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. Split your legs to receive the bar with arms locked out.
5. Recover by stepping your feet back together.

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 your feet land in the split.

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 Dead Clean
• Hang Clean
• Hang Power Clean
• Air Bike
• Battle Ropes
• Burpees
• Double Kettlebell Dead Split Snatch

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 in a split stance.",
  "description_de": "Eine zweiteilige olympische Übung: Du bringst die Langhantel auf die Schultern und drückst sie dann im Ausfallschritt 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 en posición de tijera.",
  "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.",
    "Split your legs to receive the bar with arms locked out.",
    "Recover by stepping your feet back together."
  ],
  "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.",
    "Grätsche die Beine, um die Stange mit durchgestreckten Armen aufzunehmen.",
    "Stelle die Füße wieder zusammen, um die Ausgangslage herzustellen."
  ],
  "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.",
    "Separa las piernas para recibir la barra con los brazos extendidos.",
    "Recupera la posición juntando los pies."
  ],
  "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 your feet land in the split."
  ],
  "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 die Füße im Ausfallschritt landen."
  ],
  "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 los pies aterrizan en la tijera."
  ],
  "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.