CFJ Starr MasteringTheJerk, Sport, Crossfit
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JOURNAL
ARTICLES
Mastering the Jerk
The jerk is the preferred method of getting big weight overhead with power.
Legendary weightlifting coach Bill Starr breaks it down from drive to lockout.
Bill Starr
In the early ‘70s, as the sport of powerlifting grew and the military press was dropped from Olympic lifting
competitions, the bench press replaced the overhead press as the standard for upper-body strength in the
United States. As a result, Olympic lifters were, for the most part, the only group of strength athletes who
continued to do any sort of overhead lifting. Although only a few continued to do military presses, they all
did a lot of jerks.
1 of 9
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Mastering the Jerk ...
(continued)
In recent years overhead lifts have experienced a
revival in strength routines, and they’re also a big part
of CrossFit. Of course, with my background in Olympic
lifting, I’ve always encouraged my athletes to do presses
and jerks—even my female athletes.
I’m convinced that the strength gained from doing any
type of overhead work is much more transferable to
any athletic endeavor, although I believe lat or incline
presses can be most beneicial to overall strength when
done properly. Now, more and more scholastic and colle-
giate strength coaches are seeing the value of these two
overhead movements and adding them to their players’
programs. Similarly, CrossFit athletes are putting weight
overhead in their quest for total itness.
Everywhere you turn you’ll see ads pushing some
product, exercise gadget or video that claims to enhance
core strength. “Core strength” has become a trendy
phrase. But overhead lifting makes all the groups that
constitute the core a great deal stronger in a manner
few other exercises can match. Elevating a loaded
barbell overhead and holding it in position for ive or six
seconds strengthens the muscles and attachments of
the arms, shoulders, back, hips and legs.
Technique Depends on Strength
Some think they need a coach to teach them the jerk.
Certainly a coach who knows his stuff is an asset, but
I taught myself how to jerk by looking at photos in
magazines and watching others perform. I practiced
the form until I knew I was doing it right: the bar would
loat upward in the proper groove to lockout. All my
fellow lifters in the ‘50s and ‘60s learned to do jerks the
same way, which means you can as well if you have the
desire.
I can, and have, taught rank beginners how to jerk. Yet,
it is my contention that an athlete will be able to learn
the jerk much more easily if he or she spends some time
strengthening the shoulder girdle and back, plus the hips
and legs. Use squats for the hips and legs, power cleans
for the back and military presses for the shoulder girdle.
The military press is more useful in this regard than
inclines, lat benches or dips because it requires that the
bar be held in place overhead at the conclusion of each
rep. This helps the athlete to get the feel of supporting
a heavy weight overhead and also strengthens all the
muscles that are part of that supporting process.
The jerk is a combination of strength and technique.
If you lack either one, the iron will probably hit the loor.
2 of 9
Copyright © 2009 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
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Mastering the Jerk ...
(continued)
While the arms pay a much bigger role in pressing than
they do in jerking, they still need to be strong in order to
control and sustain a heavy weight overhead. A press is
done more deliberately than a jerk, so it’s more of a pure
strength move. That’s a good thing when trying to build
a solid strength base. Pressing heavy weights also builds
strength in the back, especially the higher portion. This
is very valuable when jerking maximum loads because
those larger upper back muscles are then capable of
supporting a great amount of weight.
A truism that many often forget is that technique on any
exercise is directly dependent on strength. Walking is a
learned physical skill. In order for a toddler to toddle, he
must irst become strong enough to support himself on
his feet and move forward. A patient recovering from
hip or knee surgery has to relearn how to walk and can
only do so after he or she has regained a certain amount
of strength. So the stronger you are, the easier it will be
for you to master the technique in the jerk.
Skip the Split Step—For Now
There are two ways to jerk a weight from your shoulders
to a locked-out position overhead: push jerks without
moving your feet or with a small skip to the side, and
splitting your feet fore and aft. Both styles are effective
and legal in competitions. It’s mostly a matter of which
one suits you the best.
There are other beneits from pressing prior to learning
how to jerk. Pressing teaches the proper line in which the
bar needs to travel upward. This is the same line used in
jerking. When someone learns to press, he or she knows
how to position the bar properly across the shoulders.
This is the same for the jerk, although the positioning
of the elbows is often different for some athletes in the
two lifts. I’ll comment on this a bit later on.
