Clean & Jerk Dumbbell Exercises

Full-barbell clean and jerks are one of the two Olympic lifts, along with the snatch. The clean and jerk involves lifting the barbell from the floor up to your shoulders, pausing momentarily, then jerking or pressing it straight above your head. You need explosive strength and power for the clean and jerk, and it also takes a long time to master the technique. The good news though is you can switch barbells for a dumbbell. Dumbbells make it far quicker and safer to learn the clean and jerk form, but you still get the same strength and power benefits, writes coach Mike Boyle in "Functional Training for Sports."

  1. Dumbbell Clean and Jerk

    • Split the clean and jerk up into two phases -- the clean and the jerk -- and practice each individually to begin with. For the clean, start with your dumbbells on the floor at your sides. Squat down and grab them, then pull them up forcefully until they're at shoulder height; pause momentarily, then lower them back down to the floor. If you do this right, your feet should leave the floor on the way up as you exert power. The jerk is like a shoulder press, but again, performed with more force. Start with the dumbbells at shoulder height, bend your knees slightly then forcefully press the dumbbells straight above your head until your arms are straight, then lower them back down to your shoulders. You can do these with each arm individually or both at the same time. Perform four sets of six to eight repetitions on the dumbbell clean and four sets of six to eight on the jerk.

    Clean Assistance Moves

    • If you're struggling with the full clean and jerk dumbbell technique, learn the dumbbell deadlift and dumbbell high pull first. For dumbbell deadlifts, lift the dumbbells from the floor to waist height and back down again. These build the muscle and strength in your lower body and help you practice the first stage of the clean. Move on to high pulls next, which involve pulling the dumbbells from waist height up into a powerful upright-row move. Once you've mastered both of these, you're ready for the dumbbell clean.

    Jerk Assistance Move

    • For the jerk, start with simple standing dumbbell shoulder presses -- hold the dumbbells at shoulder height and press your arms straight up, without using any leg drive. You'll need to use ligher weights for this, as it isolates your shoulders and arms more than the jerk does. When you're comfortable with standing presses, introduce the slight knee bend and push to turn the press into a jerk.

    Safety Issues

    • Safety is a key consideration when performing any type of Olympic lift and dumbbell power cleans carry a high risk of injury, according to strength coach Charles Poliquin. Due to the shape of the dumbbells, the weight is further away from your center of gravity than it would be with a barbell, which puts you into an unnatural position. You also put your wrists under a higher degree of strain. When first performing dumbbell clean and jerks, ask a coach to watch your technique and offer pointers, and only increase the weight when you feel comfortable.

    Training Programs

    • Explosive movements such as dumbbell clean and jerks are usually performed as a method of developing power and make excellent additions to your routine as activation exercises. Perform three sets of five clean and jerks at the beginning of a total-body or upper-body weights session. Alternatively, you can perform higher reps as a way of boosting your aerobic fitness and muscular endurance. Strength coach Mike Mahler recommends performing three sets of 15 to 20 reps with a 90-second break between each set.