Programming Advice for Olympic Weightlifting

[Ryan Dell Whitley]

Is there a reason to do both oly lifts on the same day? Example: Move the snatches across from Monday to Tuesday; the C&J across from Thursday to Friday. Not trying to nitpick the damn thing, just thinking about how I would schedule it for myself.

[Mark Rippetoe]

The best reason I can think of is that at the meet they are both done the same day. If you are not a competitor, this argument makes some sense.

[JLascek]

Is there a reason to do both oly lifts on the same day? Example: Move the snatches across from Monday to Tuesday; the C&J across from Thursday to Friday. Not trying to nitpick the damn thing, just thinking about how I would schedule it for myself.

I agree with Rip. A novice might be able to get by, so long as the weights don't get heavy enough where pulling three times a week interferes with recovery. I had a problem with this, but I had a weak low back when I first got here.

An intermediate who is not close to a meet could stick to a Texas Method set up, and do one of the lifts once a week, and this would be fine. This can be altered a bit as the date of a meet draws near, though.

[GeorgeHeck]

Sorry dudes, this won't work. I've done it. If you only want three training sessions a week, it has to be more delicate than this. You'd do your Oly lifts first, but the rep scheme would change. Maybe between 1 and 3 reps if you're going heavy, but going heavy on C&J and snatch in the same week may not work, but this ALWAYS depends on where the trainee is in their state of adaptation. It would be better to undertrain than overtrain, especially since getting stronger will make the lifts go up anyway.

It's pretty specific to the point where you can't just make a general "novice program" for them. For example, we don't know how well you know the Oly lifts, if you still need practice in them, how far along the novice process you are, how strong you are, height/bodyweight, how well you perform the squat, press, deadlift, etc., and all KINDS of shit.

This being stated, would you just have a trainee who is proficient with the lifts but lacks general strength just stick with SS until they get to intermediate before they fit the lifts in?

[Howwl]

Justin, looking at your outlay for what you posted at 70s big. What reps x Sets would you use for the following:

Clean and Jerk heavy

Snatch for sets across

[JLascek]

Justin, looking at your outlay for what you posted at 70s big. What reps x Sets would you use for the following:

Clean and Jerk heavy

Snatch for sets across

It's in the post, Mr. Sleuth. And it also depends.

But for the most part the lifter will go up to between 1 and 5 reps when they go heavy (less reps as they are further along in the progression since it is unlikely they can get multiple reps at a challenging weight). The sets across are usually 10 to 15 singles on the minute for snatch and 8 to 10 singles every two minutes for the clean and jerk.

But if I were coaching someone I'd take into account a bunch of different variables to decide this.

This being stated, would you just have a trainee who is proficient with the lifts but lacks general strength just stick with SS until they get to intermediate before they fit the lifts in?

Unless they have a meet coming up. I would like them to get through a linear progression because that means they no-shit exhausted a linear progression and have achieved as much strength as they could on a daily basis. However, sometimes you have good athletes who wouldn't enjoy not doing their lifts, so I'd have them do something based on the novice Oly program I outlined early in this thread (and on my website). If you are smart with the progressions, that program can be very useful and can get someone pretty strong.

If someone is just starting out with lifting, then they have a ways to go on a linear progression.

[Randle McMurphy]

This is kind of a strange question, that came up in my head whilst flicking through practical programming:

The intermediate programmes tend to follow a light/medium/heavy starr-type model.

Can the Texas Method be used for olympic lifts, for a 3 day workout routine??

eg:
monday (stress) - 8 sets of 3 reps for C&J and SN with a moderately heavy weight
wed (recovery) - 3-5 sets of 3 rep for C&J and SN with a light weight
fri (intensity) - 5 heavy singles aiming for a pr for C&J and SN

Not much mention has been made about texas method for o-lifting?

many thanks!

[Mark Rippetoe]

Versions of this can be used, but what happens to your strength work in this program? I think that more days are better for the 2 lifts, even if not absolutely necessary.

[Randle McMurphy]

Versions of this can be used, but what happens to your strength work in this program? I think that more days are better for the 2 lifts, even if not absolutely necessary.

I understand your point. Doing TM for o-lifting, on top of TM for deads, and squats, (and presses and bench) all on a 3 day basis is a lot of work per workout.

R P McMurphy

PS thanks for heads up on doing strength work to increase my o-lifts.

The local weightlifting coach (who doesn't teach me, but gives advise when I see him now again) strongly advised against this kind of strength work.

I went against his opinion and his routine (which didn't increase my lifts to any great extent), and have been hitting PR's pretty much every week. I susect if i can get my deadlift up to 250kg, i'll qualify for nationals.

I have said it before and i'll say it again - YOU SHOULD WRITE A BOOK FOR O-LIFTING!!!!!

[Kincain]

I'm also doing the program that Justin has outlined on his website. Although I consider myself a novice in olympic weightlifting, I'm not able to progress on the 'strength lifts' every day as proposed in the SS model.
I think in this thread it has been brushed upon but I don't fully understand it, when approaching an intermediate state would you suggest that the linear approach (for the strength lifts) would be a weekly increase and stick to the 5 sets of 3 reps or for instance a Texas method approach, where the squat on day 2 would be a volume day and on day 4 would be an intensity day?

thanks in advance