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Jordan Gill Split Jerk

Want an exercise that ticks all the boxes? You should try the split jerk!

Although traditionally used in Olympic weightlifting, the split jerk can be massively rewarding for athletes, especially boxers.

This exercise requires strength, speed, co-ordination and stability. These are physical qualities every boxer should strive for.

This article will look at the benefits, and tell you how to perform this fantastic exercise.

Increase the snap in your punch

The main transfer from the split jerk to a forceful punch is that it helps build shoulder, core and leg strength, as well as developing ‘effective mass’. Both a punch and a split jerk elicits a double activation pattern, this requires a quick whole body tension at impact.

This means that the split jerk can improve the ‘snap’ at the end of a punch.

Read our article on increasing the snap in your punch

Jump Higher

The split jerk can also develop vertical impulse, which helps improve jump height. Our studies suggest that the higher a boxer can jump, the harder they can punch. This suggests that lower body strength and speed plays an important role when delivering hard punches.

Control Force

Split Jerk is a unique exercise as it requires such a fast action, however you need to become still very quickly to control the bar in the overhead position. This can improve the ability to decelerate!

Although we put an emphasis on being fast and explosive, we also need to know how to slow down. Being able to decelerate effectively will help us flow in the ring, improving our footwork and how we transfer force in a punch.

It takes time to master

At the moment, we only have a handful of boxers that are competent at strength and conditioning as the split jerk is a difficult move. You need good overhead and hip flexor mobility, core stability and strength to perform this complex exercise,

But master the split jerk and reap the rewards.

Start off with exercises such as lunge to press, dumbells and kettlebell split jerks before moving on to the bar.

Start Position

  • Rack the bar at the front of your shoulders, rotating arms and elbows up just wider than shoulder width apart.
  • Feet hip-width apart, with the centre of pressure through the mid-foot.

Dip

  • Quick and short dip of the knees and hips. Knees bend tracking the toes, but not passing them.
  • Centre of pressure through the mid-foot to heel.
  • Maintain an upright torso position, keeping your elbows up.

Drive

  • Drive through the floor, extend the hips and get tall.
  • Your body should push the bar high, allowing you to start rotating your arms under the bar.
  • Centre of pressure goes through the toe, then start to split your legs.

Catch

  • Lock out your arms, catching the bar overhead.
  • Split foot position into a half-lunge, both knees slightly bent with the weight distributed between the heel of the front foot and the toes of the back foot.
  • Keep chest down and core tense to avoid hyper-extension of the lower-back.

LANDMINE SPLIT-JERK

Eager to reap the benefits of the split jerk immediately?

Though we do not advise using the split-jerk as a key exercise if you are just beginning your strength training journey, the landmine variation of the split jerk can be a really effective alternative to the barbell exercise.

Moreover, the landmine split jerk is usually an easier exercise to grasp for athletes with a low strength training history.

This variation is performed with similar technique to that of the barbell movement, however requires less shoulder and lower body stability in the catch position.

This exercise has similar benefits to a normal split jerk:

✅ Easier technique to master – safer and more effective.

✅ Less Strain on wrists and
Shoulders.

✅ Develops kinetic chain sequencing – from foot through to fist.

✅ Easier to load for strength / speed adaptations.

With less complexities from a technical perspective, the athletes can focus on exerting maximal force and intent throughout the movement.

This can also enable us to load up the exercise more, therefore allowing relatively high loads to be accelerated maximally which is important for strength-speed and rate of force development.

Considering this, there could be a strong case for the superiority of the landmine variation over the barbell variation for promoting desirable training adaptations.

The case for the landmine set up is bolstered further by reduced shoulder, wrist and elbow strain compared to using the barbell.

These joints are typically hammered during boxing sessions from thousands of punches thrown, so as strength and conditioning coaches it is important to choose exercises that provide the most benefit without adding more strain to these areas. The landmine split-jerk fits this philosophy!

Reduced shoulder stress is achieved during this movement due to the use of a neutral grip rather than a pronated grip which is characteristic of barbell exercises.

Furthermore, the trajectory of the bar displays an added horizontal component rather than being exclusively vertical.

Along with reducing the need for high levels of overhead stability/strength (which boxers lack), a more horizontal bar path minimises the degree of humeral head internal rotation when returning to the starting position.

For similar reasons there is less strain on the wrist joint, compared to the barbell variation, if availing of the landmine attachment.

A neutral grip allows the wrist to be positioned directly above the elbow, creating a more advantageous position for pressing.

This also reduces the potential for excessive wrist extension as you approach the top position of the lift.

Exposing this wrist to large amounts of wrist extension during strength sessions is something we wish to avoid, especially with boxers, as it can compromise upper limb stiffness at the end range of a punch.

If you don’t have access to the viking handle attachment, but still wish to achieve similar loading when performing a split-jerk without the barbell, the dumbbell split-jerk can be a useful variation.

The dumbbells will enable you to adopt a neutral grip from the start, similar to the viking handle in the landmine variation.

It should be noted that light dumbbells are likely to be best with this exercise and is therefore more of a speed-strength rather than strength-speed movement.

Heavier dumbbells will increase the demands of an athlete’s overhead shoulder stability and may cause boxers, who are weak in this area, to compensate by using their lower back.

Both dumbbell and landmine variations should be performed at relatively low volumes in order to maximise the loads that can be moved rapidly.

With this said, we will typically prescribe 3-5 reps on each leg, repeated for 3-5 sets when performing landmine and dumbbell split jerk exercises.

SINGLE-ARM LANDMINE SPLIT JERK

Another effective  variation of the split-jerk is the single arm landmine split-jerk.

One could argue that this exercise is more specific to the punching action given it’s uni-lateral nature.

The removal of one arm, creates more instability at the top of the movement.

This forces the lower body, core and upper limb to generate high levels of tension in order remain stable and prevent the bar from leaning inwards.

Maximising tension throughout the kinetic chain is important as this will translate to improved stiffness at the end range of a punch, therefore enhancing punch impact.

Typically, this exercise is programmed for speed-strength phases where the aim is to move lighter loads, rapidly and in a sport specific manner.

With any movement performed to develop explosive qualities, a low number of repetitions is preferable to optimise intent and speed of movement.

Therefore performing this exercise for 3-5 reps each side times 3-4 sets tends to best.

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