Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
So you want to be an Olympic weightlifter, huh? It’s going to take years of extreme dedication, and you’ll have to sacrifice…Oh, you just want to learn how to Olympic weightlift? No problem, we can teach you that too (but it’s still going to require some hard work!). Olympic weightlifting is seen as the pinnacle of weight lifting sports due to history, technical precision, body awareness, and pure power. Despite its raw display of athleticism, a good majority of weight lifters will never even attempt a snatch or clean, let alone actually pursue it. This is due to the high level of complexity to the movements which can initially turn some people off. The Olympic movements are definitely technical, but you can also learn it. That’s why we created the best beginner Olympic weightlifting program on the internet. In this article, you’ll learn:
- What are the Olympic weightlifting movements?
- How to correctly perform Olympic movements.
- How to break down Olympic movements for more efficient learning.
- The best accessory movements to include in your program.
What Is Olympic Weightlifting?
You may sometimes find yourself talking past other lifters due to the somewhat confusing vernacular used to describe Olympic weightlifting. Depending on the experience level, two trainees could be using the same terminology while talking about two completely different things. For example, perhaps you have a new bodybuilder talking to an Olympic weightlifter about “weightlifting”. The bodybuilder talks about bicep curls while the Olympic weightlifter talks about the clean and snatch. Therefore let’s first clear this up by going over some definitions.
- Olympic weightlifting: Refers to performing the two Olympic barbell movements; the snatch and clean. It DOES NOT mean you compete in the Olympics; rather, you just perform those movements.
- Weightlifting: The term “weightlifting” usually, or should, refer to performing Olympic movements. It’s basically just a shorter way to say it. However, constantly people will just say “Oly” or “Olympic” to quickly express what they want to train.
- Weight lifting: This would refer to generally lifting weights in whatever context. AKA, weight training.
Then, of course, you have all the other terms such as “bodybuilding” or “powerlifting”. Regardless, now we can actually examine what Olympic weightlifting is.
Clean & Jerk And The Snatch
As mentioned above, weightlifting in the modern Olympics consists of TWO movements. Here, we will go over and explain these movements. Later, we will explain in more detail on how to perform them.
1. The Clean & Jerk
The clean and jerk is actually composed of two movements. With the barbell starting on the ground, the lifter will first “clean” the bar. This is done by propelling the bar up explosively up to the chest where the lifter catches it in a front position. Next, the lifter will perform an overhead press to push the bar overhead. This movement can be done with either a jerk or a split jerk.
2. The Snatch
The snatch is always done using a lighter load. Again, the barbell starts on the ground and the lifter will propel it up explosively. However, instead of propelling the bar up to the chest, the bar will end above your head with your arms extended. At the time of the catch, the lifter is generally in a deep squat position and will need to perform an overhead squat to finish the movement.
If you were going to compete in Olympic weightlifting, you would have three attempts to lift maximum weight for each lift. The highest load for each ride would be added together, and the total would be your score.
The Benefits Of Olympic Weightlifting
Well, what if you don’t want to compete? Why should you perform Olympic movements? Well, there’s a lot of reasons. Below are the top excuses everyone should incorporate at least some form of Olympic weightlifting.
Build Explosive Power
While there’s another barbell sport called “Powerlifting”, Olympic lifting is the actual power sport. Powerlifting deals with maximal strength, which can be thought of as the maximum load you can move slowly. The term “power” refers to moving a specific load as fast as possible by building explosiveness. This is exactly what Olympic lifting is, as you need to bring 100, 200, 300+lbs from the ground to your chest. The only way you can do this is to create enough force to “shoot” the bar up. Olympic lifting is the best way to build explosiveness using an actual load.
Improve Your Neuromuscular Control
Both Olympic movements are highly technical and complex. In fact, it can take trainees an extended period before they have developed the proper movement patterns to properly perform the lifts with a substantial load. This level of complexity requires the advanced functioning of your neuromuscular system for optimal efficiency. However, improving your neuromuscular system is the key to strength gains. In fact, when you first begin weight training, your initial strength gains are specifically from improving neuromuscular efficiency rather than increasing muscle mass. Regardless, performing heavy Olympic movements will directly transfer to just about any other activity. In other words, Olympic movements make an all-around stronger lifter.