Even if an athlete has decided on the split style, I still
start him or her with push jerks. One of the most dificult
parts of learning how to jerk is the start. You have to
utilize your legs and hips to propel the bar upward.
This is quite a contrast to overhead pressing, where
the shoulders and arms assume this responsibility. In
pressing, the primary groups are in the shoulder girdle.
In jerking, they’re in the hips, legs and back.
It is my contention that an
athlete will be able to learn the
jerk much more easily if he or she
spends some time strengthening
the shoulder girdle and back, plus
the hips and legs. Use squats for
the hips and legs, power cleans
for the back and military presses
for the shoulder girdle.
Push jerks force you to focus on those more powerful
groups and will teach you to establish a precise line of
light without having to think about moving your feet.
While teaching this exercise, I do not want the athlete
to move the feet at all. I want him or her to learn to drive
the bar just as high as possible in the correct line while
maintaining a perfectly erect upper body, then locking
it out.
Initially, I have the athlete drive the bar upward and lock
it out without re-bending his knees to rack the weight.
Of course, this means using light weights, but that’s ine.
I want the athlete to establish a pattern of driving the
bar just as high as possible, then following through to
the inish. Once this is established, more weight can be
used and foot movement and re-bending of the knees
is permitted.
So in preparation to learning the jerk, spend six weeks
or a couple of months honing your form on the press
and moving the numbers up. If you focus on improving
the press and increase your best by 40-50 pounds, it’s
going to be much easier for you to do jerks correctly
because your upper body is going to be considerably
stronger. The same holds true for your back and lower
body because you’ll be hitting your squats and power
cleans hard at the same time you’re leaning on your
presses.
Your grip for the jerk will be the same used for cleaning.
After you clean a weight, either by power cleaning or
full cleaning, you don’t want to have to alter your grip
for the jerk portion of the lift with a heavy weight lying
on your shoulders. This is extremely awkward and will
change the starting position.
3 of 9
Copyright © 2009 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
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Mastering the Jerk ...
(continued)
In this same vein, if you are doing a great deal of bench
pressing, you need to change your routine if you want
to be successful in learning how to jerk. Doing benches
too often is the primary reason most strength athletes
end up with tight shoulders. That’s why the majority of
Olympic lifters avoid benching entirely.
Another problem area for many when they irst start
racking heavy weights across their shoulders is the
wrist or wrists. Two ideas will help. First, should there
be a lot of pressure exerted on your wrists when you
rack a weight, either to press or jerk it, tape or wrap
them securely. Second, stretch out your elbows to
take some of the stress off your wrists. You can do this
alone, but having someone assist you is more eficient.
Fix a bar inside a power rack, grip it irmly, then have a
training mate elevate your elbows, one at a time. Once
it hits a sticking point, continue to exert tension on the
elbow for another six or eight seconds. Switch to the
other arm, then do them together. While the training
mate is pushing up against the elbows in a gentle but
irm manner, the athlete must keep the torso erect. The
procedure doesn’t work when the athlete leans back and
away from the discomfort—and, yes, there is discom-
fort, particularly at irst.
The Dip: It’s Shallower Than You Think
After you’ve loosened your shoulders and elbows and
taped your wrists, you’re ready to proceed. Using a clean
grip, ix the bar across your frontal deltoids. It should
not be set against your clavicles (collarbones) because
it’s painful, and doing so repeatedly can damage those
bones. It’s also a weaker starting position than if the bar
is locked on your front delts.
You want the bar to move up, not away from you,
so an erect torso is critical to jerking.
A good rack position is easy to accomplish. Merely lift
up your entire shoulder girdle by shrugging and you will
have a nice pad of muscle to cushion the bar as it lies
across your shoulders. Your upper arms may be set a bit
higher for the jerk than the press. I’ve seen some lifters
who had their triceps parallel to the loor, but that was
not the norm. Most had their elbows a bit higher than
what they used for the press, but not much. However,
you don’t want your elbows to be too low because this
will cause you to drive the weight out front and you
don’t want that.
I want to note that inlexible shoulders will pose a
major problem for those trying to push or split jerk. The
very irst step for many athletes is to do loosen tight
shoulders because when an athlete has stiff, unyielding
shoulders, he or she cannot rack the bar properly nor
lock the bar out correctly overhead.
