Push Jerk
The Push Jerk is an explosive Olympic weightlifting exercise that uses a powerful leg drive to launch a barbell overhead, catching it in a partial squat with locked arms. It develops total-body power, coordination, and overhead strength by transferring force from the lower body to the upper body.
Since the Push Jerk is a high-velocity movement requiring precise timing, it is highly sensitive to central nervous system fatigue. Your AI coach analyzes your HRV and sleep data to determine if your neural recovery supports this explosive lift or if you should regress to a standard press to prevent injury. Additionally, by monitoring your RPE versus load, the app detects technical breakdown—where effort remains high but efficiency drops—and auto-regulates your sets to ensure you train power without reinforcing poor mechanics.
Form Cues
- Dip your torso straight down keeping weight in your heels
- Drive violently upward with your legs
- Drop quickly under the bar as it clears your head
- Catch the bar with elbows fully locked out
- Stand up completely before lowering the weight
- Don't let your chest cave forward during the dip
- Don't press with your arms before your hips fully extend
- Don't catch the bar with soft or bent elbows
- Don't land with your feet too wide or unstable
Common Mistakes
- Pressing early with the arms
- Dipping onto the toes/knees forward
- Not dropping under the bar
- Muted hip extension
- Landing with bent elbows
Muscles Worked
The Push Jerk relies heavily on the quadriceps and glutes to generate the initial vertical momentum, taking the burden off the smaller shoulder muscles at the start of the lift. Once the bar is elevated, the anterior deltoids and triceps contract dynamically to lock the weight out overhead, while the core acts as a rigid stabilizer to transfer force effectively.
Primary
Secondary
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