# Clean and Jerk

URL: https://heatsy.app/ex/clean-and-jerk

Also known as: Barbell Clean and Jerk, Clean & Jerk, C&J, BB Clean and Jerk, Clean and Jerks, Clean n Jerk

Body region: Legs, Glutes, Shoulders, Back

## Muscles

- Main: Trapezius, Gluteus Maximus, Rectus Femoris, Vastus Lateralis, Vastus Medialis
- Helps: Deltoid, Erector Spinae, Adductor Magnus, Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, Gastrocnemius, Soleus, Triceps
- Holds: Rectus Abdominis, External Oblique, Transversus Abdominis, Flexor Digitorum Superficialis

## Equipment

- Barbell

## Technique

1. Set up with the bar over mid-foot, grip just outside the legs, back flat and chest up.
2. Lift the bar off the floor close to the shins, then extend the hips, knees and ankles explosively as it passes the thighs.
3. Pull yourself under the bar and catch it on the front of the shoulders in a squat, then stand up.
4. Dip a few centimetres, drive up through the legs and push yourself under the bar into a split stance with arms locked.
5. Bring the feet back in line, stand still with the bar overhead, then lower it under control.

### Cues

- Keep the bar close to your body during the whole pull.
- Rest briefly between the clean and the jerk to reset your breath and brace.
- Learn it with a coach and an empty bar before adding load, and use bumper plates on a platform.

### Common mistakes

- Pulling early with the arms instead of finishing the leg drive.
- Catching the clean with the elbows low, so the bar rolls forward.
- Pressing the jerk out with the arms instead of driving and dropping under it.
- Trying to save a missed lift instead of pushing the bar away and stepping clear.

## Alternatives

- [Power Clean](https://heatsy.app/ex/power-clean)
- [Snatch](https://heatsy.app/ex/barbell-snatch)
- [Clean and Press](https://heatsy.app/ex/barbell-clean-press)