Josh Bridges demonstrates How to do a Split Jerk to increase your strength and improve your performance in CrossFit WODS.

Set up for a Split Jerk

  • Stand with heels underneath your hips, legs locked out.
  • Hands outside the shoulder with a full grip, elbows slightly in front of the bar
  • Begin with the bar racked on the front on the shoulders, belly tight.

Points of Performance for a Split Jerk

  • With the bar supported in the front rack position dip, drive, press under the bar, catch overhead and stand.
  • To initiate the dip and drive, break at the hips and knees dipping straight down and dynamically straight back up, keeping the torso vertical.
  • After the hips get fully extended in the drive, move the feet at the same time from under hips to a split position in the catch.
  • Push yourself down under the bar and catch the bar in full lockout.
  • With the bar overhead the front foot recovers back a step to center, then the back foot steps forward
  • Rep is completed when the elbows, hips, and knees are all fully locked out.

Tips and Tricks

  • Squatting to catch the bar overhead should only be as deep as necessary to catch the bar overhead in full lockout.
  • Catching in a full squat requires an increased range of motion in the shoulders, hips, and ankles but can be used when the load demands.
  • Think about pushing your knees out and driving through your heels to keep the torso vertical on the initial dip-drive.
  • The power from this lift is initiated in the hips.
  • Control the initial dip and explode with the opening of the hips to create the power sending that bar overhead.