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Exercise Technique
The Exercise Technique Column provides detailed
explanations of proper exercise technique to optimize
performance and safety.
COLUMN EDITOR: Jay Dawes, PhD, CSCS*D,
NSCA-CPT*D, FNSCA
The Jump Shrug: A
Progressive Exercise Into
Weightlifting Derivatives
Timothy J. Suchomel, MS, CSCS, USAW,
1
Brad H. DeWeese, EdD, CSCS, NSCA-CPT,
1
George K. Beckham, MA, CSCS,
1
Ambrose J. Serrano, MA, CSCS, HFS,
2
and Christopher J. Sole, MS, CSCS, USAW, USATF-1
1
1
Center of Excellence for Sport Science and Coach Education, Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences,
East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee; and
2
United States Olympic Training Center, Lake Placid,
New York
ABSTRACT
THE JUMP SHRUG IS A WEIGHT-
LIFTING MOVEMENT DERIVATIVE
THATCANBEUSEDTOTEACHTHE
CLEAN AND SNATCH EXERCISES
OR AS A STAND-ALONE TRAINING
EXERCISE. THE BALLISTIC NATURE
OF THIS EXERCISE ALLOWS
ATHLETES TO PRODUCE HIGH
AMOUNTS OF LOWER EXTREMITY
POWER, AN ESSENTIAL COMPO-
NENT TO ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE.
TYPE OF EXERCISE
The jump shrug (JS) is an explo-
sive lower-body exercise that can
be used to enhance lower-body
muscular power. In addition, this exer-
cise can be used as part of the teaching
progression of the clean and snatch,
while emphasizing the second pull and
complete extension of the hip, knee, and
ankle joints. This exercise can be per-
formed from a static starting position
or with a countermovement, at varying
starting positions, from the mid-thigh
and above/below the knee (16).
MUSCLES INVOLVED
The muscles involved in this move-
ment are similar to those described in
previous articles regarding related
weightlifting derivatives (3–6):
Static stability in starting position
and throughout eccentric/concentric
phases before the second pull (torso
and upper extremity musculature):
erector spinae group (iliocostalis,
longissimus, and spinalis), deep
spinal muscles (rotators, interspi-
nales, multifidus, and intertransver-
sarii), rectus abdominis, transverse
abdominis, external obliques, inter-
nal obliques, quadratus lumborum,
triceps brachii (long head), deltoid,
subscapularis, latissimus dorsi, flexor
and extensor masses of forearm, bra-
chioradialis, trapezius, splenius capitis,
splenius cervicis, levator scapulae, in-
fraspinatus, serratus posterior inferior,
rhomboid major, rhomboid minor,
and the supraspinatus.
Descending phase of the counter-
movement (lower extremity): ham-
strings group (biceps femoris,
semimembranosus, and semitendino-
sus), gluteus maximus, quadriceps
group (rectus femoris, vastus lateralis,
vastus medialis, and vastus interme-
dius), gastrocnemius, soleus, tibialis
posterior, flexor hallucis longus, flexor
digitorum, peroneus longus, and the
peroneus brevis.
Ascending phase from the lowest bar
position and propulsive phase from
the mid-thigh position (second pull;
full body): trapezius, splenius capitis,
splenius cervicis, levator scapulae,
rhomboid minor, rhomboid major,
Copyright ÓNational Strength and Conditioning Association Strength and Conditioning Journal | www.nsca-scj.com 43
serratus posterior superior, posterior
deltoid, teres minor, teres major, erec-
tor spinae group (iliocostalis, long-
issimus, and spinalis), deep spinal
muscles (rotators, interspinales, multi-
fidus, and intertransversarii), rectus
abdominis, transverse abdominis,
external obliques, internal obliques,
quadriceps group (rectus femoris,
vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and
vastus intermedius), gluteus maximus,
hamstrings group (biceps femoris,
semimembranosus, semitendinosus),
gastrocnemius, soleus, tibialis poste-
rior, flexor hallucis longus, flexor dig-
itorum, peroneus longus, and the
peroneus brevis.
BENEFITS OF THE EXERCISE
The JS is an exercise that has the
potential to enhance lower extremity
power (15,18). Furthermore, the JS
can serve as a teaching tool to improve
the technical aspects of the second
pull phase of weightlifting movements.
Previous research suggests that the JS
may produce greater force (18), veloc-
ity (18), and power (17,18) as compared
with the hang power clean and hang
high pull at the same absolute loads.
Thus, this exercise should be consid-
ered as a primary exercise to train
lower-body power and complement
other exercises used within the strength
and conditioning program. Because of
its ability to produce high levels of force,
velocity, and power, this exercise may
be implemented in various phases
throughout the training year.
