How to do jerks with a barbell.
The barbell jerk is probably one of the most technical movements in weightlifting.
Anyone can learn how to do barbell jerks, but everyone should be ready to devote hours, days, weeks, and even years of practice to this. Achieving good results in jerks is not an easy task, but it's worth it, as evidenced by the advantages listed below.Targets: hamstrings, quadriceps, abs, shoulders, triceps, biceps, etc.
Necessary equipment : barbell, pancakes (weight), barbell clips.
Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Advantages
Barbell jerks have many benefits for general fitness.
Full Body Strength
Mastering the barbell jerk pays off. Not only will you be able to lift the weight over your head and catch it easily, but you will also transfer the movement to other exercises. When you start the jerk, pay attention to the squats, deadlift and shoulder press. You may find that your numbers are going up.
Motor control and coordination
Barbell jerks will teach you to stay in harmony with your body and open your mind to muscles you didn't even know you had. You will learn how to accurately calculate the time, use the right muscles with the right effort and master the reception positions to safely catch the barbell.
Power and explosive power
These two characteristics don't always come to mind when you think of "preparation". However, power and explosive power play an important role in overall physical fitness. When you develop power and explosive strength, you will notice that you can jump higher, run faster and do most sports with improved athleticism.
Stabilization of the bark
Hull strength and stabilization are crucial for safe jerks. If you lack the ability to stabilize or engage the body, you can damage your back by doing jerks with a barbell (or doing anything else at all).
Mobility
Hip and shoulder mobility is mandatory. To perform barbell jerks with good technique, you must be able to take a deadlift position with a wide grip, as well as lock your elbows and shoulders above your head. Practicing jerks can help you achieve these goals, and eventually they will be given with ease.
Step-by-step instructions
To prepare for the barbell jerks, you will need a barbell, weights, and barbell clamps. The neck should lie at the level of the shin when it is on the ground.
Your starting position should be very similar to deadlift, but with a wider grip. Bend over so that you fully grasp the crossbar, but keep your chest high and look forward. Don't look at the ground. The barbell should hang over the shoelaces and slightly touch the shins. Tighten your core muscles and take a deep breath.
The first thrust is, in fact, a deadlift with additional hip strength. Using the strength of the gluteal muscles and hamstrings, stand with a barbell and push your hips forward. Tighten the buttocks strongly, but do not push the barbell away from the hips. The barbell should stay close to your body, touching or almost touching your hips as it moves up.
The second pull - with your legs fully straightened, continue to lift the barbell up, pulling your shoulders up to your ears. At this point, you can also stand on your toes.
To lift the barbell above your head, lift your elbows up (imagine that you are pulling them up to the level of your ears) and quickly turn them over so that your palms look forward. Lock your shoulders and elbows. At this point, it is important to prevent the weight from continuing to move backwards. If you don't stop the weight by locking your shoulders, the barbell will continue on its way, potentially injuring you or pulling you down with the weight.
Take the barbell in a powerful stance (knees slightly bent) or in a squat over your head, whichever is more convenient for you. Make sure your elbows and shoulders are fixed. Straining the muscles of the core, step with your feet into a natural standing position. Now the movement is complete.
Finally, you can return the barbell to the floor. Do it under control. Don't throw the barbell just over your head. First, return the barbell to hip level. From there, lower it as if you are performing a deadlift. You can return to the next repetition after resetting the starting position or rest.
Common mistakes
With such a complex movement as a barbell jerk, it is important to be aware of the potential mistakes you can make.
Too early traction
Many people feel the desire to "fall under" the barbell too quickly, which leads to an early jerk. This is not necessarily a dangerous mistake, but it can definitely interfere with your process. If you pull the barbell up too early, you won't be able to use maximum hip strength and will get stuck at a certain weight.
Lack of full hip extension
This error is also related to the use of maximum hip strength. Most of the success in the snatch depends on momentum—momentum that you won't get if you don't fully unbend your hips. To fully stretch, think about squeezing your buttocks as much as possible when the barbell passes by your hips.
The wrong way of the rod
New athletes, as a rule, throw the barbell far ahead of the body. This not only creates potential injuries, but also makes the exercise extremely ineffective — when you swing the barbell wide, you force yourself to do much more work. Keep the barbell close to your body throughout the entire lift. Many coaches even advise athletes to lightly touch their legs and thighs with a barbell when lifting.
Incorrect installation
A bad setup means poor execution, and this is true for any exercise. If your setup is incorrect, you probably won't calculate the pull time correctly and probably won't keep the barbell close enough to your body.
Incorrect timing
Timing is one of the most difficult aspects of the barbell jerk. Without proper timing, the exercise becomes ineffective and potentially dangerous.
Modifications and variations
Olympic exercises are extremely scalable, largely due to their complexity. You can break the barbell jerk into several parts to train and improve any problem areas.
PVC pipe
Most weightlifting coaches force new athletes to perform jerks with a PVC pipe so that they can feel the exercise without using weight as a crutch. Even an empty barbell can hide the shortcomings of the technique, so using an almost weightless piece of plastic can help stop bad technique at the very beginning.
Muscle jerk
Muscle jerk, in fact, is a jerk without using the strength of the hips. You also do not "fall" under the barbell during a muscle jerk, since it is performed without moving the leg. This jerk option can help people who are struggling with upper back and shoulder strength.
Jerk with pauses
Jerks with pauses force weightlifters to segment movement and build strength in problem areas. You can add a pause at any time during a barbell pull, but most often athletes add a pause at the top of any of the three pulls. For example, you can pause at the end of the first jerk if you have problems with hip extension and explosive force. As a rule, the longer the pause, the less weight you will be able to use.
High jerk
This auxiliary or basic movement will help you develop speed and improve your mechanics during the "third jerk" and "flip" of the barbell jerk. To perform a high jerk, start with fully straightened hips. The point is to work out the part of the jerk that involves throwing elbows to carry weight over your head.
Deadlift with a jerk grip
Deadlift with a jerk grip can help you improve the first part of the barbell jerk: lift it off the ground. To perform a deadlift with a jerk grip, simply stand up as if you are going to perform jerks, and lift the weight as if you are doing a deadlift. In fact, this is a deadlift with a wide grip. You can use more weight for this movement, since you won't be sending it over your head, and because the goal is to develop strength in the hamstrings, buttocks, back and grip.
Jerks with dumbbells
This one-handed jerk option is great for beginners who don't feel comfortable with the barbell yet, as well as for experienced athletes who want to stimulate the cardiovascular system more. Jerks with light dumbbells are great for developing endurance, while jerks with heavy dumbbells can strengthen the entire posterior chain of muscles.
Kettlebell Jerks
The kettlebell jerk is, in fact, an advanced version of the dumbbell jerk. The shape of the kettlebell makes it difficult to correctly calculate the lifting time and hold the weight.
Safety and precautions
Since form and technique are very important for pulling the barbell, it is important to start weightlifting with some precautions.
Practice under the supervision of a trainer
If you are new to crossfit, weightlifting or physical exercise in general, it is best to practice jerks under the supervision of a trainer. Ask the trainer to follow you until you feel comfortable enough in motion so that you can confidently say, "I can do this without hurting myself." The coach can tell you to correct the technique and prevent injuries when it comes time to perform the jerks yourself.
Improve your technique first of all
Too often weightlifters rush to add weight to the barbell. In jerks, it is not necessary to add weight before practicing the technique — this movement is very complex and requires almost flawless technique to avoid injury. Of course, no one does a perfect jerk every time (with the exception of elite weightlifters and Olympic weightlifters), but you have to get to the point where you can consistently perform a safe jerk before gaining weight with a barbell.
