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Best Olympic Weightlifting Programs for 2021

Olympic weightlifting programs are training programs that help an athlete increase their one rep max in the clean and jerk and snatch movements. These are the two movements required in Olympic weightlifting competition.

Olympic lifting training regimens tend to be higher frequency, with many programs calling for 5 or 6 training sessions per week. However, we do also have lower frequency programs with only 3 or 4 training sessions each week.

A good training program will typically feature back squats, front squats, push press, power cleans, power jerks, and various deadlift accessories, as these movements have significant carryover for the clean & jerk and snatch. Beginner lifting programs will feature less of these movements and focus more on the primary jerks, cleans, presses, and squats.

Remember, before beginning a program it is crucial to learn the proper technique of the associated movements. Not only does this help prevent injury, but it will also help you move the most weight as efficiently as possible.

You can find the latest Olympic weightlifting programs below, or you may choose from the list of popular training programs.

Popular Olympic Weightlifting Programs

3 Day Chinese Olympic Weightlifting Program Spreadsheet

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This Chinese Olympic weightlifting program is a 3 day, 4 week peaking block designed for competition preparation. It was originally designed for school-aged lifters that were only able to train 3 days per week.

Program Overview

  • 4 week peaking mesocycle
  • 3 training days per week
  • Trains a variety lifts, but is designed to peak the snatch and clean & jerk
  • Trained lifts include the snatch, clean & jerk, power snatch, power clean, snatch pull, clean pull, deadlift, Romanian deadlift, back squat, front squat, hang snatch, push press, and press.
[Read more…]

6 Day 8 Week Intermediate Olympic Weightlifting Program (Glenn Pendlay)

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This is a 6 day, 8 week Olympic weightlifting program originally shared by Glenn Pendlay. It was originally shared over the course of 8 weeks in 2015 on his blog. The program is designed to be run in preparation for a weightlifting competition and can be considered a peaking program. It is well suited for an average intermediate weightlifter.

Intermediate Olympic Weightlifting Program Overview

  • This is an 8 week program, 6 days of training per week.
  • It is designed for intermediate weightlifters.
  • It can be used to peak for a weightlifting competition.
  • It programs for the following lifts (1RM unless noted otherwise):
    • Back squat (5 rep max)
    • Front squat (3 rep max)
    • Push press (5 rep max)
    • Snatch from hip
    • Snatch from knee
    • Clean & Jerk
    • Clean & Jerk (from hip)
    • Clean & Jerk (from knee)
    • Clean
    • Overhead Press
    • Power Snatch
    • Power Clean
  • The set and rep scheme is sets x reps (e.g. 2×3 means “2 sets of 3 reps”)
  • EMOM = every minute on the minute
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Torokhtiy 13 Week Olympic Weightlifting Program Spreadsheet (3 Day)

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This is a 13 week 3 day Olympic weightlifting program designed by Oleksiy Torokhtiy. It is a well-rounded base program, training a variety of snatch variations, clean variations, and squat variations in addition to back accessories.

Program Overview

  • The program is 13 weeks long.
  • The program has 3 primary training days per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday).
    • If you have extra time, you can perform the Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday workouts, but they are optional.
  • There is a fair amount of exercise variety in the program, but here is general breakdown of exercise frequency for the three primary training days:
    • Back extensions: 3 times per week
    • Snatch + variations: 3 times per week
    • C&J + variations: 3 times per week
    • Squatting: 2 times per week
  • If you see an “X” it means to choose the weight yourself.
  • If you see “for technique” beside an exercise, it means to use less weight, slow the movement down, and focus on executing the lift with perfect form.
  • The rep scheme is weight x reps x sets.
[Read more…]

Glenn Pendlay Beginner Olympic Weightlifting Program Spreadsheet

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This is an Olympic weightlifting program outline for beginners. It was originally published by Glenn Pendlay in 2010 on his blog, which is now defunct. The article and program template have been reproduced here for archival purposes.

I also have created an accompanying spreadsheet that can be used to follow along with the program.