You can use a towel, a piece of rope or a stick. Hold it over
your head and rotate your shoulders back and forth. As
the muscles and attachments warm up, assume a closer
grip and work them more. Do this prior to doing jerks,
while you’re doing them and after you’ve inished the
workout. If you happen to have very stubborn shoulders,
stretch them again at night. They will loosen up if you
persist.
Jerks can be done after you power or full clean a weight,
but while learning the lift, it’s best to take the weight out
of a power rack or staircase squat rack. Once you have
4 of 9
Copyright © 2009 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
Mastering the Jerk ...
(continued)
The dip is not a quarter squat. It has to be shallow if you want to generate big power.
it set properly, lock the bar down into your shoulders.
Make it part of your body. This will give you more
control on the initial drive. You feet should be shoulder
width apart, with toes straight ahead. Before making a
move, tighten your entire body from your feet to your
traps. You must have a rock-solid base when you jerk.
If any muscle group is relaxed, that will adversely affect
the lift. Now you’re ready for the dip.
Learning how far to dip down will take some trial and
error. You need to dip low enough to allow you to put
a mighty thrust into the bar, but not so low that you
cannot do so effectively. As a rule of thumb, the shorter
the dip the better. You don’t want it to resemble a
quarter squat. If you dip too low, you’ll ind it’s much
harder to accelerate the bar upward and drive it in the
correct line. A really low dip usually forces the lifter to
lean forward, which will cause him to jerk the bar away
from his body rather than straight up. The dip is a short,
quick, powerful stroke.
Before making a move, tighten
your entire body from your feet
to your traps. You must have a
rock-solid base when you jerk.
If any muscle group is relaxed,
that will adversely affect the lift.
Now you’re ready for the dip.
It’s useful to practice this move without a heavy weight
on your shoulders. Use a broomstick or empty bar
until you get the feel of what you’re trying to accom-
plish. Remember that your upper body must stay rigidly
straight, so contract your back muscles and pull your
shoulder blades together. Drive the bar or broom-
stick upward to lockout. Don’t bother re-bending your
knees at this point. Just concentrate on a powerful start
coming out of the dip and a strong lockout. When this
goes smoothly, add weight and continue jerking the
5 of 9
Copyright © 2009 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
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JOURNAL
ARTICLES
Mastering the Jerk
The jerk is the preferred method of getting big weight overhead with power.
Legendary weightlifting coach Bill Starr breaks it down from drive to lockout.
Bill Starr
In the early ‘70s, as the sport of powerlifting grew and the military press was dropped from Olympic lifting
competitions, the bench press replaced the overhead press as the standard for upper-body strength in the
United States. As a result, Olympic lifters were, for the most part, the only group of strength athletes who
continued to do any sort of overhead lifting. Although only a few continued to do military presses, they all
did a lot of jerks.
1 of 9
Copyright © 2009 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
Mastering the Jerk ...
(continued)
In recent years overhead lifts have experienced a
revival in strength routines, and they’re also a big part
of CrossFit. Of course, with my background in Olympic
lifting, I’ve always encouraged my athletes to do presses
and jerks—even my female athletes.
I’m convinced that the strength gained from doing any
type of overhead work is much more transferable to
any athletic endeavor, although I believe lat or incline
presses can be most beneicial to overall strength when
done properly. Now, more and more scholastic and colle-
giate strength coaches are seeing the value of these two
overhead movements and adding them to their players’
programs. Similarly, CrossFit athletes are putting weight
overhead in their quest for total itness.
Everywhere you turn you’ll see ads pushing some
product, exercise gadget or video that claims to enhance
core strength. “Core strength” has become a trendy
phrase. But overhead lifting makes all the groups that
constitute the core a great deal stronger in a manner
few other exercises can match. Elevating a loaded
barbell overhead and holding it in position for ive or six
seconds strengthens the muscles and attachments of
the arms, shoulders, back, hips and legs.
Technique Depends on Strength
Some think they need a coach to teach them the jerk.
Certainly a coach who knows his stuff is an asset, but
I taught myself how to jerk by looking at photos in
magazines and watching others perform. I practiced
the form until I knew I was doing it right: the bar would
loat upward in the proper groove to lockout. All my
fellow lifters in the ‘50s and ‘60s learned to do jerks the
same way, which means you can as well if you have the
desire.
