To be clear, this post is geared toward beginner to intermediate weightlifters and to an extent some higher caliber weightlifters. With that said, I came up with this post based on my experience working with NFL combine athletes, track and field, and Olympic weightlifters.
In my experience working with combine athletes, we would break down each movement piece by piece, THEN put it all together. Take for example the 5-10-5, we (literally) did everything step-by-step. Each athlete would get in there position, we’d figure out what was the best angle for them to fire out, then work on their cross over run, figure out how many steps before they go into a hockey stop, and so on.
Instead of focusing on everything at once, we’d simplify it and isolate each movement piece by piece, allowing the athlete to have a very narrow focus on the specific drill. Doing this simplified a complex movement and made it much easier to become efficient once we put it all together.
So what does this have to do with training for Olympic weightlifting? While my above explanation was a dumb down version of training a combine athlete, it’s very relatable to weightlifting. Olympic weightlifting movements are very complex and fast just like the 5-10-5, 3 cone, 4o yard etc… Simplifying the movement, allows the weightlifter to become comfortable with the lifts, teach them proper mechanics, and make the movement second nature. All these qualities can make a dramatic impact for the long term development of the weightlifter.
Simplifying Olympic Weightlifting
If you’re approaching the bar and thinking,
“Get my shins out of the way, keep my chest up, drive with my legs, don’t open up too soon, don’t shrug, keep my back relaxed, drive straight, pull under not up, land flat footed, and so on”
…you’ve got WAY too much going on in your head. Some of these things should be focused on and some should come naturally through your training. This is where simplifying the movement comes into play. If you’re having trouble getting your shins out of maybe you should do a block focused on just that, until the correct position becomes second nature.
A simple first pull program may look like this:
- Day 1/3: Segment lifting focused on first pull in the snatch and clean. Auxiliary lifts
- Day 2/4: Pulls to below the knee with a 10 second pause and 5 a second descent. Auxiliary lifts
- Day 5: Full lifts
This is simple, easy, very focused, and yet still gets a good amount of reps in the lifts for the weightlifter. Day 5 also allows you to put it all together, so once you return back to the full lifts, it’s an easy transition.
Once you’ve mastered this focused block, the next progression maybe your leg drive. So if you have an issue where you’re sweeping under too soon and taking the power out of your legs then you may want to do a block like this:
Simple programming focused on leg drive:
- Day 1/3: Block work from above the knee. You’ll do a complex such as- pull-snatch-snatch or pull-snatch-pull snatch. Each time you pull the focus should be on the leg drive, therefore you may need to slow down the movement a great deal. The correct leg drive and isolation of the movement will then hopefully transition to the snatch right after.
- Day 2/4: Segment work: Last phase the focus was on the first pull, this time the focus should be heavily focused what happens once the bar is above the knee. As stated above, you may need to slow down the movement to not revert back to old habits.
- Day 5: Full lifts
This again is very focused and simplifies the movement, instead of focusing on many different aspects you’re now focused on one point of the lift. Of course in the segment, you can focus on the first pull, then once you’re above the knee fully focus on the leg drive.
How Long Do I Do This For?
Each programming block may last anywhere for x2-8+ weeks, who knows. It’s not limited by time frame but how quickly the weightlifter is conceptualizing the movement. If the weightlifter is still having issues, it maybe best to change up your exercise selection to see what sticks with them. However the principle remains, you should isolate the movement and focus on a specific task not multiple ones all at once.
So for the above example, maybe taking the pull out and just doing a ton of snatches, or take the snatches out and do a block of just pulls from above the knee, segments, and so on. Every weightlifter will adapt differently but make sure whatever exercise selection you choose that you give it some time for the lifter to adapt to.
Conclusion
This is just ONE of many ways to develop a weightlifter. In my experience, I’ve found that focusing on movement has been very beneficial for not only my weightlifters but my other athletes too. Once they’ve shown that they can consistently nail down a specific position, then we’ll move on to the next, and so on.
In short, the premise is that percentage based programs or programs that focus on all aspects of your lifts may not be the right method for everyone, especially beginning weightlifters. There’s just too much going on in each lift. We’ve found that simplifying the focus, hammering out the issues, and then putting it all back together to work very well for our younger weightlifters. There will be a time and place for a traditional program, the point is that this method may not be the best for every weightlifter.
I hope this was helpful and useful for you guys. Please feel free to leave a comment if you have questions or want to discuss training.
Train smart,
