Try this 12-week Olympic Weightlifting Starter Program, designed to pave the way in which in your success on the platform. And in case you’re new to the world of Olympic weightlifting, be sure you dive into The Final Information To Olympic Weightlifting Lifts for a strong basis.
When you’ve delved into the exercises, let’s take a more in-depth have a look at what this program entails. I’ll stroll you thru the rationale behind the each day construction, offering insights that profit athletes and coaches alike. From deciphering the units and reps format to managing weight development, I’ll equip you with the data to navigate this system successfully. Plus, I’ll provide the inexperienced gentle to include some strategic bodybuilding workout routines for added muscle growth.
All it takes is a contact of willpower and dedication. As for tools, a trusty Olympic barbell and a set of dumbbells are all you must embark on this journey. Put together for a program brimming with explosive lifts, strength-building actions, and focused accent workout routines to fortify your efficiency.
What’s Within the Program
Let’s dive into this system format actual fast. As a USA Weightlifting Nationwide Coach, I firmly consider that greedy this system format is important for athletes to commit and thrive absolutely. When you’ve explored it, all of the puzzle items will fall into place extra easily.
Major lifts
Every coaching day begins with the first focus carry, whether or not snatch, cleans, jerks, or technical variations on day 3. These lifts all the time come first as they thrive on technical proficiency, energy, and execution. Knocking these out very first thing makes certain you’re practising your ability with recent legs (or as recent as they are often).
Energy lifts
Within the starter program, squats and pulls are your main power lifts. Pulls are instrumental in enhancing power and refining bar path precision, whereas squats construct your legs.
On the subject of pulls, it’s important to deal with heavier weights in comparison with previous snatches or cleans. Nevertheless, you need to preserve impeccable type all through. Sloppy repetitions solely reinforce improper positions, which is one thing we goal to keep away from in any respect prices.
Accent Lifts
Equipment are the inspiration for fortifying your physique’s armor. They use quite a lot of higher and lower-body lifts geared toward enhancing unilateral power, stability, muscle mass, and harm prevention. Whereas it’s essential to problem your self with accent lifts, it’s equally very important to keep away from pushing to the extent the place extreme fatigue compromises your efficiency on subsequent coaching days.

Run the Program
That is your tour information for working the Clear & Jerk starter program. All the things you must know is right here!
Units and Reps
Your working units and reps will decide your each day, weekly, and month-to-month coaching quantity. Since it is a newbie program, begin with 3 to 4 rounds of normal approach bar work, and transfer into your warmup units. I’d advocate beginning every carry with 3-4 warm-up units, slowly progressing in weight to your working units.
Listed below are a couple of examples of the right way to learn this system:
- Entrance Squat: 4 units of three reps
- Snatch + Overhead Squat: 4×1+1 4 units of Snatch-Overhead Squat
- Clear + Jerk: 4×2+1 4 units of Clear-Clear-Jerk
- Clear + Jerk: 4x(1+1)2 4 units of Clear-Jerk-Clear-Jerk.
How A lot You Ought to Carry
The quantity of weight you must carry will rely in your health stage, how shortly you progress, and in the end the way you’re feeling each day.
For this program, we’ll depend on an RPE scale per train. “Per train” means how the train felt general. As an example, an RPE 7/10 on a Clear + Jerk triple (6 reps whole) can be a lot decrease than a Clear + Jerk double (2 whole reps). Ideally, the less reps per set will let you carry extra weight leading to progressive overload. Right here’s a fast week-to-week breakdown to make use of for all phases:
- Week 1 RPE 7/10 – Average Depth
- Week 2: RPE 8/10 – Average-Heavy Depth
- Week 3: RPE 5-6/10 (deload) – Low-Average Depth
- Week 4: RPE 9/10 – Heavy Depth (not max effort!)

Development Methods and Methodology
Even with an RPE information to comply with, it may be unsure how a lot you must improve your weights weekly.
Sometimes, I like to recommend bumping the burden in 3-5% increments. This can let you push new targets by week 4 of every part and enhance your power whereas preserving the rise in weights sufficiently small to develop proficient approach.
Can I Add Additional Lifts?
