Push jerk

Muscle group
Shoulders
Equipment
Barbell
Primary muscles
Front delts, Glutes, Quadriceps
Secondary muscles
Calves, Side delts, Triceps
  1. Begin with a barbell in the front rack position, resting on your front shoulders with your elbows high. Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
  2. Initiate the movement with a quick, shallow "dip" by bending your knees while keeping your torso upright.
  3. Immediately reverse direction and drive explosively upward with your legs, propelling the barbell vertically off your shoulders.
  4. As the bar travels upward, quickly drop your body under it into a partial squat, catching the bar overhead with your arms fully locked out.
  5. Once stable, stand up straight to complete the lift, then carefully lower the bar back to the front rack position.

Tips

  • Keep the dip shallow and your torso vertical so the bar travels straight up rather than forward off your shoulders.
  • As the bar reaches its peak, actively push yourself down into the partial squat and lock your elbows out fully before the bar begins to descend.
  • Before lowering the bar, pause with it fully overhead and your body stable so you confirm control before returning to the front rack position.

Common mistakes

  • Dipping too deep or letting the torso lean forward during the dip causes the bar to swing away from the body instead of traveling vertically.
  • Pressing the bar up with the arms before the leg drive is complete turns the movement into a press rather than using the explosive leg power to propel the bar.
  • Catching the bar with the elbows bent rather than fully locked out means the arms are absorbing the load instead of the bar being supported in a stable overhead position.
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