Clean and Jerk

Muscles worked by the Clean and Jerk

Primary

Front DeltsAnterior DeltoidGlutesGluteus MaximusQuadsQuadriceps Femoris

Secondary

Lower BackErector SpinaeTrapsTrapeziusTricepsTriceps Brachii

Also called: front deltoid, anterior delt, front delt, anterior deltoid, glute, glutes.

Equipment

Barbell

Also called: bar, olympic barbell, straight bar, olympic bar, power bar.

How to do the Clean and Jerk

1. Pull a loaded barbell from the floor to your shoulders as in a clean.
2. Stand fully with the bar racked on your front delts.
3. Dip slightly and drive the bar overhead explosively.
4. Drop into a partial squat under the bar as your arms lock out overhead, feet staying about hip-width apart.
5. Stand up fully and hold the bar steady overhead before lowering it.

Form tips

• Stand fully and reset your position before starting the jerk.
• Drive the bar up with your legs, not just your arms.
• Lock your arms out as you drop under the bar, then stand and hold the finish briefly.

At a glance

Clean and Jerk in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Clean
• Double Kettlebell Clean and Press
• Double Kettlebell Dead Clean
• Dumbbell Clean and Press
• Hang Clean
• Hang Power Clean
• Kettlebell Swing Clean
• Air Bike

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "clean-and-jerk",
  "name_en": "Clean and Jerk",
  "name_de": "Clean and Jerk",
  "name_es": "Clean and Jerk",
  "description_en": "A two-part Olympic lift cleaning a barbell to the shoulders, then driving it overhead.",
  "description_de": "Eine zweiteilige olympische Übung: Du bringst die Langhantel auf die Schultern und treibst sie dann über den Kopf.",
  "description_es": "Un levantamiento olímpico en dos partes: cargas la barra hasta los hombros y luego la impulsas por encima de la cabeza.",
  "category": "olympic",
  "force_type": "dynamic",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "intermediate",
  "equipment": "barbell",
  "body_part": "full_body",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "anterior_deltoid",
    "gluteus_maximus",
    "quadriceps"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "trapezius",
    "triceps_brachii"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "power",
    "strength"
  ],
  "variation_group": "clean",
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Pull a loaded barbell from the floor to your shoulders as in a clean.",
    "Stand fully with the bar racked on your front delts.",
    "Dip slightly and drive the bar overhead explosively.",
    "Drop into a partial squat under the bar as your arms lock out overhead, feet staying about hip-width apart.",
    "Stand up fully and hold the bar steady overhead before lowering it."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Ziehe die Langhantel vom Boden auf die Schultern wie beim Clean.",
    "Stehe vollständig aufrecht mit der Stange auf den vorderen Schultern.",
    "Gehe leicht in die Knie und treibe die Stange explosiv nach oben.",
    "Gehe in eine Teilkniebeuge unter die Stange und fixiere sie mit gestreckten Armen über dem Kopf, die Füße bleiben etwa hüftbreit.",
    "Stehe vollständig auf und halte die Stange ruhig über dem Kopf, bevor du sie absenkst."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Lleva la barra cargada desde el suelo hasta los hombros como en un clean.",
    "Ponte completamente erguido con la barra apoyada en los deltoides anteriores.",
    "Flexiona ligeramente las rodillas y lanza la barra sobre la cabeza de forma explosiva.",
    "Baja a una sentadilla parcial debajo de la barra mientras bloqueas los brazos por encima de la cabeza, con los pies todavía a la anchura de las caderas.",
    "Ponte de pie por completo y mantén la barra estable arriba antes de bajarla."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Stand fully and reset your position before starting the jerk.",
    "Drive the bar up with your legs, not just your arms.",
    "Lock your arms out as you drop under the bar, then stand and hold the finish briefly."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Stehe vollständig auf und finde deine Position, bevor du den Jerk beginnst.",
    "Treibe die Hantel mit den Beinen nach oben, nicht nur mit den Armen.",
    "Strecke die Arme durch, während du dich unter die Stange senkst, dann steh auf und halte die Endposition kurz."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Ponte de pie por completo y recoloca tu posición antes de iniciar el envión.",
    "Impulsa la barra con las piernas, no solo con los brazos.",
    "Bloquea los brazos mientras bajas debajo de la barra; luego ponte de pie y mantén la posición final un instante."
  ],
  "met": 8.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/clean-and-jerk-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/clean-and-jerk-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "clean-and-jerk");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.