Mastering the Power Jerk: Tips and Techniques for Athletes – Garage Strength

Mastering the Power Jerk: Tips and Techniques for Athletes

Mastering the Power Jerk: Tips and Techniques for Athletes

Split jerk, power jerk or squat jerk? If you are familiar with Olympic lifting, you have a preference on how to get a heavy load from your shoulders to overhead. The power jerk is simpler and requires a bit less technical demand than the split jerk or the squat jerk. The split jerk requires you to coordinate your feet just so as you land with one foot forward and the other foot behind you, while the squat jerk requires insane mobility and overhead stability to catch your weight as you land in a full squat position. Insert: POWER JERK. This is an option that requires coordination, mobility and precision however this option is the lesser evil when compared to both the split or squat jerk.


Athletes who require a fast vertical jump would benefit from refining the technique, skill and strength required in a power jerk. Basketball players, volleyball players, football receivers and even shot putters can add this to their strength training as a way to train explosive power as well. Let’s unpack what it is and some of the more common considerations and mistakes.


What Is It

To get a heavy load from shoulders to overhead, a power jerk can help you accomplish just that. With keeping feet parallel the entire time, the drive of the hips and dropping under to catch the bar you just essentially launched off your shoulders is a power jerk. This is an exercise found in olympic lifting and CrossFit, however its not limited to helping just those athletes and sports. A power jerk requires strength, coordination, speed and power. Improved posture and dynamic trunk control are also trained with power jerks and these two things most any athlete would benefit from training and improving.

Performing The Power Jerk

While it may simply look like a push jerk is simply you pushing the bar overhead with force from your entire body, this is actually a somewhat technical movement. The devil is in the details and as you become more experienced with the power jerk, athletes find that some of the smallest tweaks can have a big payoff in how this exercise not only feels but how it's executed.


Set Up


A strong set up will translate into a strong lift. Typically starting with your feet around hip width apart, or your drive stance. If we were to tell you to just as high as you can, where would your feet go? Likely hip width apart. This is because you are most explosive from that position. We want to produce as much force as we can to get the bar overhead so setting up your feet in a place that will offer you the most power is important.


Making sure body weight is distributed evenly throughout the entire foot is important. You don't want to start the lift with weight too far forward or too far backwards. This is important for efficient force transfer, again to get the bar overhead, for an optimal bar path, and because you will likely have more stability and balance which sets you up for more controlled execution of the lift.


It may also be worth noting foot position. Oftentimes athletes will angle their toes slightly out at the set up of this lift. This will ultimately be a personal preference so playing with what works best for you is important.


Dip


The dip is the foundation of a power jerk. To initiate the dip, slightly bend the knees and lower the body straight down. A dip is just that, a short movement typically only 3-5 inches deep if we were to put a distance to it. Bodyweight remains distributed evenly across that foot as you lower with control and balance. Even though it is a very controlled and short part of the lift it is where a successful lift starts.


Drive


Once the dip is executed swimmingly, it is now time to launch the bar overhead. This is done in the drive portion of a power jerk. With a vertical torso in both the dip and the drive you will forcefully push the legs and hips off the ground to get full extension of each hips, knees and ankles. The bar is then driven straight up as that full extension is reached. The dip and drive work together as one so the timing of these is important.


Catch


Finishing with a shuffle of the feet out to catch in more of a squat position is where you find yourself next. You will be in what is often called a quarter squat position as you catch the bar so the shuffle of the feet can be important. This is where you will absorb the catch with your legs and also allows you to have more of a solid base for the catch. The catch also requires maintaining tension throughout your entire body, especially in the trunk as you are bracing to hold the bar overhead. Along with trunk tension, a stable lockout of the arms overhead is imperative.


Also worth mentioning that your feet will shuffle out from the optimal drive position to the catch. Going from hip width to shoulder with position in one swift movement. This shuffle allows you to get under the bar quickly after finishing the dip and drive. Being quick is key so you have adequate time to lock out your arms, essentially pushing yourself under the bar and preparing for a strong and stable catch.


Top Considerations

Mobility


All of your major joints will be tested in a power jerk. Overhead mobility is important for a proper overhead position. If your shoulders or thoracic spine are too tight or restricted in any way, catching in the proper position (not too far forward or too far back, but we will unpack that a bit more later) with stability and locked out elbows is necessary. A controlled dip with an upright torso is determined by hip mobility. So while it may seem as though shoulder and thoracic spine mobility are what matters most here, hip mobility also needs to be taken into consideration. Since the dip and drive are critical to the catch, mobile enough hips to allow an upright torso on this portion of the lift needs to be considered.


Working down the chain from overhead to hips, next to consider is ankle mobility. In order to extend for the drive and shuffle into the catch, poor ankle mobility can lead to poor balance and even a loss of power.


Dynamic trunk control


A strong trunk makes a strong athlete. Even more so in the power jerk since the core is ultimately where you transfer energy from pushing off the ground to get the bar overhead. A stable core for every part of this lift is imperative. Maintaining core tension in the dip and drive allows you to have more control and therefore not be at risk for the bar leaving your shoulders in the dip. When the weight is then pushed overhead, having your center of gravity will ideally stay midfoot to have control. A well trained and strong trunk allows this to be the case. Without trunk control the chances of losing balance or not being strong enough in the overhead position puts you at risk for an incomplete lift.


