Programming for Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide

Call me crazy, but if the best weightlifting programmes possible are individualised, then I want to know as much as possible about how programming for olympic weightlifting works.

At the end of the day, if you’re going to spend the next few years working your ass off in the gym, you want to know that the program you’re following is improving your snatch, clean and jerk as much as possible.

So that’s exactly what this article is going to do.

We’ll start with the 3 golden rules for weightlifting programming, as well as 3 of the most common ways that I see athletes and newer coaches mess it up. After that, we’ll dive into the details of sets, reps, frequencies and intensities, before finishing with some practical examples of 3-day and 6-day olympic weightlifting programs.

Let’s get started, shall we?

Programming for Olympic Weightlifting: 3 Golden Rules

When you cut away all the fluff, a successful weightlifting programme only has to do 3 things…

1) Allow Frequent Practice of the Weightlifting Movements

2) Regularly Include Strength Development Exercises Like Squats and Pulls

3) Schedule Both of the Above in a Way that Allows for Overload and Recovery.

We’ll dive into the nitty-gritty details soon, but you’d be surprised just how many programmes fall at the first hurdle.

Weightlifting Programming – 3 Ways to Mess It Up

Over the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity to review A LOT of people’s weightlifting programmes (including newer coaches) and I’ve noticed three big errors seem to come up over and over again…

1) Not Including Enough Strength Work

Newer lifters and coaches tend to forget that weightlifting is fundamentally a strength sport. If you can’t deadlift 180kg (about 400lb) then you’re not going to be able to clean it. Full stop.

Squatting two sets of 3 at 70-75% isn’t going to develop the leg strength necessary to make big lifts. Similarly, if you deadlift 200kg but your weightlifting programme has you doing nothing but pulls at 60-90kg, it isn’t going to increase your pulling strength all that much.

2) Relying Too Much on Strength Work and Not Getting Weightlifting Practice In

On the flip side of the coin, you have coaches and lifters who focus so much on strength work that they don’t actually get enough quality olympic weightlifting practice.

I’ve seen guys who regularly squat over 200kg and deadlift over 240kg, and yet can’t even snatch triple digits. No amount of strength work is going to improve their weightlifting. What they need is more practice of the specific movements.

3) Scheduling Programmes in Ways That Don’t Allow for Recovery

The last mistake I see is when coaches have all the right ingredients in terms of strength and technique work but arrange them in such a way that it would absolutely mutilate most athletes. Light days and deload weeks exist for a reason.

How do you program a weightlifting program?

Alright, so we’ve talked about how NOT to design an Olympic weightlifting programme, but how do you design one.

Time for the nitty-gritty details…

1) Frequent Practice of the Olympic Weightlifting Movements (2-3 Times Per Week)

Put simply, the weightlifting movements must be practised at least twice per week, ideally three times, in order to maximize results. There are two reasons for this, first, research shows (Edwards 2010) that you need regular exposure to a motor pattern in order to master it. Second, you need to build speed strength in a biomechanically specific way in order to see the adaptations you want.

The good news is that because the movements are typically lighter, and have no eccentric component, you can recover from them pretty quickly (especially snatches)

2) Regular Inclusion of Squats, Deadlift Variations and Overhead Exercises

Just like we talked about earlier, weightlifting is still a strength sport, and your squatting, pulling and overhead strength need to keep on improving.

A good rule of thumb is to schedule two squatting sessions, two overhead sessions and one heavier pulling session each week.

• With the squatting sessions, I would probably have one session focus on back squats, and the other focus on front squats to maximize the carryover of strength to the clean.

• With the overhead sessions, I would recommend one session using a push press variation, and the other using a strict press variation. That way you get a good balance between learning to stabilize larger weights overhead, but also getting in some more focused shoulder strength work.

• With the deadlift variations, and I say variations because I’m referring to the clean deadlift and snatch deadlift movements, in which you start your pull in the exact same position as your weightlifting movements. In my mind, they offer the best compromise between heavy lifting and positional specificity. (For more on pulls vs deadlifts – see here)

Now, obviously, you can vary the amount of strength work that you do to suit your own needs, but those recommendations should give you a decent place to start.

3) Schedule Both of the Above in a Way that Allows for Recovery (Heavy-Light Patterns)

So now you’ve got snatches, cleans, jerks, back squats, front squats, deadlift variations, push presses and strict presses to fit into your training week. Plus ideally, you’re gonna want some core work and back work in there too. It can get a little overwhelming, and it’s easy to make a mess of it.

The best way to solve this problem is by using a heavy – light – heavy type of structure. On your heavy days you’ll either…

a) go heavier

b) do more volume

c) both of the above.