Another aspect of the JS that may result
in greater overload is the fact that it
does not require the athlete to elevate
the bar past their hips. Therefore, an
athlete may have the ability to use more
weight than he/she would typically use
during a clean, snatch, or other weight-
lifting variation that requires the bar to
be elevated. As a result, this will allow
the athlete to overload a ballistic exer-
cise that may ultimately contribute to
greater rate of force development.
STARTING POSITION
Before achieving the starting position,
the athlete should place their hands
on the bar using an overhand grip at
a distance that is preferred for either
the clean or snatch variation (5,7). In
addition, the athletes should consider
using the hook grip or lifting straps to
prevent losing control of the bar
when heavier loads are used (7).
After the athlete has properly placed
their hands on the bar, the athlete
should remove the bar from the rack
or boxes and stand with their feet in
a position that is similar to what is
used during partial pulling move-
ments and/or jumping movements.
The athlete’s feet should be approx-
imately hip width apart with their
toes slightly open if preferred.
The athlete should start in the power
position (1,9,13). Their knees should
be slightly bent and they should main-
tain isometric contractions with pos-
terior musculature to retain an erect
and upright posture. Specifically, the
shoulders should be retracted and
depressed while maintaining a “tight
back” and “big chest.”
The bar should be in the power posi-
tion (1,9,13) that is located below the
hip fold on the upper part of the thighs
(Figure 1). Specifically, the hips, knees,
and ankles should be within the ranges
of 140–1508, 120–1308, and 60–708,
respectively (4). When changing grips
between the clean and snatch, it
should be noted that small differences
will exist in the starting position of the
bar. Specifically, the starting position
bar height will be slightly higher when
using a snatch grip because of the
wider hand spacing (5,7).
At this point, regardless of if the ath-
lete is performing a quick counter-
movement or holding the lowest
position, the athlete should be cued
to rotate their elbows out and flex
their wrists to keep the bar close to
their body during the lift.
Finally, it should be verbalized to the
athlete that they should drive
through their heels before the pro-
pulsive phase of the exercise to
ensure proper muscle activation.
DESCENDING PHASE OF THE
COUNTERMOVEMENT
As the athlete descends during the
countermovement, he/she should
maintain a “big chest” and tight back
by contracting posterior musculature
isometrically. The athlete should
also continue to drive through their
heels (3).
The athlete should fold forward at
the hip while keeping their knees
in a slightly bent position and push-
ing their hips backward.
The athlete should keep their eyes
up and continue to look forward
while they maintain proper posture
and keep the bar close while lower-
ing it down their thighs.
To reach the lowered countermove-
ment position (Figure 2), the bar
should be lowered to a position just
above knee level (12) before starting
the ascending and propulsive phases.
To achieve the greatest stretch-
shortening cycle benefits during the
countermovement variation, this
phase of the JS should not be per-
formed slowly. However, the descend-
ing phase of the countermovement
should be performed in a controlled
manner while maintaining proper pos-
ture throughout the movement.
For the static-start variation, the bar
should be held in the lowest position
for 2–3 seconds to allow the effects
of the stretch-shortening cycle to
dissipate.
Figure 1. Starting position for the jump
shrug.
Exercise Technique
VOLUME 36 | NUMBER 3 | JUNE 2014
44
ASCENDING PHASE OF THE
COUNTERMOVEMENT
From the lowered countermove-
ment position, the athlete should
begin to return to the mid-thigh
(power) position by driving through
their heels, keeping the bar close to
their body, and maintaining proper
posture.
The athlete’s knees should re-bend
and their torso should return to an
upright position.
The hips of the athlete should begin
to move back to their original posi-
tion as the athlete guides the bar back
up their thighs to the power position.
The ascending phase ends when the
athlete returns from the lowered
countermovement position back to
the original starting position previ-
ously mentioned.
This phase of the JS is a transition to
the following propulsive phase and
should be performed in a controlled
manner. The intensity of the move-
ment will build up to the mid-thigh
(power) position before the propul-
sive phase.
PROPULSIVE PHASE
The final phase of the JS begins when
the athlete returns to the mid-thigh
(power) position from lower on the
thigh. As the athlete returns to the
original starting position, they should
use the momentum created by the
countermovement to build up the
intensity into an explosive jump.
At this point, the athlete should
explosively extend their hips, knees,
and ankles to perform an explosive
jump and leave the platform or
lifting surface. In addition, the athlete
should simultaneously shrug their
shoulders (8,10,11,18) (Figure 3).
The athlete should be instructed to
jump as high as possible while keep-
ing the bar close to their body.
Finally, the athlete should land in an
athletic position and control the
position of the bar.
COMMON MISTAKES OF THE
JUMP SHRUG
The athlete may begin the second
pull movement too early when tran-
sitioning to the power position. Spe-
cifically, the athlete may begin to pull
and jump before the bar reaches the
power position. This will prevent the
proper vertical force generation dur-
ing the triple extension movement.
The athlete may position the hips too
far forward instead of focusing on
driving vertically through the heels.
This may cause a looping of the bar-
bell away from the athlete’s body.
