What is "clean and jerk"

alt. (context weightlifting English) The act of lifting the barbell to hang at arm's length, pause, and thrusting the barbell over the head to a stationary position in one movement. n. (context weightlifting English) The act of lifting the barbell to hang at arm's length, pause, and thrusting the barbell over the head to a stationary position in one movement.

n. a weightlift in which the barbell is lifted to shoulder height and then jerked overhead [syn: clean]

The clean and jerk is a composite of two weightlifting movements, most often performed with a barbell: the clean and the jerk. During the clean, the lifter moves the barbell from the floor to a racked position across deltoids and clavicles. During the jerk the lifter raises the barbell to a stationary position above the head, finishing with straight arms and legs, and the feet in the same plane as the torso and barbell.

Of the several variants of the lift, the most common is the Olympic clean and jerk, which, with the snatch is contested in Olympic weightlifting events.