Then on your lighter days, you’ll back off a bit by doing the opposite.

Later in the article, we’ll jump into some detailed programmes showing what that might look like in practice, but a basic example might be…

Day One: 5×2 Snatches @ 80% (Heavy)

Day Two: 3×2 Power Snatches @ 60% (Light)

Sets, Reps and Intensity Recommendations

Strength Work

For your strength work, I’ve found that there’s no real need to overcomplicate this, just aim for something in the range of 3 to 5 challenging sets of 3 to 5 reps for your squats, pulls and overhead strength movements.

If you like to use RPE, then I recommend most of your strength work be done at around RPE 8, so your sets are all tough, but you’ve still got a couple of reps in the tank.

Percentage-wise, this can typically be anything from 75-90% depending on the chosen set and rep scheme.

You might also find my simple squat programme useful (It’s a free programme)

Snatches, Cleans and Jerks

With your weightlifting movements, you’ll have to think a little more about the distribution of intensity. What I mean by this is that you have three distinct intensity ranges to work with.

• 70-80%, which allows for good technical practice and high training volumes (think 6 sets of 3 reps)

• 80-90%, which allows for exposure to challenging weights and moderate training volumes (think 4 sets of 2 reps)

• 90%+, which primes the body to lift maximally and allows for minimal training volumes (think 3 to 5 singles)

The heavier you lift the greater the specificity to competition, but the more taxing the movements and the more likely your technique is to break down. This is why I generally recommend performing the majority of your lifts at 70-80%, some of your lifts at 80-90%, and only a handful of your lifts at 90%+.

As you become more experienced, you can slightly alter this distribution in favour of higher intensity workouts– but just as a reference point, even the best lifters in the world only tend to spend around 1/8th of their training time with weights in the 90-100% range.

Looking for An Olympic Weightlifting Programme?

I’ve been putting together an evidence-based library of olympic weightlifting programs, each designed with a specific training style or goal in mind.

There’s a 13-week classic weightlifting programme, a 6- Week “Bulgarian” Weightlifting Programme, and even a Weightlifting + Bodybuilding Programme for people looking to improve their total and get jacked.

Each programme comes with full instructions, Q&A access, and a guide to auto-regulation/individualisation.

You can learn more by clicking right here.

Programming for Beginners vs Intermediate and Advanced Lifters

A big factor to consider is the differences in weightlifting programming between beginner, intermediate and advanced weightlifters in terms of…

• Volumes
• Intensities
• Exercise selection
• Rate of Progress

So what does this mean in application?

Beginners don’t need complex programmes, and often don’t even have stable 1rm’s to work from. Instead, they need regular practice of the weightlifting movements, at manageable weights that allow them to focus on technique. Alongside this they can follow a fixed set and rep scheme (3×5 for example) for strength work, progressing in a linear fashion session to session.

Intermediate weightlifters have stable 1rm’s and need more volume and intensity than beginners, but not so much that it breaks them. It can be useful to use a wider selection of weightlifting variations to address technical weaknesses. Alongside this, strength work can use slightly more variety in sets and reps, and progression will likely be every week or every other week.

Programming for advanced weightlifters is more complex again. They have stable 1rm’s, but need significant volume and intensity to drive further progress. They also need greater exposure to 90%+ lifts. Strength work will have to utilise significant variety, often employing a phasic or waving structure for progress on a monthly or multi-month basis.

Olympic Weightlifting Workout

Alright, time to start putting these concepts together into practical examples that you can use when designing programmes for yourself or your athletes.

Here’s what a workout using these principles might look like…

Snatch: 3×2 @ 80%
Hang Clean & Jerk: 5×1 @ 80%

Back Squat: 4×5 @ RPE 8

Push Press: 4×5 @ RPE 8

Pull-Ups: 3 x Max Reps

Olympic Weightlifting Training Program

Next up, here’s what some Olympic weightlifting programs using these principles might look like…

3 Day Olympic weightlifting programme

Monday:

Snatch: 3×2 @ 75%
Hang Clean & Jerk: 5×1 @ 80%

Back Squat: 4×5 @ RPE 8

Push Press: 4×5 @ RPE 8

Pull-Ups: 3 x Max Reps

Wednesday:

Clean & Jerk: 3×2 @ 75%
Hang Snatch: 5×1 @ 80%

Front Squat: 5×3 @ RPE 8

Strict Press: 4×5 @ RPE 8

DB Rows: 3 x 8-12 each side

Friday:

Snatch: Heavy Single 85-90%

Clean & Jerk: Heavy Single 85-90%

Clean Deadlift: 3×3 @ RPE 8

*With weekly progression achieving by increasing intensities by about 2% each week for around 4 weeks, followed by a deload week.