Increase Rate Of Force Development
Similar to the above, the rate of force development refers to how fast you can generate high levels of force. This is important for sports like boxing or long jumping, where you have minimal time to create maximal levels of force. Improving your power and neuromuscular efficiency with Olympic lifting is going to do both and studies show increased rate of force development also has a direct positive effect on maximal force.
Construct A Massive Upper Back
Olympic weightlifters are notorious for their massive upper backs and traps. This is in large part due to the big, powerful shrugs that are performed every single rep. We’ll discuss form in detail below but the shrug is one of the vital components for power production in both the shrug and clean. Still, the upper back also sees high levels of stress during overhead movements as it must stabilize the shoulder joint and scapula.
Improve Athleticism
Improved power production is the key component when creating a strength and conditioning program for the athletic population. That’s why the Olympic movements are two of the most commonly used barbell movements in strength and conditioning gyms to improve power. Olympic movements have the ability to improve:
- Change of direction
- Acceleration
- Max sprint speed
- Vertical jump
- Agility
All of these things will make you better on the field or court, so if you’re an athlete, you definitely need to look at Olympic movements.
How To Perform The Olympic Movements
Now let’s get into the nitty-gritty of performing these two movements. These are highly technical movements that require precise explanations so pay attention. In fact, you should go ahead and stand up and mimic these movements so that you can better visualize what you’re doing. We’re going to walk through each movement separately. After, we will segment the movements even further, so don't worry if you don't fully grasp it after reading the following how to's.
HOW TO PERFORM THE CLEAN AND JERK:
The clean and jerk consist of four primary sections plus the set-up. Therefore, we will walk through each section individually.
- You will first set up the barbell in a very similar manner as a deadlift. Place your feet in the most optimal position for power, generally somewhere around hip to shoulder-width apart. There will be some variability here due to the individual preference, but it should fall somewhere in this range.
- Begin your ascent by imagining you’re doing a vertical leg press and drive your feet into the ground. Also, imagine you’re bending the bar to properly engage your lats as you come up.
- When the bar begins to cross your knees, you’re going to forcefully extend your ankles, knees, and hips at the same time triple extension). This will be accompanied by a power shrug causing the bar to propel up your body. The bar should not swing out but come up vertically as your arms come up and your elbows are high and out to the side in what’s known as the scarecrow position. At this point, you will flip the bar up and pull yourself under the bar while flipping your elbows underneath.
- You will catch the bar in a rack position as you fall into a squat. You will now perform what’s essentially a front squat until your body is extended and erect.
- Now, perform your jerk. For now, we will describe the Push Jerk (aka bi-lateral or two-footed jerk) rather than the split jerk as it is more straight forward (note: the split jerk is more common among competitive Olympic weightlifters because it is the most efficient method), but we will also go over the split jerk further below. To do the two-footed jerk, you will dip at the knees (slowly and in a straight line) a few inches (to create a spring-like effect to help drive the barbell overhead) then explode up pressing the barbell overhead. As the bar starts to be pressed overhead and your legs are extended again, you will drop into a partial, quarter, half or even full squat until your arms are fully locked out overhead (this is called "receiving" and shortens the bar path). From there, you stand up tall locking out your knees with the bar held overhead. This completes the lift, but of course you need to get the bar back to the ground. To do this you can drop it (if you have the right weight plates which are made for this) by letting the bar fall forward while keeping your body standing tall, as you don't want to lean forward and it to bounce up and hit you...OR you can bring the bar back down to the clean position and then to your waist and then to the floor (if you are using standard iron plates that you find at most commercial gyms, this is how you will have to do it, and of course it requires more energy).
Related: Complete Guide to the Barbell Clean & Jerk
HOW TO PERFORM THE SNATCH:
- When you walk up to the barbell for the snatch, you will grab the bar with a grip that’s about 1.5x that of your clean. Get into a deadlift position keeping your chest up high.
- From here, the pull is essentially the same as the clean. Once the bar reaches knee height, use triple extension and a shrug to drive the bar forward. The bar just be projected upward with your elbows reaching your ears
- At this point, you will pull yourself under the bar and drop into a squat. Catch the bar overhead and then perform an overhead squat to finalize the movement.
Related: Complete Guide to the Barbell Snatch
The Best Method Of Training Olympic Movements
Training the Olympic movements can be difficult simply as there’s so much going on. There are so many parts of each exercise that trying to “just do it” won’t work out so well. Now, you also don’t want to think too much but we’re going to show you what we believe is the best method to hone in your skills. By no means is this the only way nor the best. It’s just “A” way that can be very effective.
