Strength Training · Olympic Weightlifting
Jerk Drive
The jerk drive trains explosive leg power and the vertical dip used in a jerk. You drive a barbell off your shoulders without moving underneath it or catching it overhead.
Higher injury risk. Read the safety notes before adding weight.
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Higher injury risk
- Rest 3 min
How to do it
- Grip the bar just outside shoulder width with your shoulders underneath it while it rests on the blocks.
- Stand up to lift the bar from the blocks, supported across the fronts of your shoulders with elbows slightly forward.
- Set your feet about hip-width apart with toes slightly turned out.
- Bend your knees into a shallow dip with your torso upright.
- Extend your legs explosively to drive the bar a short distance off your shoulders.
- Receive the descending bar on your shoulders by bending your knees to cushion its return.
- Lower the bar onto the blocks for the next repetition.
Form cues
- Brace before the dip.
- Keep heels down until the drive.
- Keep your chin clear of the bar.
Common mistakes
- Dipping too deepUse a short knee bend rather than dropping into a squat.
- Driving the bar forwardKeep your shoulders over your hips throughout the dip so the bar travels straight up.
- Turning it into a pressLet your arms guide the bar rather than pushing it to an overhead lockout.
Safety
A poorly controlled return can slam the bar into your shoulders or strain your wrists. Heavy loading or fatigue can also cause you to lose balance or trunk support during the explosive drive.
- Set stable blocks beneath the plates, slightly below their lowest position during your normal dip.
- Secure the plates with collars before starting.
- Learn the timing with a light bar before adding load.
- End the set if you cannot receive the bar smoothly; let an uncontrolled bar fall onto the blocks rather than trying to save it.
Get guidance from a physiotherapist or qualified lifting instructor first if pain or limited wrist or shoulder mobility prevents a secure front-rack position.
Muscles worked
Primary muscles
Secondary muscles
Equipment
- Barbell Collar
- Bumper Plate
- Jerk Blocks
- Knee Sleeves (optional)
- Lifting Belt (optional)
- Olympic Weightlifting Barbell
- Weightlifting Platform
- Wrist Wraps (optional)
Sets and reps
- Sets
- 3–5
- Target
- 2–4 reps
- Rest
- 3 min
Use a load that allows fast, repeatable drives rather than grinding repetitions.