I can, and have, taught rank beginners how to jerk. Yet,
it is my contention that an athlete will be able to learn
the jerk much more easily if he or she spends some time
strengthening the shoulder girdle and back, plus the hips
and legs. Use squats for the hips and legs, power cleans
for the back and military presses for the shoulder girdle.
The military press is more useful in this regard than
inclines, lat benches or dips because it requires that the
bar be held in place overhead at the conclusion of each
rep. This helps the athlete to get the feel of supporting
a heavy weight overhead and also strengthens all the
muscles that are part of that supporting process.
The jerk is a combination of strength and technique.
If you lack either one, the iron will probably hit the loor.
2 of 9
Copyright © 2009 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
Mastering the Jerk ...
(continued)
While the arms pay a much bigger role in pressing than
they do in jerking, they still need to be strong in order to
control and sustain a heavy weight overhead. A press is
done more deliberately than a jerk, so it’s more of a pure
strength move. That’s a good thing when trying to build
a solid strength base. Pressing heavy weights also builds
strength in the back, especially the higher portion. This
is very valuable when jerking maximum loads because
those larger upper back muscles are then capable of
supporting a great amount of weight.
A truism that many often forget is that technique on any
exercise is directly dependent on strength. Walking is a
learned physical skill. In order for a toddler to toddle, he
must irst become strong enough to support himself on
his feet and move forward. A patient recovering from
hip or knee surgery has to relearn how to walk and can
only do so after he or she has regained a certain amount
of strength. So the stronger you are, the easier it will be
for you to master the technique in the jerk.
Skip the Split Step—For Now
There are two ways to jerk a weight from your shoulders
to a locked-out position overhead: push jerks without
moving your feet or with a small skip to the side, and
splitting your feet fore and aft. Both styles are effective
and legal in competitions. It’s mostly a matter of which
one suits you the best.
There are other beneits from pressing prior to learning
how to jerk. Pressing teaches the proper line in which the
bar needs to travel upward. This is the same line used in
jerking. When someone learns to press, he or she knows
how to position the bar properly across the shoulders.
This is the same for the jerk, although the positioning
of the elbows is often different for some athletes in the
two lifts. I’ll comment on this a bit later on.
Even if an athlete has decided on the split style, I still
start him or her with push jerks. One of the most dificult
parts of learning how to jerk is the start. You have to
utilize your legs and hips to propel the bar upward.
This is quite a contrast to overhead pressing, where
the shoulders and arms assume this responsibility. In
pressing, the primary groups are in the shoulder girdle.
In jerking, they’re in the hips, legs and back.
It is my contention that an
athlete will be able to learn the
jerk much more easily if he or she
spends some time strengthening
the shoulder girdle and back, plus
the hips and legs. Use squats for
the hips and legs, power cleans
for the back and military presses
for the shoulder girdle.
Push jerks force you to focus on those more powerful
groups and will teach you to establish a precise line of
light without having to think about moving your feet.
While teaching this exercise, I do not want the athlete
to move the feet at all. I want him or her to learn to drive
the bar just as high as possible in the correct line while
maintaining a perfectly erect upper body, then locking
it out.
Initially, I have the athlete drive the bar upward and lock
it out without re-bending his knees to rack the weight.
Of course, this means using light weights, but that’s ine.
I want the athlete to establish a pattern of driving the
bar just as high as possible, then following through to
the inish. Once this is established, more weight can be
used and foot movement and re-bending of the knees
is permitted.
So in preparation to learning the jerk, spend six weeks
or a couple of months honing your form on the press
and moving the numbers up. If you focus on improving
the press and increase your best by 40-50 pounds, it’s
going to be much easier for you to do jerks correctly
because your upper body is going to be considerably
stronger. The same holds true for your back and lower
body because you’ll be hitting your squats and power
cleans hard at the same time you’re leaning on your
presses.
Your grip for the jerk will be the same used for cleaning.
After you clean a weight, either by power cleaning or
full cleaning, you don’t want to have to alter your grip
for the jerk portion of the lift with a heavy weight lying
on your shoulders. This is extremely awkward and will
change the starting position.
3 of 9
Copyright © 2009 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
Mastering the Jerk ...
(continued)
In this same vein, if you are doing a great deal of bench
pressing, you need to change your routine if you want
to be successful in learning how to jerk. Doing benches
too often is the primary reason most strength athletes
end up with tight shoulders. That’s why the majority of
Olympic lifters avoid benching entirely.
