No, it’s not a nickname for the guys who used to take your lunch money in elementary school.

Today we’ll be reintroducing the Push Jerk into the strength movements. A common problem with learning the push jerk is that your mind, in the other two shoulder movements (press and push press), has been wrapped up in driving the weight UP. Unfortunately, sometimes the mind gets stuck in the UP gear when we do a push jerk.

The beauty and efficiency of the push jerk is that we are now driving DOWN underneath the bar. The dip this time serves to unweight the bar just long enough for you to actively drive yourself under the bar with arms extended, using your legs to complete the movement.

A great way to train your mind to switch to this DOWN mode is to practice tall jerks.

To start, stand with your feet in the jumping position (feet under hips). Hold a barbell at your eye level. Without dipping, drop your body under the bar into a quarter squat or split position. The lack of the dip restricts you from push pressing the weight overhead and forces you to actively drive yourself under the bar.

WOD 01.22.10

Push Jerks 5×3
c/o
21-15-9
Deadlifts
Push Ups