Use Segmental Training To Learn Olympic Movements
So, the style of training that we like to use is called “segmental” training. This basically just means that instead of training the entire movement at once, you will break up the exercises into individual “segments” and train those movements alone. After you feel comfortable with individual segments, you can start putting the pieces together. Here is how you can break down the Olympic lifts.
Learning The Clean
When it comes to learning the clean and jerk, we’re actually going to break the clean and jerk into two separate movements. You’ll see when we get there.
Rack Position:
Before we start cleaning, you need to learn the rack position. The rack position is when the bar rests on your delts and clavicle with your hands bent back to add support. It’s not as simple as it sounds, as you need to have a high level of mobility in your shoulders and wrists.
When you lift your arms straight out, you’ll feel that a little crevice is formed behind your delt (shoulder muscle). The bar will lay in these crevices as well as the clavicle. From here, you bend your hands back while keeping your elbows up and wrap your hand under the bar. You ARE NOT fully grasping the bar but merely getting 3-4 fingers under to help support.
Clean Rack Position Demo on Youtube
Rack Delivery:
The rack delivery simply has you start by emulating the very last part of the actual clean, which is pulling yourself under the bar and ending in the rack position. To do this, use a lighter training bar and start by holding the bar up to chest level with your elbows out high as if you’re doing a high row.
From here, quickly flip the bar while dropping underneath it and pulling your elbows up. You should end in the rack position as above.
Clean Rack Delivery Demo on Youtube
Scarecrow Clean:
The scarecrow clean is very similar to the rack delivery, except now you’re going to pull yourself under the bar and sink into a full squat. This motion is strange and utterly foreign to any other gym movement so spend time on this.
Start with your elbows up high, and then flip your arms around while pulling yourself under the bar. As you get under the bar, go into a full squat position and catch the bar in the rack position. When performed during the actual movement, this part is fast. However, you can gradually increase the speed of getting under the bar and falling into a squat.
Scarecrow Clean Demo on Youtube
Tall Clean Pull:
Now we will work on your power shrug. The power shrug works together with your triple extension (that’s next!) to generate high levels of power in the clean. Hold the bar with your arms hanging straight down in front of you so that the bar rests on your thigh with a very slight bend in your hips and knees.
Now, you’re going to quickly extend your hips and knees while performing a mighty shrug. At the same time, you’ll also hyperextend your ankle slightly to come up on your toes. This should result in the bar exploding upwards.
Tall Clean Pull (aka Power Shrug) Demo on Youtube
Hang Clean Pull:
The hang clean pull does the same thing as the tall clean pull except you start from a hang position which means the bar will be further down below mid-thigh. To get there, you will need higher amounts of flexion in your hips and knees resulting in greater triple extension.
Again, use triple extension combined with your shrug to come up on your toes. You should end the movement slightly leaned back. This is a vital component so spend plenty of time perfecting this motion.
Hang Clean Pull Demo on Youtube
Tall Clean:
The tall, clean starts in the same position as the tall clean pull, but you drop into a full squat now.
Hang Clean:
Like the tall clean, the hang clean starts in the same position as the pull. The only difference is that you now drop into the squat.
Deadlift For The Clean:
The first part of the clean (and snatch) is just a deadlift. However, the form looks a little different in that the chest will want to be higher. If you were to pull from the ground and your body measurements had it, so your body was bent over more, you’re not going to be able to get powerful vertical force. Therefore, when performing the deadlift for the clean, be sure to get in position, so your torso is more upright.
Further, when you drive upwards for the clean, you really want to focus on using leg drive and digging your heels into the ground. While you should ALWAYS use leg drive during the deadlift, it’s even more critical during Olympic movements since your torso will be more upright, and you need to use triple extension to propel the barbell upwards.
Deadlift for Clean Demo on Youtube
Learning The Jerk
So now we can learn the jerk on its own.
Military Press (Strict Press):
The first part of learning the jerk is simply learning the strict press or military press.
Push Press:
Next, we want to add a powerful triple extension to the overhead press. Unrack the barbell and get in the same position as the military press. Now, you will give a slight dip, no deeper than ¼ squat but preferably higher. You will then powerfully extend your knees and hips in an attempt to propel the bar upwards. If done correctly, you will push the bar up to about head level.
