Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program: Exercises & Guide

This is a 12-week advanced Olympic weightlifting program leading up to a competition or new PR attempts in the snatch and the clean & jerk.

It is the perfect next step if you are an intermediate lifter ready to transition into advanced programming.

Click here to go directly to the program in StrengthLog.

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When Are You Ready to Move From an Intermediate to an Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program?

Determining when you’re ready to move from an intermediate weightlifting program to an advanced weightlifting program is not as straightforward as having trained for a certain amount of time or how much weight you’re lifting. It’s not a line set in the sand that you cross and poof—you’re an advanced lifter. Rather, it’s about how your body, your technique, your progress, and your mental approach have evolved.

As an intermediate-level lifter, you are well past beginner program gains—you have built a solid technical foundation and understand how to consistently execute the Olympic lifts and your basic accessory lifts with acceptable form. You have experienced steady gains in strength and technique but now you’re finding that progress comes slower and requires more and more nuanced training approaches. And more work.

Signs You’re Ready to Move To Leave Intermediate Status Behind

The first thing to notice when you are ready to transition into advanced programming is how consistent and automatic your technical proficiency has become. As an intermediate, technique still requires thought and deliberate effort. As you approach advanced stages, your lifts become more automatic, precise, and repeatable—even at higher intensities. Instead of having to correct basic technical flaws, you are fine-tuning smaller elements like bar trajectory, timing, and receiving positions.

Another clear indicator is when you’re getting diminishing returns from your current training structure. Intermediate lifters see steady, albeit slowing, progress from linear or simple periodization. Not to mention beginners, who often need only touch the bar to get better. At the advanced level, you’ll find yourself plateauing more frequently, and if your progress stalls despite good nutrition, recovery, and consistent training, it often signals a need for more sophisticated programming if you want the best results possible. Your body has become used to the basics and no longer feels the need to improve to handle what you’re throwing at it.

Advanced Program Complexity

Advanced programs are generally designed for athletes who have built enough work capacity and can deal with intermediate training demands. You should notice that your body has adapted well to intermediate training demands—you handle volume and intensity better, recover more rapidly between heavy training sessions, and have fewer technique breakdowns even when you start to fatigue. In other words, your general physical preparedness makes you capable of tolerating—and benefitting from—greater training complexity. This is not something that happens snap! like that, and you won’t wake up one morning and feel “I’m an advanced lifter now”. It’s a gradual process without 100% clear transition points.

It’s not just about the body, though. Mentally, you’re prepared for advanced programming when you intuitively think more strategically about your training. Instead of following the prescribed reps, sets, and percentages to the dot, you probably begin to analyze your technique, understand why you’re performing certain accessory exercises, and acquire the skill to make adjustments based on how you feel day-to-day and on what you need to do to reach both your immediate and long-term goals. Increased self-awareness, understanding of training principles, and intuition in handling training variables are hallmarks of a lifter ready for advanced programming.

In addition, competition goals or aspirations can indicate that you have reached the stage where you are ready for advanced programming. Intermediate lifters might compete for experience and motivation, but advanced lifters often compete strategically. If your mindset is shifting toward precise, performance-oriented goals and you feel constrained rather than supported by your current intermediate structure, it’s a strong sign you’re ready for a higher-level program.

Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program

This 12-week program is designed to take your weightlifting to the next step once you have reached an advanced level and are looking to kickstart your improvements in the snatch and clean & jerk. It is not an elite program but a great way to transition from intermediate to advanced and keep making the gains you want.

You train six times per week, progressing load (percentages) over the 12 weeks, with “deload” or recovery weeks at Weeks 5 and 9 with slightly lighter weights or lower intensity. After the third training block, in Week 12, you will work up to PB (personal best) attempts for the traditional Olympic lifts., either in actual competition or as a test to beat your previous records.

1. Block 1 (Weeks 1–4): Accumulation
   • Moderate intensity, higher volume, reinforcing technical consistency, and building a strength base.
   • Snatch & clean & jerk intensities: 70–80%
   • Pulls at 90–100% (of the corresponding lift 1RM)
   • Squats at 70–80%
   • Gradual weekly progression in percentage (workout to workout details in StrengthLog).
   • Higher total volume of sets and reps.
2. Block 2 (Weeks 5–8): Intensification
   • Increase intensities, slightly reduce volume.
   • Snatch & clean & jerk intensities: 80–90%
   • Pulls at 100–110% of your clean & jerk and snatch max.
   • Squats at 80–90%
   • Weekly progression in percentage and/or increased sets at heavier weights.
3. Block 3 (Weeks 9–11): Pre-Peak / Specific
   • Heavy loads, lower volume, preparing your body for maximal attempts.
   • Snatch & clean & jerk intensities: 90–95%, with occasional singles near 95%+.
   • Pulls at 105–115%.
   • Squats at 85–95%.
   • Volume decreases, more singles/doubles at high intensity.
4. Week 12: Taper & Test
   • Reduce volume significantly.
   • Maintain intensity but with low volume (i.e., fewer sets).
   • You goal is to feel fresh and peaked for attempts at the end of the week.

