What is the difference between a power jerk and a push jerk?

Many coaches and researchers use the two names for the same lift. Coaches who separate them call it a power jerk when the feet lift and land again in the squat stance, and a push jerk when the feet stay in contact with the floor throughout. Both catch the bar in a partial squat above parallel.

Is the power jerk more powerful than the push press?

Not in the drive itself. A study of resistance-trained lifters found no meaningful differences in force, power or impulse during the dip and drive between the push press, the push jerk (the feet-planted version of this lift) and the split jerk at the same load. The difference comes after the drive, where dropping under the bar lets the jerk move more weight than a push press.

Should I power jerk or split jerk?

Most weightlifters can split jerk more, because the split stance gives a longer base and lets them drop lower, so it remains the most common competition style. The power jerk demands a higher, more vertical drive, which makes it a useful training lift even for split jerkers and the simpler choice for athletes who want an explosive overhead lift without learning the split.

How low should I catch the bar?

Above parallel, usually around a quarter squat. Catching below parallel turns the lift into a squat jerk, and needing to go deeper than planned usually means the drive was cut short.

Can I do power jerks without bumper plates?

Only with light loads. Heavy jerks belong on a platform with bumper plates, because the safe way to miss is to push the bar away and let it drop, so if your gym does not allow dropping, keep every rep light enough to lower to the shoulders under control or train the Push Press instead.

Barbell Power Jerk

What Is the Barbell Power Jerk?

Barbell Power Jerk is a compound exercise that primarily targets the shoulders and quads and also engages the triceps, glutes, calves and the trunk muscles that keep the torso rigid. It is an advanced-level movement in which a short dip and an explosive leg drive launch the barbell off the front of the shoulders, and the lifter then pushes down under it, catches it on straight arms in a partial squat and stands up.

The power jerk is one of the accepted ways to finish the clean and jerk in Olympic weightlifting, and it is the second most common competition style after the Barbell Split Jerk. Many weightlifters who split jerk in competition still train the power jerk to sharpen a vertical drive and a fast turnover under the bar, and it is a common power exercise in strength and conditioning and CrossFit training for athletes who need to extend the hips, knees and ankles quickly. Because it rewards speed and precision, it usually comes early in a session, before slower strength work, in sets of 1 to 3 reps.

Despite how it looks, the power jerk is driven by the legs rather than pressed by the arms. The quads and glutes produce the drive and the calves finish it, while the shoulders and triceps guide the bar the rest of the way and lock it out as the body drops. Compared with the Push Press, where the arms finish the lift while the legs stay straight, the power jerk lets heavier loads go overhead because the lifter re-bends the knees to meet the bar lower. Compared with the split jerk it has a shorter, less forgiving base and the bar has to be driven higher, which is why most lifters can split jerk more weight. The behind-the-neck version starts with the bar on the upper back, where it can travel straight up, and coaches use it to teach the overhead position.

It suits lifters and athletes who already own a comfortable front rack and a strong, stable overhead position. A review of weightlifting overhead lifts recommends building from the slower standing press to the push press before moving on to the jerk variations, and that order works well here. Get comfortable with the Barbell Overhead Press, the Push Press and the Barbell Front Squat first, then learn the power jerk with an empty bar before adding load.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Deltoid: Primary
Vastus Lateralis: Primary
Vastus Medialis: Primary
Gluteus Maximus: High
Rectus Femoris: High
Triceps Brachii (Lateral Head): High
Gastrocnemius (Medial Head): Medium
Serratus Anterior: Medium
Upper Trapezius: Medium
Erector Spinae: Low

Instructions

Set the bar in a rack at about chest height, take a full grip just outside shoulder width and step under it so it rests on the front of the shoulders against the throat.
Walk the bar out and stand with the heels about hip width apart and the toes turned slightly out, weight balanced over the whole foot.
Let the elbows sit slightly in front of the bar, pointing down and a little out rather than high as in a front squat. Take a big breath and brace the trunk.
Dip by bending only the knees, keeping the torso vertical and the knees tracking out over the toes. Go down only a few inches.
Without pausing at the bottom, drive straight up through the whole foot, extending the knees and hips hard so the bar leaves the shoulders.
Pull the head back slightly as the bar passes the face and keep pushing up against the bar.
As the bar keeps rising, push yourself down under it, letting the feet lift and land flat in your squat stance, and catch it on locked arms in a partial squat above parallel.
Hold the bar over the back of the neck and the middle of the foot, with the head pushed slightly forward through the arms.
Once the bar is steady, stand up fully with it still locked overhead and bring the feet back under the hips.
Lower the bar under control to the front of the shoulders, softening the knees to absorb it, and reset before the next rep.