At this point, you want to continue with this momentum and continue pressing the bar all the way overhead.
Push Jerk:
The jerk operates precisely like the push press with one addition. As you extend up and press the bar, you will drop under the bar one more time. Therefore the sequence looks like so:
- Dip
- Triple extension
- Press at full extension
- Drop back under the bar
- Catch the bar overhead and stand up fully
Split Jerk:
The split jerk is performed exactly like the push jerk, except as you complete your second dip, you will split your legs with your dominant leg out front.
Learning The Snatch
Many of the steps to learning the snatch except that the catch will be done above your head with arms extended rather than in the rack position.
Snatch Catch Position:
You will first want to get used to the catch position. Grab a training bar with an overhand or hook grip and at a width that’s about 1.5x that of your clean grip. Pull the bar so that the bar is overhead and in line with the rest of your body. Use a mirror to ensure you have the position correct, as many people will have the bar above their head but angled forward.
Be sure to actively press the bar up rather than just holding the bar. Next, hold this position while performing some hip flexion and extension.
Snatch Catch Position Demo on Youtube
Overhead Squat:
Now, get into the catch position and go down into a squat. You’re now effectively doing overhead squats, which you will need to do after catching the snatch in a squat position. This requires significant mobility, so spend any time you need. You can also gradually increase the weight on the bar as you progress.
Overhead Squat Demo on Youtube
Muscle Snatch:
The muscle snatch simply has you holding onto the bar and then forcefully pulling the bar up with a shrug. The important thing to remember is you are NOT swinging the bar up as in a kettlebell swing. You use a powerful shrug to propel the bar vertically and pull yourself underneath to catch it.
Mid-Hang Snatch Pull:
This will be exactly like the clean pull, except you’re using a snatch grip. Hold the bar so it rests at mid thigh level and then use your powerful triple extension and shrug to straighten out your body and pull the bar up. You should end on your toes and slightly lean back.
Mid-Hang Snatch Pull Demo on Youtube
Mid-Hang Muscle Snatch:
Same as above, except now you’re going to use triple extension and shrug to pull the bar upwards and pull your body underneath. You will end with the barbell overhead.
Mid-Hang Muscle Snatch Demo on Youtube
Scarecrow Snatch:
Just like the scarecrow clean but with a snatch grip. Elbows high and pop the bar up while pulling yourself under. Now, you will fall into a full squat with the barbell overhead. Perform an overhead squat to finish the movement.
Scarecrow Snatch Demo on Youtube
Tall Snatch:
The tall snatch is identical to the tall clean. Start the movement with minimal flexion in your hips and knee and the bar hanging at your waist. When ready, fully extend your hips and shrug the bar upward. As the bar travels up, drop underneath it and catch the barbell in an overhead squat.
Hang Snatch:
Same idea, except now you’re starting with a mid-hang position. This is the time to concentrate on your triple extension and power shrug.
Snatch Grip Deadlift:
Pulling from the ground with a snatch grip is more complex than using a conventional hand-grip. Therefore, you will need to train this movement consistently to become efficient.
Snatch Grip Deadlift Demo on Youtube
The Best Olympic Movement Variations
Above, we went over how to specifically learn the two Olympic movements, including breaking them down into segments. We want to go over other variations of these exercises that will give you some variety to work within your training. These exercises use the exact same biomechanics but differ somewhere in the execution. Since most of these Olympic lift variations can be done with either the snatch or the clean and jerk, we will list the variation and note which movement it can be performed with in parenthesis.
Pull From Blocks:
Pulling from the ground is the true test of your skill level in the Olympic movements. However, this is a huge range of motion as the bar must travel all the way to your shoulders or even above your head! This much movement can put a beating on your body if that’s all you do. Therefore, pulling from blocks simply lessens the range of motion while still allowing every aspect of the movement to be done. Further, as the bar will be higher, you’ll have more extension in your joints, creating a more upright torso.
To perform these, you simply set up blocks so that the bar sits somewhere towards your upper shin. However, the bar should be a couple of inches from your knee to allow a smaller first pull before the big second pull.
Pull from blocks when you still want to train every aspect of the movement but just want a smaller range of motion.
