Technique Thursday: How Low on the Dip?

How low do we dip for the jerk? Just enough until we feel the quads activate. There isn't a definite answer, however, I'm going to argue what is too low.

If you drop too low, the weight of the bar shifts in your feet, your hips start to shift back, and the angle of your front rack changes. You start to initiate a front squat, which is not what we're doing. This isn't everyone, but this is most people. Some athletes can jerk huge weights doing this, but they probably could do more if they tuned up their jerk.

The jerk should be performed with a short FAST dip. This is less time under tension, uses your stretch reflex, and you will notice your torso will remain straight up and down providing for a balanced catch.

There is a matter of dipping too quickly. If you dip too quickly, you may create space between the barbell and your body. This will cause the barbell to crash into your shoulders and you start to drive upward which,... will slow you down.

Practice Jerk Dips either in your warm-up OR as an accessory afterwards.