Common Mistakes

Dipping forward onto the toes
Letting the knees shoot forward and the heels rise in the dip sends the drive forward, so the bar lands in front of the body instead of overhead.
Dropping the elbows in the dip
When the elbows sag the torso tips forward and the bar rolls off the shoulders, wasting the leg drive.
Cutting the drive short
Pulling under before the knees and hips finish extending leaves the bar too low, forcing a deeper catch or a press-out.
Pressing out the lockout
Catching with bent elbows and straightening them afterward makes the shoulders and triceps finish what the legs should have done, and it is a failed lift in competition.
Pausing at the bottom of the dip
Stopping or slowing between the dip and the drive loses the stretch in the legs and makes the drive slower and weaker.
Arching the lower back at lockout
Flaring the ribs and bending the lower back to get under the bar usually means limited shoulder mobility or a soft brace, and it loads the spine instead of the arms.

Injuries

Barbell Power Jerk is a medium risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The shoulders and elbows take the load at the catch, the wrists are bent back in both the rack and the overhead position, and the knees absorb the dip and the landing. The lower back is at risk too: when the shoulders or upper back lack the mobility to get the arms straight overhead, lifters arch the lower back to get under the bar instead.

Learn the lift with an empty bar, and add weight only while every rep lands with the bar over the back of the neck and the ribs down. Dip on the whole foot with the torso upright so the drive goes straight up, and brace before each rep rather than relaxing at the top. Train heavy jerks on a platform with bumper plates, and learn to miss safely: if the bar drifts forward, push it away and step back rather than chasing it, and never try to save a lift by bending the lower back.

If the overhead position is not yet stable, regress to the Push Press or the Barbell Overhead Press and build mobility and pressing strength there. Once the power jerk is consistent, progress to the Barbell Split Jerk or the full Barbell Clean and Jerk. Stop and reduce the load if you feel a pinch or sharp pain in the shoulder at lockout, pain in the elbow or wrist, or lower-back pain after the catch.

Overview

Primary Focus: Full body
Equipment: Barbell
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Advanced

Alternative Exercises

Other Names for the Barbell Power Jerk

The Barbell Power Jerk is also known as:

Barbell Push Jerk

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between a power jerk and a push jerk?: Many coaches and researchers use the two names for the same lift. Coaches who separate them call it a power jerk when the feet lift and land again in the squat stance, and a push jerk when the feet stay in contact with the floor throughout. Both catch the bar in a partial squat above parallel.
Q: Is the power jerk more powerful than the push press?: Not in the drive itself. A study of resistance-trained lifters found no meaningful differences in force, power or impulse during the dip and drive between the push press, the push jerk (the feet-planted version of this lift) and the split jerk at the same load. The difference comes after the drive, where dropping under the bar lets the jerk move more weight than a push press.
Q: Should I power jerk or split jerk?: Most weightlifters can split jerk more, because the split stance gives a longer base and lets them drop lower, so it remains the most common competition style. The power jerk demands a higher, more vertical drive, which makes it a useful training lift even for split jerkers and the simpler choice for athletes who want an explosive overhead lift without learning the split.
Q: How low should I catch the bar?: Above parallel, usually around a quarter squat. Catching below parallel turns the lift into a squat jerk, and needing to go deeper than planned usually means the drive was cut short.
Q: Can I do power jerks without bumper plates?: Only with light loads. Heavy jerks belong on a platform with bumper plates, because the safe way to miss is to push the bar away and let it drop, so if your gym does not allow dropping, keep every rep light enough to lower to the shoulders under control or train the Push Press instead.