Clean Pull from Blocks Demo on Youtube
Snatch Pull from Blocks Demo on Youtube
Power Snatch & Power Clean And Jerk:
The power snatch or power clean and jerk has you perform either movement in their original manner. However, instead of catching the bar in a squat, you will catch the bar in a ¼ squat. Doing so means that you must propel the bar significantly farther, putting all the emphasis on the second pull.
Now, the second pull is obviously a crucial aspect of both movements during the full variation (going into a squat), but athletes can train to drop faster and lower, which allows them to still catch a bar if the second pull wasn’t on point. During their power variations, the athlete can’t drop under the bar, meaning they MUST be able to get the bar up high enough just using triple extension.
Power Clean and Jerk Demo on Youtube
Power Snatch Demo Demo on Youtube
Hang Snatch & Hang Clean And Jerk:
Both movements’ “hang” variation has you start with the bar at about knee level. To get there, you can either deadlift the bar up or pull from blocks. Either way, hold the barbell at about knee level and try to emulate your body position as if you were pulling from the ground. Basically, this means to pretend as if you were pulling from the ground but then stopped the movement right when you were about to use triple extension for the second pull. This means you should have your hips back, arms straight down at the knees, and a flat back.
You will immediately go into the second pull and use triple extension to propel the bar up from this position. Some people will start a tiny bit lower to use a little bit of vertical pull before triple extension; either way is acceptable. You will then catch the bar in a squat and complete the movement.
Hang Clean and Jerk Demo on Youtube
Hang Snatch Demo Demo on Youtube
Hang Power Snatch & Hang Clean And Jerk:
The “hang power” version just combines the “hang” and “power version”. This means you start the movement in a hang position and finish the movement in a ¼ squat. The “hang power” version has the smallest range of motion and uses the smallest load making it the least taxing of all variations. Further, this Olympic lift variation hones in on the second pull making it an optimal choice to improve the power production of your triple extension.
Hang Power Clean and Jerk Demo on Youtube
Hang Power Snatch Demo on Youtube
The Most Vital Accessory Movements For Olympic Lifting
In addition to the Olympic lift variations, there are also several other movements that you should include in your workout that will directly affect your Olympic lifting performance.
Front Squat:
Front squats are an Olympic lifter’s best friend as this is what you are essentially doing when you come up from a squat clean. While we mentioned this above with segment training, we wanted to reiterate that you should also be training this movement as a stand-alone exercise. You will perform this movement a lot, so you had better be comfortable with it AND strong. Further, being more efficient with your front squat means you’ll spend less energy coming up on the clean resulting in a better jerk.
Overhead Squat:
Same thing as the front squat. Every time you come up from the snatch catch, you will perform an overhead squat. Further, performing overhead squats more often is definitely going to improve your mobility and make you a better Olympic lifter.
Overhead Squat Demo on Youtube
Push Press:
You should go ahead and spend some time creating a more powerful push press. Doing so will increase the power of your triple extension as well as the overhead pushing force.
Dumbbell Power Shrug:
The dumbbell power shrug allows you to use dumbbells to help you mimic the clean pull or snatch pull. To perform this movement, you simply hold two dumbbells down to your side, slightly in front of you. You will go into a hang position (can adjust the height based on experience) and then use your powerful triple extension and shrug.
Dumbbell Power Shrug Demo on Youtube
Snatch Grip High Pull:
The snatch grip high pull requires you to pull from the ground using a snatch grip. However, when the bar hits your knees, you’re going to use a powerful triple extension and a shrug to propel the bar upwards. Your goal is to pull the bar up until you are in the scarecrow position with the back of your arms out straight laterally.
Snatch Grip High Pull Demo on Youtube
Deficit Deadlift (Conventional & Snatch Grip):
The deficit deadlift has you standing on an object when you deadlift, which increases the range of motion and increases flexion in the knees. More importantly, because you have so much more flexion in your knees and hips, lifters will focus on using leg drive to a higher degree than they would with conventional. This is important as you want to learn to drive your heels into the ground when you pull for Olympic lifts.
Deficit Deadlift Demo on Youtube
Jumps And Plyometrics:
Ballistic jumping and plyometrics are great ways to increase power production and improve your stretch-shortening cycle without putting a crazy load on your body. Use these as needed.
Pulling Exercises:
Olympic weightlifters need advanced strength levels in their back, so you can never really get enough pulling exercises in your routine. This means pullups, chin-ups, and any type of rowing that suits your fancy.