In fact! Whereas this program has the whole lot you must enhance on the Olympic lifts, a couple of dumbbell curls or triceps extensions received’t damage. Toss these in on the finish of your exercise, ideally on Day 2 and Day 4, adopted by relaxation days.
The Program
It’s what you’re right here for, so test it out! A program constructed to show you the ins and outs of the clear and jerk in preparation to crush PRs. It’s progressive by nature and is decked out with fundamental lifts, power lifts, and equipment.
Pre-Program Information
Let’s make clear a couple of issues earlier than you’re taking that first look on the program. This could assist course of the train ordering and establish the right way to learn the units, reps, supersets, and trisets.
When you end testing this system, we’ll take a second to dive deeper into the ins and outs. Of the 12-week Olympic Weightlifting Starter Program
Train Order
- Every train is denoted alphabetically, with supersets or tri-sets famous by numbers.
- Letters (i.e. D1., D2., D3) point out a superset or triset. Carry out one set of the primary train, instantly adopted by one set of the subsequent. That equals one set. Repeat for 3 whole units.
Units and Reps
Listed below are a couple of examples of the right way to learn this system:
- Entrance Squat: 4×3 4 units of three reps.
- Snatch + Overhead Squat: 4×1+1 4 units of Snatch-Overhead Squat
- Clear + Jerk: 4×2+1 4 units of Clear-Clear-Jerk
- Clear + Jerk: 4x(1+1)2 4 units of Clear-Jerk-Clear-Jerk.
- Snatch Pull + Dangle Snatch Above Knee + Overhead Squat: 3-5×1+2+1 3 to five units of Snatch Pull-Dangle Snatch Above Knee-Dangle Snatch Above Knee-Overhead Squat
Relaxation Intervals
Hold your relaxation intervals to 1:30 – 2:00. I all the time advise my athletes to make use of a timer, as time can shortly go!
Weekly Coaching Schedule
Ideally, this program can be carried out as follows:
- Day 1: Monday
- Day 2: Tuesday
- Day 3: Thursday
- Day 4: Saturday
If this schedule doesn’t match yours, do what’s finest for you! Listed below are a couple of fast objects to notice no matter your coaching schedule:
- Be sure that to have (1) relaxation day between Day 4 and Day 1.
- Attempt your finest to not run all 4 days consecutively.
- The primary coaching days are Day 1, Day 2, and Day 4. In case you can solely prepare 3 times per week, drop Day 3 of this system.
- In case you prepare 3x per week, transfer the Entrance Squats to Day 4 after the Snatch Pull and earlier than accent workout routines.

Part 1
Day 1 Snatch, Again Squat
A1. Dip Snatch: 3 to five units of three reps
B1. Snatch Grip Push Press: 3 units, 5 reps
C1. Again Squat: 3 units, 5 reps
D1. Dumbbell Alternating Reverse Lunge: 3 units, 8-12 reps (all sides)
D2. Single-Arm Dumbbell Row: 3 units, 8-12 reps (all sides)
D3. Plank + Pull-By way of: 3 units, 10 reps (all sides)
Day 2 Clear & Jerk, Clear Pull
A1. Behind the Neck Press in Cut up: 3 units, 5 reps
B1. Dip Clear + Jerk: 3 to five units, (1+1)2 reps
C1. Clear Pull: 4 units of 4 reps
D1. Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 units, 8-12 reps
D2. Dumbbell RDL: 3 units, 6-8 reps
D3. Facet Plank Maintain: 3 units, 30 seconds (all sides)
Day 3 Variation, Entrance Squat
