The 21-Day Clean and Jerk Challenge

This is The 21-Day Clean and Jerk Challenge by Cavemantraining—OUTTRAIN OUTLIVE. Each kettlebell challenge from this website is unique and runs online with members from across the world entering and competing at their own level. The categories are designed so that everyone can have a fair go at it.

Kettlebell Challenge Details

Duration: Month
Entries allowed: 3 per day 
Submission: Entries allowed for duration
Video submission:
 Required
Anonymous submission: Allowed
Cost in Tokens: 1
Certificate: Yes
Participation Certificate: Yes
Benefit(s): Aerobic Fitness, Fat Loss, Learn Pacing, Mental Toughness, Muscular Endurance, Technique
More details

Buy Token(s)

You don’t have any Token(s) available to enter this challenge. You need 1 Token(s) to enter this challenge.

$1.95Add to cart

Challenge Date(s)

  1. Open for all
    Registration opens June 1 and closes July 5
    Event starts July 1 and ends July 21

Entry is $1.95 per token but with a simple comment on social media, we will send you a voucher code so that you can enter for free, check the details here. Cavemantraining members get to enter for free. Scoring is submitted by the participants and based on an honesty system. The top percentage of entries will be verified manually and receive an official verified tick next to their submission.

As a user of this website, you will be able to keep track of and see your progress with the challenges in regard to:

  • Body weight
  • Kettlebell weight
  • Reps, duration, or other aspects of the challenge that show your progress
  • Feeling or other improvements in your life as a result of the challenge

It’s important to note that participants can also enter and remain completely anonymous. Their submission will be posted in the anonymous category with only their nickname (display name) displayed.

Information

The clean and jerk is an awesome combination to increase cardiovascular endurance but also to work on muscular endurance and mental toughness. If you thought that the kettlebell swing was the best exercise for cardio, think again.

Thanks for the challenge, I really enjoyed it and it felt good to reach my goal. There really was days where I thought it won’t be possible. But glad I stuck to my goal.
Charmaine Potgieter ErlankCharmaine Potgieter Erlank
Tweet

As always, anyone can do this challenge. The goal is to set a time that you will complete unbroken on the 21st day of the challenge, for example:

  • Double kettlebell clean and jerk
    • 5 minutes
    • 10 minutes
    • 15 minutes
  • Single kettlebell clean and jerk
    • 5 minutes
    • 10 minutes
    • 15 minutes
    • 30 minutes
    • 60 minutes

With the single kettlebell, you can switch at will, but you can make things tougher and decide that you do 5 minutes with only one switch, meaning you would need to complete two and half minutes on each arm.

With double or single-arm you can choose to work with any weight. You should pick a weight that you know that if you push yourself and train for the next 21 days you will make it.

Post your videos or motivation each day and tag #cavemantraining #cleanandjerkchallenge
Include your reps and weight in your post if applicable. 

We have designed a progressive and challenging program for you to follow. Remember, the challenge is to complete each day of work and to reach your goal of unbroken time. Unbroken means not putting the weights down. With a double kettlebell, you can rest overhead or in racking. With a single kettlebell, you can also switch arms.

Don’t be fooled! You might think this challenge is easy, but it’s not. Completing 10 minutes of clean and jerk (also known as Long cycle) is just as much a mental battle as it is a physical battle. We promise that you will start to love this combination, and who knows, it might even open up a whole new world of kettlebell sport to you.

The kettlebell jerk is an advanced movement and the alternative is a push press, an exercise anyone can do.

What will you get from this challenge?

  • Grip strength
  • Fat loss
  • Increased cardiovascular endurance
  • Learning how to pace
  • Increased muscular endurance
  • Mental Toughness
  • Discipline
  • Learn how to leave your ego at the door
  • Improved technique

Here is the 21-day program.

You will need to decide what time you’re going to complete and write this down. Using 10 minutes (time) double bell as an example, but you need to use the time you are going to complete.

Taking the first day below as an example:

  • Time (10 minutes) divided by 4 equals 2 ½ minutes.
  • Complete 2 sets of 2 ½ minutes.

So, the work on the first day would be to complete two times 2 ½ minute sets of double-arm clean. Pick the right weight and you can do it, unbroken!

Taking the third day below as an example:

  • Time (10 minutes) divided by 4 equals 2 ½ minutes.
  • Complete 4 sets of 2 ½ minutes.

So, the work on the third day would be to complete four times 2 ½ minute sets of double-arm clean and jerk. Pick the right weight and you can do it, unbroken.

MAKE SURE TO RECORD YOUR WEIGHT AND REPS FOR EACH DAY.

WEEK 1

Day 1
Exercise: Cleans
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 2
The maximum rest is 2 minutes.

Day 2
Exercise: Jerks or push presses
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 2
The maximum rest is 2 minutes.

Day 3
Exercise: Clean and jerks or clean and push presses
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 3
The maximum rest is 2 minutes.

Day 4
Exercise: Cleans
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 2
Goal: Do more reps than on day 1
The maximum rest is 90 seconds.

Day 5
Exercise: Jerks or push presses
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 2
Goal: Do more reps than on day 2
The maximum rest is 90 seconds.