Bodyweight Exercises:
Bodyweight exercises like dips and pushups are also a great addition. It will help round out your movement patterns.
Your 3-Day/Week Beginning Olympic Weightlifting Program
Because you’re just beginning, you will train for Olympic lifting 3x a week. This is because you will be putting in a lot of volume at first to finesse your skills.
Week 1-Week 4:
Your first four weeks will concentrate on your form using lightweight and volume. For these, you can add weight if you feel good, OR you can just use the bar and minimal amount of weight to make the movement fluid. You will find that many of these movements actually work better with some weight rather than an empty bar, so adjust as necessary.
You’ll notice that the movements are divided into “Olympic Movements” and “Accessory”. The first couple weeks you will train your “Accessory” first as the Olympic Training will be very light. Then, as the Olympic movements become larger, they will move to the beginning of the session.
For the first month, you won’t have reps x sets for Olympic training. Instead, you’ll have a time limit where you will dedicate yourself to learning the movement. This will be done with just heavy enough weight to allow the movement. The key here is repetition as you will perform a lot of reps but keep an eye out for good form.
Week 1
SESSION 1:
| Accessory Work: | Sets | Reps |
| Front Squat | 4 | 4 |
| Strict Press | 4 | 4 |
| Dumbbell Power Shrug | 5 | 3 |
| Bent Over Rows | 4 | 6 |
| Box Jumps | 5 | 3 |
| Olympic Training (20 Mins): | ||
| Rack Position | ||
| Rack Delivery | ||
| Snatch Catch Position |
SESSION 2:
| Accessory Work: | Sets | Reps |
| Overhead Squat | 6 | 3 |
| Dumbbell Power Shrug | 4 | 4 |
| Chin Ups | 4 | AMRAP |
| Push Ups | 4 | AMRAP |
| Depth Jumps | 6 | 1 |
| Olympic Training (20 Mins): | ||
| Rack Position | ||
| Rack Delivery | ||
| Snatch Catch Position |
SESSION 3:
| Accessory Work: | Sets | Reps |
| Deficit Deadlift | 5 | 3 |
| Dumbbell Power Shrug | 4 | 4 |
| Strict Press | 4 | 8 |
| Pull Ups | 4 | AMRAP |
| Single Leg Bounds | 3 | 20 meters |
| Olympic Training (20 Mins): | ||
| Rack Position | ||
| Rack Delivery | ||
| Snatch Catch Position |
Week 2
SESSION 1:
| Accessory Work: | Sets | Reps |
| Front Squat | 4 | 4 |
| Push Press | 5 | 3 |
| Snatch Grip High Pull | 5 | 2 |
| Dips | 4 | AMRAP |
| Box Jumps | 5 | 3 |
| Olympic Training (25 Mins): | ||
| Rack Delivery | ||
| Muscle Clean | ||
| Scarecrow Clean | ||
| Muscle Snatch |
SESSION 2:
| Accessory Work: | Sets | Reps |
| Overhead Squat | 5 | 5 |
| Snatch Grip Deadlift | 5 | 5 |
| Dumbbell Power Shrug | 5 | 5 |
| Olympic Training (25 Mins): | ||
| Muscle Snatch | ||
| Scarecrow Snatch | ||
| Scarecrow Clean |
SESSION 3:
| Accessory Work: | Sets | Reps |
| Push Press | 5 | 5 |
| Snatch Grip High Pull | 5 | 5 |
| Bent Over Row | 5 | 5 |
| Olympic Training (25 Mins): | ||
| Scarecrow Snatch | ||
| Scarecrow Clean |
Week 3
SESSION 1:
| Accessory Work: | Sets | Reps |
| Push Press | 6 | 1 |
| Front Squat | 6 | 1 |
| Pendlay Rows | 5 | 5 |
| Dips | 3 | AMRAP |
| Olympic Training (25 Mins): | ||
| Scarecrow Clean | ||
| Tall Clean | ||
| Mid-Hang Muscle Clean |
SESSION 2:
| Olympic Training (25 Mins): | ||
| Scarecrow Snatch | ||
| Tall Snatch | ||
| Mid-Hang Muscle Snatch (begin adding light weight) | ||
| Accessory Work: | Sets | Reps |
| Overhead Squat | 5 | 2 |
| Deficit Deadlift | 5 | 2 |
| Hip Thrust | 4 | 4 |
| Bent Over Row | 3 | 6 |
| Push Ups | 2 | AMRAP |
SESSION 3:
| Olympic Training (25 Mins): | ||
| Mid-Hang Muscle Snatch (begin adding light weight) | ||