A1. Snatch Stability + OHS: 4 units, 2+1 reps
B1. Push Press + Jerk (2-sec.Pause in Dip): 3 units, 5+1 reps
C1. Entrance Squat: 5 units, 3 reps
D1. Pullup: 3 units, As many as attainable (AMAP)
D2. Dumbbell Strolling Lunge: 3 units, 10-12 reps (all sides)
D3. Weighted Forearm Plank: 3 units, 30 seconds
Day 4 Competitors Day, Snatch Pull
A1. Snatch, Pause Above Knee: 5 units, 2 reps
B1. Clear, Pause Above Knee & Jerk: 4 units, 2+1 reps
C1. Snatch Pull: 4 units, 4 reps
D1. Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 units, 8-12 reps
D2. Barbell Good Morning: 3 units, 6 reps
D3. Weighted Straight Leg Situp: 3 units, AMAP
Part 2
Day 1 Snatch, Again Squat
A1. Snatch Pull + Dangle Snatch AK + Sluggish OHS: 3 to five units, 1+2+1 reps
B1. Overhead Squat: 4 units, 4 reps
C1. Again Squat: 4 units, 3 reps
D1. 2-Dumbbell Field Stepup: 3 units, 6-10 reps (all sides)
D2. Chest-0Supported Dumbbell Row: 3 units, 8-12 reps
D3. Pallof Press: 3 units, 10-15 reps (all sides)
Day 2 Clear + Jerk, Clear Pull
A1. Clear Pull + Dangle Clear AK: 3 to five units, 2 reps 1+1(2)
B1. Jerk, Pause in Cut up (:02): 3 to 4 units, 2 reps
C1. Clear Pull, Pause in Extension: 3 to 4 units, 3 reps
D1. Dumbbell Single Arm Push Press: 3 units, 6 reps
D2. Dumbbell Hip Thrust: 3 units, 8 reps
D3. Facet Plank & Hip Dip: 3 units, 10-15 reps
Day 3 Variation, Entrance Squat
A1. Muscle Snatch: 4 units, 3 reps
B1. Dangle Beneath Knee Energy Clear & Energy Jerk: 4 units, 2+1 reps
C1. Entrance Squat: 6 units, 2 reps
D1. Dumbbell Lateral Lunge: 3 units, 6-8 reps (all sides)
D2. Lat Pulldown: 3 units, 8-12 reps
D3. Again Extension: 3 units, 8-12 reps
Day 4 Competitors Day, Snatch Pull
A1. Dangle Snatch Beneath Knee & Snatch: 4 units, 1+1 reps
B1. Dangle Clear Beneath Knee & Clear & Jerk: 4 units, 1+1+1 reps
C1. Snatch Pull, Pause in Extension: 3 to 4 units, 3 reps
D1. Barbell RDL: 3 units, 5-7 reps
D2. Dumbbell Pushups: 3 units, 8-15 reps
D3. Reverse Crunch: 3 units, 5-8 reps
Part 3
Day 1 Snatch, Again Squat
A1. Snatch Pull & Snatch: 4 units, 2 reps (1+1)2
B1. Snatch Stability: 3 units, 2 reps
C1. Again Squat: Work to a heavy 3 reps
D1. 2-Dumbbell 1/4 Squat Bounce: 3 units, 5 reps
D2. Chinups: 3 units, 6-10 reps
D3. Hole Maintain: 3 units, 30 second holds
Day 2 Clear + Jerk, Clear Pull
A1. Clear Pull + Clear + Jerk: 4 units, 1+1+1 reps
B1. Push Press: 4 units, 3 reps
C1. Clear Pull: 4 units, 2 reps
D1. ½ Kneeling Dumbbell Shoulder Press: 3 units, 8-12 reps (all sides)
D2. Dumbbell Single-leg Glute Bridge: 3 units, 8-12 reps
D3. Copenhagen Plank: 3 units, 20 second holds
Day 3 Variation, Entrance Squat
A1. Dangle Above Knee Energy Snatch: 4 units, 3 reps
B1. Energy Jerk + Jerk: 3 units, 2+1 reps
C1. Entrance Squat: Work to a Heavy 2 reps
D1. Single-leg Db RDL: 3 units, 6-8 reps (all sides)
D2. Dumbbell Arnold Press: 3 units, 8-12 reps
D3. Dumbbell Deadbug: 3 units, 6-10 reps (all sides)
Day 4 Competitors Day, Snatch Pull
A1. Snatch: 4 units, 2 reps
B1. Clear + Jerk: 4 units, (1+1)2
C1. Snatch Pull: 4 units, 2 reps
D1. Dumbbell Rear-foot-elevated Cut up Squat: 3 units, 8-12 reps (all sides)
D2. Kettlebell Gorilla Row: 3 units, 8-12 reps (all sides)
D3. Plank + Shoulder Faucets: 3 units, 10-12 reps (all sides)
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