The athlete may not finish the full
triple extension of the hip, knee, and
ankle joints. This will prevent the abil-
ity to produce maximum force.
The athlete may not aggressively
shrug during the jump portion of
the exercise. The lack of this move-
ment may limit the specific transfer
to other weightlifting derivatives.
The athlete may not land in an ath-
letic position while controlling the
movement of the bar.
DISCUSSION
The JS is a clean and snatch variation
that can be used in the teaching pro-
gression for each exercise. Previous
research indicates that the JS can pro-
duce high amounts of force, velocity,
andpower(18).Asaresult,theJS
may be implemented as a primary exer-
cise to enhance lower-body muscular
power because of its emphasis on the
second pull phase of traditional weight-
lifting movements. The ballistic nature
of the JS requires an athlete to perform
full extension of the hip, knee, and ankle
joints during the second pull phase to
leave the platform or lifting surface.
Newton et al. (14) indicates that athletes
should perform exercises that allow
them to accelerate against a resistance
throughout the entire movement. By
implementing the JS into an athlete’s
strength and conditioning regimen, the
strength and conditioning practitioner
will be providing a less technical exercise
that will allow their athletes to effec-
tively train lower-body muscular power.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
The JS is a weightlifting movement
derivative that can be implemented in
most blocks of training. The goal of
the training block will determine the vol-
ume of sets and repetitions that should
be prescribed. Although the loading rec-
ommendations for the JS within the cur-
rent literature are somewhat limited, the
Figure 2. Barbell position above the
knee between the counter-
movement and propulsive
phases of the jump shrug.
Figure 3. Finish of the propulsive phase
and triple extension for the
jump shrug.
Strength and Conditioning Journal | www.nsca-scj.com 45
existing studies provide some guidance
for loads that optimize peak force, veloc-
ity, and power (15,17,18).
During a strength-endurance block, a
strength and conditioning practitioner
may implement the JS using light to
moderate loads (0–65% of hang power
clean maximum) while prescribing a
higher repetition range (3 sets of 10
repetitions). The emphasis during this
training phase should be on the ath-
lete’s technique so that he/she can
progress to heavier loads during future
training blocks. A higher repetition
scheme may also allow the athlete to
develop their power-endurance abili-
ties. The strength and conditioning
practitioner should consider the ath-
lete’s ability to perform the exercise
with proper technique during a high
volume phase because proper exercise
technique may be affected by fatigue.
The JS may also be prescribed during
maximal strength and strength-power
training blocks. Here, the practitioner
should reduce the volume of JS repeti-
tions (3 35–3 33)whileincreasingthe
load. Although JS research has only
examined external loads as high as
80% of maximal hang clean (15,18), it
is likely that an athlete will be able to
perform the JS with loads in excess of
their maximal hang clean ability (.100%
1RM [1 repetition maximum]). Comfort
et al. (2) demonstrated that loads in
excess of 100% 1RM (120–140%) of an
athlete’s power clean can increase an
athlete’s rate of force development dur-
ing another weightlifting derivative (mid-
thigh pull). By implementing the JS dur-
ing this point during the training year,
practitioners can provide the athlete with
the opportunity to further stabilize their
technique leading into future training
blocks where the complete weightlifting
movements (clean or snatch) may be
prescribed. Furthermore, by using the
JS in a maximal strength or strength-
power training block, the athlete will
have the opportunity to overcome loads
that are greater than what they can suc-
cessfully clean or snatch.
Finally, the JS may be implemented in
an explosive speed or maintenance
block in which the main goal is to
enhance peak power development.
For this training block, practitioners
should reduce volumes and loads
(3 33, 3 32, and 2 32). Previous
research (15,17,18) has indicated that
loads ranging 30–45% of the athlete’s
1RM hang clean should be used
for peak power production. It should
be emphasized that load selection
should be based on the athlete’s tech-
nical proficiency and strength. For
example, weaker or less technically
proficient athletes should have loads
prescribed on the lower end of the rec-
ommended peak power range (i.e., 30%
maximum hang clean). In contrast,
stronger, more technically proficient
athletes should be prescribed loads
on the upper end of the peak power
range (i.e., 45% maximum hang clean).
Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding:
The authors report no conflicts of interest
and no source of funding.
Timothy J. Suchomel is a doctoral
student in the Department of Exercise
and Sport Sciences at East Tennessee
State University.
Brad H. DeWeese is an assistant pro-
fessor in the Department of Exercise and
Sport Sciences at East Tennessee State
University.
George K. Beckham is a doctoral
student in the Department of Exercise
and Sport Sciences at East Tennessee
State University.
Ambrose J. Serrano is the head
strength and conditioning coach at the
United States Olympic Training Center
at Lake Placid.
Christopher J. Sole is a doctoral stu-
dent in the Department of Exercise and
Sport Sciences at East Tennessee State
University.
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