| Mid-Hang Muscle Clean (begin adding light weight) | ||
| Accessory Work: | Sets | Reps |
| Push Press | 4 | 4 |
| Dumbbell Power Shrug | 4 | 4 |
| Bent Over Row | 3 | 8 |
| Depth Jumps | 5 | 1 |
Week 4
SESSION 1:
| Olympic Training (30 Mins): | ||
| Mid-Hang Muscle Clean (with weight) | ||
| Mid-Hang Clean (with weight when ready) | ||
| Accesory Work: | Sets | Reps |
| Push Jerk | 3 | 3 |
| Front Squat | 4 | 4 |
| Chin Ups | 3 | AMRAP |
| Dips | 3 | AMRAP |
SESSION 2:
| Olympic Training (30 Mins): | ||
| Mid-Hang Muscle Snatch (with weight) | ||
| Mid-Hang Snatch (with weight) | ||
| Accessory Work: | Sets | Reps |
| Overhead Squat | 6 | 2 |
| Snatch Grip High Pull | 4 | 4 |
| Push Press | 4 | 4 |
| Push Ups | 3 | AMRAP |
SESSION 3:
| Olympic Training (30 Mins) | ||
| Mid-Hang Clean (increase weight) | ||
| Mid-Hang Snatch (increase weight) | ||
| Accessory Work: | Sets | Reps |
| Push Jerk | 5 | 1 |
| Deficit Deadlift | 3 | 5 |
| Dumbbell Power Shrug | 4 | 4 |
| Bent Over Row | 3 | 8 |
Week 4+
Assuming your form has been progressively improving, you’ll finally start implementing the complete Olympic movements. You can also start experimenting with using the split jerk.
SESSION 1:
| Olympic Training: | Sets | Reps |
| Hang Clean | 6 | 3 |
| Clean & Jerk | 6 | 2 |
| Accessory Work: | ||
| Front Squat | 3 | 8 |
| Box Jumps | 3 | 5 |
| Bent Over Rows | 3 | 8 |
| Strict Press | 3 | 8 |
| Chin Ups | 2 | AMRAP |
SESSION 2:
| Olympic Training: | Sets | Reps |
| Hang Snatch | 6 | 3 |
| Snatch | 6 | 3 |
| Accessory Work: | ||
| Overhead Squats | 2 | 8 |
| Pendlay Rows | 4 | 4 |
| Push Ups | 3 | AMRAP |
| Pull Ups | 2 | AMRAP |
| Single Leg Bounds | 2 | 20m |
SESSION 3:
| Olympic Training | Sets | Reps |
| Push Jerk (or Split Jerk) | 4 | 4 |
| Front Squat | 4 | 4 |
| Hang Clean or Hang Snatch (lightweight) | 6 | 3 |
| Accessory Work: | ||
| Snatch Grip High Pull | 4 | 4 |
| Hip Thrust | 3 | 8 |
| Chin Ups | 3 | AMRAP |
| Dips | 3 | AMRAP |
From the 5 weeks and forward, you are NOT using maximal weights. You are simply slowly adding weight while still being able to use good form. On all of the other movements, you will use progressive overload as normal.
Further, keep in mind you don’t have to always use the full movement after 5 weeks. You can still utilize the different Olympic variations as necessary.
Also, keep in mind that this program would work great as a stand alone workout program. You are still getting all of the other movements. However, you could add a 4th day of isolation work and smaller accessory work if so desired.
Don’t Let Olympic Lifting Scare You!
Yes. Olympic lifting is technical and requires a significant amount of time to learn its craft. However, you can definitely learn it, especially after we broke down the perfect beginner weightlifting program. Sure it’s going to take time, but when you finally become proficient at the clean and snatch, you’re going to see significant differences in all of your lifts, body composition, power production, mobility, and overall athleticism. Take what we laid out today and start with baby steps. Master that and then move on to more advanced variations. If you can learn to leave your ego at the door and start simple, you’ll be moving heavyweight in no time. No more beginner Olympic weightlifting lessons for you anymore!
Be sure to bookmark this Beginner Olympic Workout Program so you can come back to the session charts above for each workout.
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Garett Reid
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