Bar path


There are several factors that can throw off the bar path during the power jerk. Ideally, the bar should travel in a straight line throughout the entire lift. If you were to film an athlete in slow motion from the side, the bar would remain in the same plane and aligned vertically, neither drifting forward or backwards at any point. Maintaining a proper bar path is essential for finishing the lift with strength and efficiency. This all starts with proper weight distribution in your feet during the setup, continues through torso position during the dip and drive, and extends to how you push under the bar and position your feet in the catch. Consistently keeping the bar in that same vertical plane is key to executing a successful lift.


Dip Depth


Not a squat but not something that can be missed if you blink, the dip is where the power begins. Too shallow of a dip doesn't allow enough power to be produced as you push off the ground while too deep of a dip puts you at risk for losing tension in core and legs. The dip needs to be just around the 3-5 inch mark and well controlled. Refining dip depth can all add up to generate maximal force without losing balance or control of the bar.


Torso position


Torso position needs to stay as upright as possible. Going back to the bar path and ensuring a vertical line the entire time, maintaining an upright torso is what can make or break this lift. Oftentimes we see breakdown begin in the dip and drive portion of this lift and the torso starts to lean ever so slightly forward. A proper torso position can be linked back to everything from maintaining tension in the trunk to hip and ankle mobility to stay upright in both that dip and drive again.


Most Common Mistakes

Rushing the dip and drive


The dip is a small, controlled bend of the knees while keeping the core engaged and torso upright. What it is not is a too fast, uncontrolled drop from under the bar where you find the bar leaving your shoulders and crashing into it again prior to driving it overhead. Losing connection to the bar in the dip means you are initiating this too quickly.


Also worth mentioning is getting that full extension in the drive. Again, the power for this lift is coming from how forcefully you can push off the earth and extend your body to get the bar overhead. If you are rushing the drive and not allowing full extension of each hip, knees and ankles before you drop back under the bar again to catch it, you are leaving money on the table. Athletes who rush the dip and drive portion of this lift may find themselves frustrated at not being able to completely execute the power jerk.


Pushing Bar Forward


Making sure the bar does not travel too far forward is important. Once the bar is so far forward that it lands in front of your center of gravity overhead, there is no coming back from that and saving the lift. Again, proper bar path is key. Commonly seen during the dip and with the torso leaning forward on the drive, the bar is then pushed forward. It is also not uncommon for newer athletes to either subconsciously or consciously be afraid of the bar. It can certainly be intimidating to throw a big weight over top of your body and be expected to catch it. So that fear, whether it's realized or not, can translate into pushing the bar away from you instead of on top of you. Do we need to say it again? Ok, we well…vertical bar path is massively important.


Driving From Toes


Driving the bar overhead from the toes is to be a byproduct of the force you exert off the ground. What you don't want is to purposely drive the bar overhead from your toes. This is where we say it's all connected. Starting with the weight distribution in your feet at the set up, keeping a vertical torso and controlled dip all the way through to triple extension on the drive, the power comes from pushing off the earth with your entire body resulting in you finishing on your toes. Transitioning your weight to your toes too soon means the toe action isn't a result of power rather you are trying to get your power from your toes. Focus on weight evenly distributed in the whole foot to begin and getting the most force from your push off the earth as possible in order to generate max power.


Visual Focus


Have you ever heard the saying “where attention goes, energy flows”? This is also true in weightlifting. Where you are looking with your eyes matters. When jerking you want to be sure to not look down because guess what is more likely to happen? The bar will go down. Alternatively, looking up can cause you to turn your chin up and it might be more challenging to maintain adequate tension not just in your core but in the entire lift. In order to stay connected to the bar and again in that vertical plane we want, keeping your gaze straight forward can help contribute to a successful lift.


Loose Lockout


Have you ever driven by a business that is having a grand opening and seen those whacky wavy tube men that are dancing around? Now that you have that visual in mind, that is the exact opposite of what you want to be when power jerking. You need to be strong from the start and especially in the catch. Thinking about reaching through the bar, not just catching the bar but instead constantly pushing “up, up, up” is a cue that can be helpful for a successful and strong lockout.


Technique Summary

While a power jerk is certainly the more simple version of the jerk compared to its relatives, when broken down into pieces it can definitely be very complicated. Trying to think about each part of the lift and executing them all properly at the right time can be paralyzing. Instead of racking your brain trying to do it all well, all at once, first identify your own unique weak points. Identify the top 3 and focus on those to start. Maybe your dip is too quick, you're pushing the bar forward and you need more tension in your trunk on the catch. Awesome, focus on those three things and don't stress about everything else for the time being. With some practice, those three will get better and better and you will find other parts of the lift then improving as well.


One affects the other affects the other. The power jerk is complicated in that you need to move your body and the bar as one cohesive unit. A small breakdown early on in the lift can impact the final catch so taking the necessary time to drill each individual part can be where you find most of your improvements come from.


If you are looking for more help in the jerk specifically, check out the jerk improvement program to get massive gains in technique and strength.


You can find weightlifting and sport-specific strength programs that incorporate hang cleans inside the Peak Strength training app. Sign up for Peak Strength today so you can become an athletic FREAK!


Gaylemarie Kayes

Gaylemarie, but just call her GM, is a seasoned fitness and nutrition professional with nearly two decades of experience in the industry. With a diverse clientele ranging from ultra runners to high-level competitors, gm brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise. As a former high-level athlete in running, CrossFit and Olympic lifting to now, a busy yet active mother, she understands the challenges of balancing fitness and goal getting with a hectic lifestyle. Gm's approach emphasizes discipline, ownership, and hard work, tailored to honor each individual's life season for optimal health and well-being.

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