Program Overview

  • This program is for beginner Olympic weightlifters only.
    • The progression will be too rapid for more developed lifters to continually make progress.
  • The program consists of week A and week B training cycles, which can be repeated as long as the lifter is making progress.
  • Each training week is comprised of three training sessions.
  • These training sessions can be organized however you’d like, as long as recovery is adequate. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is one logical sequence.
    • Other variations would likely work too. The most important question is if you feel recovered heading into each training session and are able to continually add weight on the bar. The answer to both should be “yes.” If not, sleep and nutrition should be assessed. Else, if the athlete has been running the program for several months, they may have exhausted this rapid linear progression and should move to another program with slower progression.
  • Each training session consists of a snatching exercise, a clean & jerk exercise, a squatting movement, and at least one “complex.”
    • A complex is several exercises performed sequentially, in a circuit, with minimal rest in between exercises.
    • Complexes can include plyometric exercises like box jumps or long jumps, ab exercises, lower back exercises (e.g. reverse hyperextensions, back extensions, planks), and conditioning work like high rep kettlebell snatches or swings. Prehab work like shoulder dislocations or band pull-aparts can work too.
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Takano 12 Week Olympic Weightlifting Program Spreadsheet

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This is a 12 week Olympic weightlifting program with 3 to 6 training days per week, depending upon your classification. It can be used by beginner, intermediate, and advanced weightlifters, as it provides programming for multiple lifter classifications.

This program can be used in preparation for a weightlifting competition.

The program has seemingly been attributed to Bob Takano, though I have no idea if he had anything to do with it or not. You can find the best of Takano’s thinking in his book: Weightlifting Programming: A Winning Coach’s Guide.

Program Overview

Here’s a quick breakdown of the program. You’ll find more detail in the spreadsheet and the notes below.

  • 12 week program
  • 3 to 6 training days per week
  • Appropriate for the following classifications: CIII, CII, CI, CMS
  • Main exercise movements
    • Hang Power Snatch
    • Behind the Neck Push Press (BTNPP)
    • Hang Power Clean
    • Back Squat
    • Snatch Deadlift
    • Press
  • Frequency for snatches, cleans, and jerks varies from 2-6 times per week, depending upon the lifter’s classification
  • Accessory movements are also included

It is important to note that weight, sets, and reps are denoted like this: (weight/reps) x sets.

For example, (100/4)x3 means to lift 100 kg for 3 sets of 4 reps. (Or 100 lbs – the units do not matter).

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12 Week Supertotal Basics Program by Next Step Strength

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This is a 12 week Supertotal program by Next Step Strength (Instagram). It has 4 training days per week and uses block periodization to expose the athlete to hypertrophy, strength, and peaking phases. It could be used when preparing for a Supertotal competition. [Read more…]

SuperTotal Program (17 Weeks) by Brian Simmons

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This is a 17 week program for SuperTotal training designed by Brian Simmons. As a quick reminder, SuperTotal training combines the power lifts (squat, bench press, and deadlift) with Olympic lifts (snatch and clean & jerk). So it really requires well-rounded athleticism from the lifter. There’s a video at the bottom of this post that discusses SuperTotal training in more depth if you’re interested. [Read more…]

10 Week Squat Program (High Volume) by Greg Everett

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This is a 6 days per week, 10 week high frequency/volume squat peaking program designed by Greg Everett. While it was designed with Olympic weightlifters in mind, hence the high volume for front squats as well as back squats, it can be used by anyone looking for a high volume squat peaking program. [Read more…]

Tim Swords 7 Week Front Squat Program Spreadsheet

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Tim Swords is an olympic weightlifting coach and this is a 7 week squat program he employs. It can be used for the front squat or the back squat, though it is designed to peak the front squat.

These spreadsheets are based off of an interpretation of his work and are not officially endorsed or associated with him in any way. [Read more…]

FAQs About Olympic Weightlifting Programs

What is an Olympic weightlifting program?

An Olympic weightlifting program is a training routine designed to improve the one rep max in the two competition lifts: the snatch and the clean & jerk.

In order to accomplish this, a few key variables are manipulated: exercise selection, training frequency, training intensity, and training volume.

What exercises are commonly included in an Olympic weightlifting program?

While there are only two competition lifts in Olympic weightlifting, a wide variety of exercises are utilized to help achieve the best training result.

Variations of the snatch and clean & jerk are frequently used to help train specific portions of the movement pattern. These can include the snatch from hip, snatch from knee, power snatch, power clean, clean & jerk from hip, clean & jerk from knee, cleans, and so on.

In addition to competition lift variations, front squats, back squats, push presses, overhead presses, Romanian deadlifts, and back extensions are also programmed to help strengthen key muscle groups.