Warming up properly is important for injury prevention and for performance. This is true in strength training just like any other mode of exercise. This post is going to cover suggestions on how to warm up for a strength training workout beginning with the jerk and its variations.
After a general warm-up consisting of a few minutes of light cardio or calisthenics, it’s appropriate to transition to the barbell (or dumbbell or kettlebell) as the next phase of the warm-up. For the jerk, the following are exercises that can be used to warm-up for the jerk:
• Military Press
• Jerk Drives
• Push Jerk
Military Press:
Stand up with the bar on the front of the shoulders. You should have a jerk-width grip on the bar, with the elbows high. Stand tall, feet hip-width apart, chest out, and shoulders back. From here, press the weight up and slightly behind the head so that it ends up in line with the hips. Lower and repeat.
Jerk Drives:
Stand up with the bar on the front of the shoulders. You should have a jerk-width grip on the bar, with the elbows high. Stand tall, feet hip-width apart, chest out, and shoulders back. From here, quickly push the hips back into a quarter squat. Without pausing at the bottom of the squat, rapidly reverse directions forcing the barbell off the shoulders. As the bar comes back down, go back into a quarter squat to absorb the bar as it reaches the shoulders. Repeat. Note that this exercise is not concerned with getting the weight overhead, the idea is to train the drive motor pattern. The bar will move off the shoulders and should reach eye level before being lowered.
Push Jerk:
Stand up with the bar on the front of the shoulders. You should have a jerk-width grip on the bar, with the elbows high. Stand tall, feet hip-width apart, chest out, and shoulders back. From here, quickly push the hips back into a quarter squat. Without pausing at the bottom of the squat, rapidly reverse directions forcing the barbell off the shoulders. When the bar reaches eye level, press the bar up and behind the head so that it ends up in line with the hips. Lower the bar, going back into a quarter squat to absorb the bar as it reaches the shoulders. Repeat.
The volume of these exercises will depend upon the specific needs of an athlete. It is appropriate to perform each for three to six repetitions. These can even be done circuit-style. It is also appropriate to perform sets with increasing weights on these exercises. After completing these exercises, begin with the first set of the jerk.
These are all also great training exercises. The military press develops upper body and core strength. The jerk drive develops strength and power in the same manner that a pull for the clean or snatch would. The push jerk is a great upper body strength/power exercise as well that does not have the same technical requirements that the split jerk or squat jerk have.
Revised October 11, 2024