Best Olympic Weightlifting Exercises for 3-Day Programs

On a 3 day weightlifting programme you have limited time available to train, so it’s best to take a streamlined, focused approach that mainly includes the essentials…

• Snatches
• Hang Snatches
• Clean & Jerks
• Hang Clean & jerks
• Back Squats
• Front Squats
• Clean Deadlifts
• Push Presses / Strict Presses

Also, since you’ll have plenty of recovery days, every training day should be heavy.

6 day Olympic Weightlifting Programme

On a 6-day weightlifting programme it becomes essential to utilise the heavy-light-heavy pattern to allow for recovery. Here you can see the mon, weds and fri workouts are heavier, whilst the tues, thurs and sat workouts are lighter.

You’ll also notice that exercises are chosen to minimise local fatigue issues, for example, high block snatches and cleans are used on Saturday as they’re easier on the lower back and hamstrings, which will still be fatiguing from friday’s deadlifts.

Generally speaking, I wouldn’t recommend a 6-day weightlifting programme for anyone other than late intermediates or advanced lifters.

Monday:

Snatch: 4×2 @ 75%
Hang Clean & Jerk: 5×1 @ 80%

Back Squat: 5×5 @ RPE 8

Tuesday:

Power Snatch: 3×2 @ 70%

Power Clean: 3×2 @ 70%

Pull-Ups: 2 x Max Reps

Wednesday:

Clean & Jerk: 4×2 @ 75%
Hang Snatch: 5×1 @ 80%

Front Squat: 5×3 @ RPE 8

Thursday:

Muscle Snatch: 3×3 By Feel

Muscle Clean: 3×3 By Feel

Pull-Ups: 2 x Max Reps

Friday:

Snatch: Heavy Single 85-90%

Clean & Jerk: Heavy Single 85-90%

Clean Deadlift: 3×3 @ RPE 8

Saturday:

High Block Snatch: 3×3 By Feel

High Block Clean: 3×3 By Feel

Push Press: 4×5 @ RPE 8

DB Rows: 3 x 8-12 each side

Best Olympic Weightlifting Exercises for 6-Day Programs

Because 6 days programs allow much more training time, you can employ a much wider selection of exercises. You have heavier options such as…

• Snatches
• Hang Snatches
• Clean & Jerks
• Hang Clean & jerks
• Back Squats
• Front Squats
• Clean Deadlifts
• Push Presses

And lighter options such as…

• Power snatches
• Power cleans
• Power jerks
• Push Jerks
• Muscle snatches
• Muscle cleans
• High block snatches
• High block cleans

Olympic Weightlifting Program Pdf

Just in case you wanted a weightlifting programme in PDF format, I’ve got you covered.

Here’s my 3-week ‘No-Nonsense’ Weightlifting Programme. It’s a 4-day programme that uses a simplified wave structure.

Download it below and get to work improving your weightlifting movements and strength lifts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best weightlifting program?

Honestly, it doesn’t exist. Some programmes are better than others (because they follow the principles we’ve discussed) but it mainly comes down to you as an individual. Your training level, ability, body type etc. It’s why the best weightlifting programmes are individualised.

Olympic Weightlifting Program for Masters Lifters?

All the same principles apply we’ve discussed apply to masters lifters. The major difference is that masters lifters can typically tolerate less total volume per session and less total volume per week. So if a 25-year-old runs a programme with 10 heavy sets of squats per week, a 45-year-old may need to adjust the programme to include 6-8 heavy sets per week.

Key Factors for Determining Programming Effectiveness?

Assuming that the programme is well written and follows the principles we’ve discussed above, there are three major factors that determine its effectiveness.

a) Your recovery (nutrition, stress and sleep)

b) Your genetics

c) And your adherence

Put simply, you can’t expect any weightlifting programme to work well if you don’t properly stick to it or you only sleep 3 hours per night.

Next Steps

Alright, that’s enough reading for today, time for action…

1) Open an excel doc and start writing a programme using the principles we discussed above. Or, if you’ve decided it sounds like way too much hassle, start following one of the sample programmes I’ve provided.

2) If you want more training tips, workouts and programmes, feel free to join my mailing list.

3) And if you’re looking for 1:1 olympic weightlifting coaching, you can find more information about my services here.

‘Til Next Time

Alex

Alex Parry, MSc, BA

Alex’s experience includes 7+ years within strength & conditioning, including supporting 2 major universities, 2 national talent pathways and a selection of international level athletes.

He is also a tutor and educator for British Weightlifting