Jerk

When I was first introduced to Weightlifting (or Olympic Weightlifting as some people call it), my favorite lift was the jerk.  I could lift more than anyone (in my little pond) overhead, despite having one of the weakest presses in the gym, because I was efficient at launching the bar up and punching under it!  At the time, I was jerking over 200# and pressing 125# at best.

As time went on and people with decent shoulder strength became better movers, my jerk started to lag behind not only others in the gym, but also my snatch and clean.  Now, I love snatching.  A perfect snatch feels weightless!  Cleans are work and they're heavy, but as long as I keep squatting and practicing my pull, they have improved and I've cleaned 300# to date.  My most recent power clean 1RM was 292.5, so I think I have more in me!

But, that jerk...

Progress has been so slow, and sometimes so frustrating.  I've missed more jerks in practice and competition than I want to repeat.  In fact, I don't plan to repeat.

So, today's 1% closer to goal was the jerk drills in the warm-up and the push press PR (4 reps at my previous 1RM!!).  I think if I can improve my leg drive, upper body strength, and footwork for the split, I have a chance at becoming more consistent with weight.  I plan to add some heaving snatch balances and jerk supports in too so I can get used to having heavier loads overhead, but not today.

The Warm-up:

The training: