Strength & Conditioning - Olympic-Style Weightlifting Program Design Part I
About the Author
Ben Foodman is a licensed psychotherapist & performance specialist. He owns his private practice located in Charlotte North Carolina where he specializes in working with athletes to help them overcome mental blocks (the yips), PTSD, ADD / ADHD and achieve flow states through the techniques of Brainspotting & Neurofeedback. If you are interested in services, use the link here! Enjoy the article below!
Olympic-Style Weightlifters & Program Design
During mental performance consultations with athletes, I often get asked how to properly design a long-term strength training program. For this Training Report I wanted to provide a sample 6 week Olympic weightlifting mesocycle. This is a generalized program and is not meant to be utilized by readers due to the fact that individual considerations have not been factored into this program. Rather, this is an illustration of how percentages and workload should change throughout the training period when preparing for an Olympic weightlifting competition. I have also provided video content at the end of this Training Report for those that are interested in seeing these lifts performed at the highest level!
WEEK I.
Day I.
Technical Work - Full Snatch 3 x 2 @ 75% - C&J 3 x 2 @ 75% - Fr SQ 3 x 5 @ 75%
Accessory Work - Single Leg RDL 3 x 8 - Hand to shoulder touch 3 x 8 - DB Row 3 x 5 90% - Bridging with Resistance Band
Day II.
Technical Work - Full Snatch 3 x 2 @ 75% - C&J 3 x 2 @ 75% - Fr SQ 3 x 5 @ 75%
Accessory Work - Single Leg RDL 3 x 8 - Hand to shoulder touch 3 x 8 - DB Row 3 x 5 90% - Bridging with Resistance Band
Day III.
Technical Work - Full Snatch 3 x 2 @ 75% - Full Clean 2 x 2 @ 75% - BTN Jerks From Block 3 x 3 @ 75% - Bk SQ 3 x 5 @ 75%
Accessory Work - Single Leg RDL 3 x 8 - Hand to shoulder touch 3 x 8 - DB Row 3 x 5 90% - Bridging with Resistance Band
WEEK II.
Day I.
Focus Work - Full Snatch 3 x 2 @ 80% - C&J 2 x 2 @ 80% - Fr SQ 3 x 5 @ 80%
Accessory Work - Single Leg RDL 3 x 8 - Hand to shoulder touch 3 x 8 - DB Row 3 x 5 90% - Bridging with Resistance Band
Day II.
Focus Work - Full Snatch 3 x 2 @ 80% - C&J 2 x 2 @ 80% - Fr SQ 3 x 5 @ 80%
Accessory Work - Single Leg RDL 3 x 8 - Hand to shoulder touch 3 x 8 - DB Row 3 x 5 90% - Bridging with Resistance Band
Day III.
Technical Work - Full Snatch 3 x 2 @ 80% - Full Clean 2 x 2 @ 80% - BTN Jerks From Block 3 x 3 @ 80% - Bk SQ 3 x 5 @ 80%
Accessory Work - Single Leg RDL 3 x 8 - Hand to shoulder touch 3 x 8 - DB Row 3 x 5 90% - Bridging with Resistance Band
WEEK III.
Day I.
Focus Work - Full Snatch 2 x 2 @ 85% - C&J 2 x 2 @ 85% - Fr SQ 3 x 5 @ 85%
Complex - Halting Power Snatch BTN + Hang Full Snatch High Hip + 2 OH SQ 2 x 2 @ 80%
Day II.
Focus Work - Full Snatch 2 x 2 @ 85% - C&J 2 x 2 @ 85% - Fr SQ 3 x 5 @ 85%
Complex - Halting Power Clean BTN + Hang Full Clean High Hip + 2 Fr SQ + Pwr Jerk 2 x 2 @ 80%
Day III.
Technical Work - Full Snatch 2 x 2 @ 85% - Full Clean 2 x 2 @ 85% - Jerks From Block 2 x 2 @ 85% - Bk SQ 3 x 5 @ 85%
Accessory Work - Single Leg RDL 3 x 8 - Hand to shoulder touch 3 x 8 - DB Row 3 x 5 90% - Bridging with Resistance Band
WEEK IV.
Day I.
Focus Work - Full Snatch 2 x 2 @ 90% - C&J 2 x 1 @ 90% - Fr SQ 3 x 3 @ 90%
Complex - Halting Power Snatch BTN + Hang Full Snatch High Hip + 2 OH SQ 2 x 2 @ 80%
Day II.
Focus Work - Full Snatch 2 x 2 @ 90% - C&J 2 x 1 @ 90% - Fr SQ 3 x 3 @ 90%
Complex - Halting Power Clean BTN + Hang Full Clean High Hip + 2 Fr SQ + Pwr Jerk 2 x 2 @ 80%
Day III.
Technical Work - Full Snatch 2 x 2 @ 90% - Full Clean 2 x 2 @ 90% - Jerks From Block 2 x 2 @ 90% - Bk SQ 3 x 3 @ 90%
Accessory Work - Single Leg RDL 3 x 8 - Hand to shoulder touch 3 x 8 - DB Row 3 x 5 90% - Bridging with Resistance Band
WEEK V.
Day I.
Focus Work - Full Snatch 2 x 1 @ 95% - C&J 2 x 1 @ 95% - Fr SQ 2 x 2 @ 95%
Day II.
Focus Work - Full Snatch 2 x 1 @ 98% - C&J 2 x 1 @ 98% - Fr SQ 2 x 1 @ 98%
Day III.
Focus Work - Full Snatch 2 x 1 @ 95% - C&J 2 x 1 @ 95% - Bk SQ Attempt New 1 RM
TAPER PERIOD COMMENCEMENT:
11 DAYS OUT - SN 1 X 1 @ 95% + ATTEMPT C&J OPENER
8 DAYS OUT - ATTEMPT SN OPENER + C&J 2 X 2 @ 65%
5 DAYS OUT - SN 2 X 2 @ 65% + C&J 2 X 2 @ 65%
2 DAYS OUT - SN 2 X 2 @ 65% + C&J 2 X 2 @ 65%
COMPETITION DAY
Note To Reader:
If you are an athlete reading this segment of the TRAINING REPORT, hopefully this content was helpful! I put the Training Report together because I felt like many of the discussions on issues such as the Yips/mental blocks, strength training & other subject matter on athlete performance concepts were really missing the mark on these ideas (e.g. how trauma is the direct cause of the Yips). If you are interested in learning more, make sure to subscribe below for when I put out new content on issues related to sport psychology & athlete performance! Also, if you are looking to work with a mental performance specialist, you are in the right place! USE THIS LINK to reach out to me to see if my services are the right fit for your goals!
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