Thoughts on an Oly lifting program?

After years of looking at various programs and doing the Olympic lifts myself, I've come to believe that a good program (notice I didn't claim that this was the "best" program; I don't even know if a "best" program exists) that will give you what you need is something like the following:

Pick one of the lifts to focus on during the workout.

Start ridiculously light - an empty bar or even a stick - and start by doing a few reps. This is more than just a "warm up" as you are trying to imprint the correct movement pattern. Get to where you move the bar or stick pretty quickly.

Add weight. Keep the reps under 5, preferably around 3. While the weight is still light continue to focus on speed.

Continue to add weight. It's okay, and even encouraged, to do sets of singles.

The Olympic lifts are technical and technique breaks down in a fatigued state. Eventually, you'll need to learn when to stop. If you're consistently missing lifts, you should stop. If you made the last lift but it felt very challenging, stop. Expect to do around 10 or more sets of the lift. Remember, though, that some of these sets will be singles, so it's not like you're doing a marathon 10x10 session.

When you've finished with your Olympic lift for the day, do squats, either front or back. Add weight each set and work up to a challenging set of 3 or 5 reps. Initially, stick to 5 reps. "Challenging" means that you were able to complete the rep but it was difficult. Avoid going to failure or getting "stapled" by the bar. When in doubt, leave a rep in the bank.

To sum up - focus on one of the lifts each workout followed by squats. Nice and simple.

I was in the same boat a few years back and started with Mark Rippetoe's Starting Strengh Program.  Google the wiki for it, there's a ton of information out there on the setup & programming before getting into any of his books.  He also has a forum that he runs, which is linked on the wiki page.  As someone who hadn't come near a barbell since high school, and not even much then, this was a great way to get introduced to Oly lifting in a simple, time effective manner.  There's some heavy duty kool-aid drinkers that you may have to work around on the forum, and Mark himself can be a bit abrasive, but he and the site are a wealth of knowledge. 

In a nutshell, the program consists of 2 days with a day of rest between.  If you're like me, you're starting from basically using the bar for these exercises and with linear progression and dedication, you quickly make gains in strength.

Day A - Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift
Day B - Squat, Overhead Press, Power Clean

You can suppliment in auxillary moves once you get used to these.

Feel free to PM me with any questions, but I'll bet any you have would be answered by the wiki or forum.

Ripp, as he is affectionately known, has laid out a good, basic strength program in Starting Strength. It is not necessarily geared towards Oly lifting but it can be by, for example, simply substituting the snatch for the bench press (most Oly lifters do very little, if any, bench press). My only criticism would be not to limit yourself to 3 sets of the power clean. You can limit yourself to 3 "work sets" defined as your top 3 heaviest sets. But if you're learning the lifts I can't stress enough how you should start light and do lots of technique reps. For instance, my best power clean and jerk is 90 kg for 2 reps. I'll usually start with an empty bar and do "muscle cleans" where I simply use muscle strength to move the bar. I'll then get explosive with just the bar and try to move it as fast as I can through the movement (being careful not to hit myself in the chin). I'll then move up to 50 kg and do 1 or 2 sets of 3 to 5 reps, again just warming up and building speed. Then I'll go to 60 kg, same thing, 1-2 sets x 3-5 reps. Then 70 kg for 1 set of 1, 1x2, then perhaps 1x3. Then 75 kg for some singles, perhaps a double. Then 80 kg. At 80 kg the bar starts to feel heavy so now I'm down to singles, maybe a combo of 1 rep of the power clean followed by 1 rep full clean. Then some singles with 85 kg. At this point I'm wiped out and I call it a day for the cleans. Then it's off to squats.



Initially you'll want to alternate the clean and the snatch just so you're practicing each lift consistently. After a while, you can work on your weaker lift (recommended) or your favorite lift (won't help your weak lift but more fun to do). The deadlift is a great lift but the pull is somewhat different than the pull you use for the Oly lifts so take a break from conventional deadlifting. However, the Romanian deadlift is a very good lift for Olympic lifters.



Zerchers are good but not specific to the Olympic lifts. Most people avoid the front squat because it hurts their wrists. Been there - I used to loathe the front squat. But then I learned how to correctly front squat with the bar load on my shoulders. Now I actually enjoy it. Get a pair of wrist wraps. The bar should rest on your shoulders. You need to roll your shoulders forward to create a shelf, but don't round your upper back when doing this. The bar should rest securely on your shoulders and you won't need to keep all of your fingers on the bar. I'm only able to keep two fingers on the bar. Have your instructor show you how to properly front squat if he hasn't already.

Here are some sample programs we have used for our Oly. Lifters from USA Weighlifting...now if you would like to look at our program we used for out football team send me a PM and I can send you all the workouts and information...

for example on monday it says 20 reps of snatches....start with like 2-3 sets of 3 reps than drop down to 2 reps till your last 4-5 sets are singles....which means you only are going one rep at that weight...and the weight should be 95%+ of your max

"Beginners should do LOTS of the competitive lifts with moderate weights. To us, moderate means as heavy as can be done with consistently good technique and a low percentage of misses, whether it is 75% or 95% of max. Most workouts are started with snatch and clean and jerk, and in most workouts beginners do at least 20 snatches and 10 clean and jerks. We aren't afraid to try new maxes whenever they seem possible, but try to do it within a framework of lots of lifts, few ugly lifts, and fewer misses.

We believe in doing all 3 squat variations normally done by weightlifters (front squat, back squat, and overhead squat), most weeks doing at least one workout of each style. We focus on the back squat for strength building, and concentrate on good position in front squatting and overhead squatting. We also do 'unusual' strength exercises, exercises designed not only to strengthen, but to condition and toughen. Exercises like dumbbell and barbell clean and press (each rep includes a clean and a press), walking lunges, kettlebell work, and strongman type training. We believe the training of beginners is a three-fold process, learning efficient technique on the competitive lifts, increasing strength, and conditioning the body to handle the increased training that will be required as a more advanced lifter.

Our training programs for beginners are simple. A sample weekly workout for a first year

Monday

• 20 snatches
• 10 clean and jerks
• 3 sets of 3 front squats
• 2 sets of 10 dumbbell clean & press

Wednesday

• Snatch to roughly 95%
• Clean and jerk to roughly 95%
• 5 sets of 5 squats
• Walking lunges, 2 sets of 40 yards each

Friday

• 20 hang snatches
• 20 hang clean and jerk (could alternate jerk and power jerk)
• 3 sets of 5 overhead squat
• 3 sets of 10 bent press with kettlebell

Also, I have a TON of olympic lifting specific programs here are some examples ...most at in excel format...

Here is a 12 week program...where it says max put in your max everyday /week

ETA: the file is to large ...once again PM me if you would like me to e-mail it to you

Edited by LSU25 2010-07-24 10:27 AM

My favorite 3 day program is Bill Starr's 5x5 program.  DoggCrap and 5/3/1 are great too.