Another problem area for many when they irst start
racking heavy weights across their shoulders is the
wrist or wrists. Two ideas will help. First, should there
be a lot of pressure exerted on your wrists when you
rack a weight, either to press or jerk it, tape or wrap
them securely. Second, stretch out your elbows to
take some of the stress off your wrists. You can do this
alone, but having someone assist you is more eficient.
Fix a bar inside a power rack, grip it irmly, then have a
training mate elevate your elbows, one at a time. Once
it hits a sticking point, continue to exert tension on the
elbow for another six or eight seconds. Switch to the
other arm, then do them together. While the training
mate is pushing up against the elbows in a gentle but
irm manner, the athlete must keep the torso erect. The
procedure doesn’t work when the athlete leans back and
away from the discomfort—and, yes, there is discom-
fort, particularly at irst.
The Dip: It’s Shallower Than You Think
After you’ve loosened your shoulders and elbows and
taped your wrists, you’re ready to proceed. Using a clean
grip, ix the bar across your frontal deltoids. It should
not be set against your clavicles (collarbones) because
it’s painful, and doing so repeatedly can damage those
bones. It’s also a weaker starting position than if the bar
is locked on your front delts.
You want the bar to move up, not away from you,
so an erect torso is critical to jerking.
A good rack position is easy to accomplish. Merely lift
up your entire shoulder girdle by shrugging and you will
have a nice pad of muscle to cushion the bar as it lies
across your shoulders. Your upper arms may be set a bit
higher for the jerk than the press. I’ve seen some lifters
who had their triceps parallel to the loor, but that was
not the norm. Most had their elbows a bit higher than
what they used for the press, but not much. However,
you don’t want your elbows to be too low because this
will cause you to drive the weight out front and you
don’t want that.
I want to note that inlexible shoulders will pose a
major problem for those trying to push or split jerk. The
very irst step for many athletes is to do loosen tight
shoulders because when an athlete has stiff, unyielding
shoulders, he or she cannot rack the bar properly nor
lock the bar out correctly overhead.
You can use a towel, a piece of rope or a stick. Hold it over
your head and rotate your shoulders back and forth. As
the muscles and attachments warm up, assume a closer
grip and work them more. Do this prior to doing jerks,
while you’re doing them and after you’ve inished the
workout. If you happen to have very stubborn shoulders,
stretch them again at night. They will loosen up if you
persist.
Jerks can be done after you power or full clean a weight,
but while learning the lift, it’s best to take the weight out
of a power rack or staircase squat rack. Once you have
4 of 9
Copyright © 2009 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
Mastering the Jerk ...
(continued)
The dip is not a quarter squat. It has to be shallow if you want to generate big power.
it set properly, lock the bar down into your shoulders.
Make it part of your body. This will give you more
control on the initial drive. You feet should be shoulder
width apart, with toes straight ahead. Before making a
move, tighten your entire body from your feet to your
traps. You must have a rock-solid base when you jerk.
If any muscle group is relaxed, that will adversely affect
the lift. Now you’re ready for the dip.
Learning how far to dip down will take some trial and
error. You need to dip low enough to allow you to put
a mighty thrust into the bar, but not so low that you
cannot do so effectively. As a rule of thumb, the shorter
the dip the better. You don’t want it to resemble a
quarter squat. If you dip too low, you’ll ind it’s much
harder to accelerate the bar upward and drive it in the
correct line. A really low dip usually forces the lifter to
lean forward, which will cause him to jerk the bar away
from his body rather than straight up. The dip is a short,
quick, powerful stroke.
Before making a move, tighten
your entire body from your feet
to your traps. You must have a
rock-solid base when you jerk.
If any muscle group is relaxed,
that will adversely affect the lift.
Now you’re ready for the dip.
It’s useful to practice this move without a heavy weight
on your shoulders. Use a broomstick or empty bar
until you get the feel of what you’re trying to accom-
plish. Remember that your upper body must stay rigidly
straight, so contract your back muscles and pull your
shoulder blades together. Drive the bar or broom-
stick upward to lockout. Don’t bother re-bending your
knees at this point. Just concentrate on a powerful start
coming out of the dip and a strong lockout. When this
goes smoothly, add weight and continue jerking the
5 of 9
Copyright © 2009 CrossFit, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
CrossFit is a registered trademark ‰ of CrossFit, Inc.
Subscription info at
Feedback to
Visit
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]