Day 6
Exercise: Clean and jerks or clean and push presses
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 3
Goal: Do more reps than on day 3
The maximum rest is 90 seconds.

Day 7
USE A LIGHTER WEIGHT
Exercise: Speed cleans
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 1
The maximum rest is 90 seconds.

Exercise: Speed jerk or push press
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 1
The maximum rest is 90 seconds.

Exercise: Speed clean and jerk or push press
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 1
The maximum rest is 90 seconds.

WEEK 2

Day 8
Exercise: Cleans
Divide time by: 3
Sets: 2
Maximum rest is 1 minute between sets

Day 9
Exercise: Jerks or push presses
Divide time by: 3
Sets: 2
Maximum rest is 1 minute between sets

Day 10
Exercise: Clean and jerks or clean and push presses
Divide time by: 3
Sets: 2
Maximum rest is 1 minute between sets

Day 11
Exercise: Cleans
Divide time by: 3
Sets: 2
The maximum rest is 45 seconds
Goal: Do more reps than on day 8

Day 12
Exercise: Jerks or push presses
Divide time by: 3
Sets: 2
The maximum rest is 45 seconds.
Goal: Do more reps than on day 9

Day 13
Exercise: Clean and jerks or clean and push presses
Divide time by: 3
Sets: 2
The maximum rest is 45 seconds.
Goal: Do more reps than on day 10

Day 14
USE A LIGHTER WEIGHT
Exercise: Speed cleans
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 1
The maximum rest is 60 seconds.
Goal: Do more reps than on day 7

Exercise: Speed jerk or push press
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 1
The maximum rest is 60 seconds.
Goal: Do more reps than on day 7

Exercise: Speed clean and jerk or push press
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 1
The maximum rest is 60 seconds.
Goal: Do more reps than on day 7

WEEK 3

Day 15
Exercise: Cleans
Divide time by: 2
Sets: 2
The maximum rest is 3 minutes.

Day 16
Exercise: Jerks or push presses
Divide time by: 2
Sets: 2
The maximum rest is 3 minutes.

Day 17
Exercise: Clean and jerks or clean and push presses
Divide time by: 2
Sets: 2
The maximum rest is 3 minutes.

Day 18
DELOAD (use a light weight)
Exercise: Cleans
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 3
The maximum rest is 3 minutes.

Day 19
DELOAD (use a light weight)
Exercise: Jerks or push presses
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 3
The maximum rest is 3 minutes.

Day 20
DELOAD (use a light weight)
Exercise: Clean and jerks or clean and push presses
Divide time by: 4
Sets: 3
The maximum rest is 3 minutes.

Day 21
REACH YOUR GOAL
Exercise: Clean and jerk or clean and push press
Sets: 1

Technique

Two super important things for this challenge, to make sure you don’t rip/blister your hands, are the free PDFs Master Kettlebell Grips and Master Kettlebell Racking. For the grips, you want to look at the hook grip into a racking or loose grip, and if you’re using two kettlebells then you want to look at the racking safety grip. Racking is going to be super important for resting but also for transferring power in your jerks. This is all free information you can download, but I highly recommend enrolling in the online course Kettlebell Sport For Beginners which dives deep into the clean and jerk and how to stay safe.

Regressions/Alternatives

As mentioned, anyone can do this, and anyone can stay safe as long as you listen to your body and the instructions provided.

  • Pick the right weight
  • Leave your ego at the door
  • Use push press instead of jerk
  • Learn how to pendulum swing

Protect the lower back by staying in extension longer.

Protect your hands by learning how to transition from loose into hook grip.

When doing sets of cleans and jerk/push press, reduce the number of cleans, i.e. do 3 jerks and 1 clean, or some other ratio of 4 to 1, etc. Reducing the number of cleans is to protect the hands and focus more on technique for each rep.

How to post your kettlebell challenge entry?

  1. Buy a token or obtain a free voucher
  2. Use one token to enter the online kettlebell challenge of choice
  3. Download the details for the challenge
  4. Submit your score/attempt details on our website
  5. Keep track of the online results

When you submit the details of your entry, you can accompany it with a video, some challenges might require a video and others might not. If a video is required, you will need to upload your entry as described here.

More Details

Starts is when the challenge is open:

  • Challenge starts every first day of the month; 1st of January, 1st of February, and so on
  • Challenge starts every first day of uneven months; every first of January, March, May, and so on
  • Challenge starts on the first day of every three months; every first of March, June, September, and December

Duration is how long the challenge lasts or is open:

  • The full month; submissions are accepted any day for the duration of the month
  • [number] consecutive days; the challenge is every day for the number of days indicated and from the day it started

Entries allowed is how many times you can submit your attempt at the challenge within the duration and other boundaries defined.

Certificate is whether a certificate is issued upon completion of the challenge, or winners, and Certificate of Participation when marked as YES will be issued to all participating.

Categories

The 4 categories are:

  • Pro
  • Athlete
  • Amateur
  • Beginner

The Pro category is for kettlebell sport athletes who compete professionally.
The Athlete category is for kettlebell athletes with extensive experience.
The Amateur category is for people that work with kettlebells but do not have extensive experience.
The Beginner category is for people that have less than one year of kettlebell experience.

For more details, check out our FAQ here.

Past Challenges

Back to all online kettlebell challenges.

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