Front Squat to Jerk

The Front Squat to Jerk is an advanced compound lift that combines a barbell front squat with an explosive overhead jerk. It builds significant lower body strength, core stability, and total body power by merging two technical movements into one complex.

Exercise movement reviewed by:Cody Lockling, MS, CSCS
How Iridium Helps

This complex places high demands on both your central nervous system and joint mobility. The AI analyzes your recovery metrics, such as HRV and sleep quality, to determine if you have the energy reserves for this high-skill lift or if a regression is safer for the day. Additionally, real-time RPE tracking ensures you maintain the explosive power required for the jerk without grinding through reps that could compromise your lower back or shoulders.

Form Cues

Do
  • Keep elbows high to create a shelf
  • Maintain a vertical torso throughout
  • Drive explosively through your heels
  • Punch the bar overhead aggressively
  • Brace your core tight before descending
Don't
  • Don't let your elbows drop forward
  • Don't round your upper back
  • Don't press with your arms too early
  • Don't land with locked knees
  • Don't let your heels lift in the squat

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping elbows during the squat
  • Collapsing the chest forward
  • Using arms instead of leg drive
  • Incomplete hip extension before the press
  • Poor foot positioning in the catch

Muscles Worked

This exercise primarily targets the quadriceps and glutes to drive the heavy load out of the squat position. It heavily engages the anterior deltoids and triceps to stabilize and lock the weight overhead, while the entire core works intensely to maintain an upright posture under load.

Primary

QuadricepsAnterior DeltoidGlutes

Secondary

Triceps Lateral HeadGeneral CoreErector Spinae

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