Weightlifting Track: Clean & Jerk Complex — May 8, 2026
Friday, May 8, 2026 | CrossFit MYO, San Jose CA
Today’s Workout: Weightlifting Track
Focus: Explosive Power & Positional Strength
While our daily WOD challenges your metabolic capacity, today’s dedicated Weightlifting Track shifts the focus entirely to barbell proficiency, power development, and overhead stability.
The Protocol
Barbell Prep
Bar only:
6 Muscle cleans + 6 PP
5 Power cleans + 5 FS
4 Clean & jerks
Light weight 1-2rds: 3x Push Press 3x Front squat 3x Hang Clean + PJ 3x Clean + jerk
Score type: Not Scored
Power Clean
5x1 @AHAP
- build up to max for day
Score type: Load
Low hang clean + jerk
4x1 @80-90%
Score type: Load
Jerk
4x1 @AHAP
- build up to max for day
Score type: Load
Clean Deadlifts
3 Sets x 3 Single Clean Deadlifts @100%+ (of clean 1RM)
*NOT touch and go.
Score type: Load
Full Session Breakdown
| Block | Duration | What You’ll Do |
|---|---|---|
| Warmup | 15 min | General movement, barbell complex, and mobility. |
| Oly Tech | 25 min | Primary lifting complexes and technique work. |
| Accessory | 20 min | Positional strength and heavy pulls. |
Total class time: approximately 60 minutes.
Scaling Options
| Rx | Scaled | Beginner |
|---|---|---|
| Power Clean 5x1 @AHAP | 5x1 @70–75% of 1RM; prioritize receiving position over max load | Hang power clean from mid-thigh; focus on hip extension and high elbows |
| Low Hang Clean + Jerk 4x1 @80–90% | 4x1 @65–70%; use split jerk or push press if overhead is limiting | Power clean + push press; build comfort with the bar overhead |
| Jerk 4x1 @AHAP | 4x1 @70–75%; split jerk or push jerk based on stability | Push press; reinforce footwork and lockout before adding load |
| Clean Deadlifts 3x3 @100%+ of clean 1RM | 3x3 @90–95% of clean 1RM; emphasize bar path and posture | 3x3 @moderate load; treat as a slow, deliberate positional drill |
What Makes This Session Effective
This complex is built around the clean and jerk — the most technically demanding movement in Olympic weightlifting. Rather than isolating it as one heavy lift, today’s session layers complementary movements to develop each phase of the lift independently. The power clean builds explosive pulling speed and a fast turnover. The low hang clean trains you to be patient off the floor and strong through the transition. The jerk, done separately, lets you focus entirely on receiving the bar overhead — footwork, lockout, and stability — without fatigue from the pull.
The clean deadlift at over 100% of your clean 1RM is doing specific work. Most athletes have a pulling capacity that exceeds what they actually use in competition because technique breaks down under load. Performing deliberate, slow deadlifts at supramaximal weight builds positional strength at the bottom and through the knee — the exact positions where cleans go wrong. You’re not just getting stronger. You’re reinforcing the bar path you need when it matters.
Programming these four movements together in this order is intentional. You’re working from highest skill demand (power clean, hang clean + jerk) to lowest (deadlift), which means your technique work happens when you’re fresh and your strength work happens when the nervous system is already primed. The result is a session that improves both efficiency and capacity at the same time.
Movement Glossary
- Power Clean — A clean received above parallel in a partial squat. Develops pulling power, speed under the bar, and a fast turnover. Because you can’t squat under the bar to save a miss, technique has to be sharp.
- Low Hang Clean — Initiated from just below the knee. Removes the advantage of the floor-to-knee segment, forcing you to be strong and patient through the hardest part of the pull. Directly trains the second pull and reinforces a strong finish.
- Jerk — The overhead component of the clean and jerk. Typically performed as a split jerk: dip, drive, and receive with one foot forward, one back. Trains overhead stability, footwork, and the ability to receive load in a compromised stance.
- Clean Deadlift — A deadlift performed in clean setup position — narrow grip, hips higher than a conventional pull, bar close to the body. Done at supramaximal loads to build positional strength through the exact bar path used in a clean.
Interested in refining your Olympic lifting technique? Ask a coach today.
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