, this is the time to correct them.
4 mistakes you must avoid while doing Clean and Jerk.
1- Rocking during the first and the second pull
There are some people who tend to jump or swing while they are doing a clean movement, and this may lead to the heels because all that weight that falls on your feet may expose you to injury, your toes must be touching the ground all the time, while pulling up and fully extending.
2- Rushing the pull
This error occurs from the setting point, while picking up the bar and preparing to stand and stretch, many people make their back arch and their shoulder crooked forward as a result of a wrong pull, you must hold the bar well, keep your back curved and straight, pull the tape, press On your feet, pull up and stretch well on your toes, get ready to catch.
3- Having relaxed wrists
If your arms are in a comfortable position while picking up the barbell from above the ground, it will be difficult for you to pull up and pick up the bar over your shoulders.
You must keep your hands tight, wrap them well around the bar so that the process of turning the elbows is easy during the pickup.
4- Not fully extending the hips
This mistake is very common and many beginners make, so many people turn the elbows while squatting when it becomes very close to the ground and put the barbell above the shoulders in the last moments.
In other words, they pull the bar up, but for a distance that is not enough, then they try to turn the elbows and do a quick squat and they get their body under the bar so that it is above the shoulders.
You must do the clean and jerk exactly as shown in the video above.
Clean and Jerk warm up CrossFit
Not warming up well may be one of the direct causes of injury, that is, even if you fear this movement, you may get injured if you do not warm up well, and it is also important to be aware of the importance of warming up before exercises.
Clean and Jerk warm up ( CrossFit athletes )
- Squat bouncers 25 / 25.
- Happy Girlfriend, Angry Girlfriend 20.
- PVC Strict Press 25 / 25.
Clean and Jerk warm up ( Normal )
Empty Bar
- 3 Clean pulls.
- 3 Hang power cleans.
- 3 Push Press.
- 3 Push jerks.
- 3 Split jerks.
Summary
Clean and Jerk may seem complicated to beginners, but with the right training and following the strategy I mentioned above I am sure you will eventually do it.
Just don’t try to lift weights from your first moment, start with an empty bar and practice the movement well, then start adding weights gradually.
Clean and Jerk may treat some muscle spasms, but I am not sure about that because muscle spasms differ from person to person, so you should consult a muscle doctor.
Remember to warm up well before any muscle activity.
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