Clean and Jerk Lift
Original Editor - Matt Huey
Top Contributors - Matt Huey, Ewa Jaraczewska and Pacifique Dusabeyezu
Definition
The clean and jerk is one of two lifts that are performed in weightlifting or Olympic weightlifting. It consists of two movements, the clean, in which the lifter pulls the barbell from the floor to a "racked" position in which the barbell is resting across the lifters shoulders. It is then followed by the jerk, which the lifter explosively presses the barbell overhead and stands in a fully erect position.
Technique
To perform the clean and jerk, stand with your feet about shoulder width and the barbell in front of you. Perform a hip hinge so that you are grasping the barbell with your hands approximately shoulder width with our knees bent, spine neutral and elbow extended.
- First Pull. The lifter extends at their hips to pull the bar from the floor. They should be pushing into the floor while keeping the barbell close to their body
- Transition (Scoop). Once the bar gets above the knees, the hips thrust forward with a slight bend in the knees. This is important to translate into the next phase
- Second Pull. As the barbell is rising above the thighs, the lifter extends the hips, knees and ankles to perform an explosive move upward. The lifter also performs a shoulder shrug as the barbell moves upward.
- Catch. As the barbell is moving upward, the lifter drops into a squat position under the barbell so it will rest across the front of the shoulders along the clavicle. The lifter then stands upright
- Jerk. The lifter performs a slight squat, then forcefully presses the barbell upwards. They can drop into a squat or split squat position so that the arms are fully extended overhead. The lifter then stands in a fully upright position with the barbell in line with the arm, hips and ankles.
Safety and Injuries
The clean and jerk is a lift that does require a level of technique to perform properly and safely. Weightlifting has an overall injury rate of 2.4-3.3 injuries per 1000 hours of training[2], which is lower than running, 7.7 injures per 1000 hours of running by recreational runners.[3]
The most common injury that occurs with the clean and jerk are muscle strains (20.2%) followed by abrasions (17.5%). This is believed to be due to several causes including improper warm up, not having a clear training program, and not following safety rules.[4]
The area that was most commonly injured was the lumbar/trunk, shoulder and knee[4][2]. There is evidence the knee is injured in the jerk portion of the lift due to the torque forces in the knee. There is a larger activation of the quadriceps and gastrocnemius compared to a smaller counter acting force of the hamstrings and soleus which could cause the tibia to translate anteriorly along with externally rotate leading to an ACL injury[5].
References
- ↑ TOROKHTIY. CLEAN and JERK / Olympic weightlifting. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/embed/9HyWjAk7fhY?si=ox_i__mpWfbmjtQr [last accessed 29/8/2024]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Aasa, U., Svartholm, I., Andersson, F., & Berglund, L. (2017). Injuries among weightlifters and powerlifters: a systematic review. British journal of sports medicine, 51(4), 211–219. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-096037
- ↑ Videbæk, S., Bueno, A. M., Nielsen, R. O., & Rasmussen, S. (2015). Incidence of Running-Related Injuries Per 1000 h of running in Different Types of Runners: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 45(7), 1017–1026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-015-0333-8
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Al-Aasemi, E. K. J. (2022). An analytical study of the most common sports injuries and their causes for advanced weightlifters in the snatch and jerk phases.
- ↑ Ye, B., Liu, G., He, Z., Xu, J., Pan, H., & Zhu, H. (2024). Biomechanical mechanisms of anterior cruciate ligament injury in the jerk dip phase of clean and jerk: A case study of an injury event captured on-site. Heliyon, 10(11).