Kettlebell Clean and Jerk

A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.

This is a technical lift, best learned under a coach’s eye before loading heavy.

HOW TO PERFORM

Hike the bell back between the legs, then snap the hips forward and steer it up the front of the body into the rack, elbow tucked against the ribs.
Dip a few inches straight down with the torso upright, then drive up hard through the legs.
As the bell rises, drop into a second, quick dip and punch the arm to lockout under it.
Stand up straight with the arm locked by the ear.
Drop the bell back to the rack, then let it fall into the backswing between the legs for the next clean.

Every rep starts with a fresh clean, which is what separates it from a set of jerks taken from the rack.
The legs move the bell overhead. The arm only locks it out from underneath, so a press at the top means the drive was too short.

Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.