The Olympic-style lifts are the same week to week, but some of the auxiliary work will vary throughout the program. The intensities (weight lifted or % of 1RM) and sets/reps are adjusted week to week in a way that accommodates consistent progression and recovery.

Below is a general overview of the Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program. The exact number of sets and the recommended rep scheme details, including % of 1RM suggestions along with the planned intensity and volume progression route, are available in your StrengthLog workout tracker app.

Remember that this is an advanced program, so view the sets and reps as guidelines, not gospel. At your level, you know how your body works, and if it tells you that “this isn’t quite it,” tweak things how you prefer. If you need accessory exercises to address your specific imbalances or weaknesses, feel free to add them.

Weeks 1–11

Workout 1 (Monday)

Exercise	Sets x Reps	Reps
Snatch	3–5	1–3
Snatch Pull	3–4	1–3
Squat	3–5	2–5

Workout 2 (Tuesday)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Clean and Jerk	3–5	1–3
Clean Pull	3–4	1–3
Front Squat	3–5	2–5

Workout 3 (Wednesday)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Power Snatch	3–4	2–3
Overhead Squat / Snatch Balance (depending on block)	3–4	3–5
Overhead Press	3	3–5

Workout 4 (Thursday)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Complex: Power Clean & Power Jerk	3–4	2–3
Push Press	3	2–3
Squat	3–4	1–5

Workout 5 (Friday)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Snatch	3–5	1–2
Clean and Jerk	3–5	1–2
Snatch Pull	4	2–3
Clean Pull	4	2–3

Workout 6 (Saturday)

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Front Squat	3–5	1–5
Romanian Deadlift (or Good Morning)	3×5	5 (increment weight slightly each week)
Core (Weighted Plank, Hanging Leg Raise)	Exercise dependent	N/A

Week 12: Taper & Competition

In week 12, you reduce volume substantially while maintaining or slightly reducing intensity so you are peaked for your max attempts at the end of the week (competition or test day).

Day	Workload
Monday	– Snatch: 3×1 @ 85–88% – Clean and Jerk: 3×1 @ 85–88% – Squat: 2×2 @ ~85%
Tuesday	– Power Snatch: 2×2 @ ~75% – Power Clean & Power Jerk: 2×2 @ ~75%
Wednesday	– Snatch: 2×1 @ ~90% – Clean and Jerk: 2×1 @ ~90% – Light pulls or none depending on fatigue
Thursday	Light Snatch & Clean and Jerk technique (50–60%), 1–2 singles
Friday	OFF, mental prep
Saturday	Competition / Max Test Day – Snatch: Work to new 1RM – Clean and Jerk: Work to new 1RM

Follow the Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program in StrengthLog

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Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program Exercise Selection

Here are detailed descriptions of all the exercises in the Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program in the order they appear.

Snatch

The snatch is one of the two competition lifts in Olympic weightlifting (the other being the clean and jerk). It is a full-body exercise where you pull a barbell from the floor directly overhead in one explosive movement, receiving it in a deep squat position with your arms fully extended before standing up.

The snatch hits nearly all muscle groups in the body—from legs and back to shoulders and arms—and develops explosive triple extension (hips, knees, and ankles), and athletes in many sports use it to build power and speed.

Good mobility is supremely important to execute the snatch the way it’s supposed to be done. For example, tight ankles or hips can limit the depth of the squat and compromise your form. But the good news is that you don’t have to spend endless hours stretching—the best way to improve mobility in an exercise, including the snatch, is to keep practicing it.

Because the snatch is one of the two main lifts in Olympic weightlifting, let’s break down the step-by-step instructions in extra detail.

Phase 1: The Pull

1. Setup
   • Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
   • Grip the bar wide, at least 1.5x shoulder width, using a hook grip (thumb wrapped under fingers).
   • Position your shoulders slightly in front of the bar, with a flat back and your chest up.
2. First Pull
   • Push through your legs and extend your knees.
   • The bar moves vertically, staying close to the body.
   • Your hips and shoulders rise at the same rate to maintain balance.
3. Second Pull (Explosive Phase)
   • Once the bar passes mid-thigh, perform an aggressive triple extension (hips, knees, and ankles).
   • Shrug your shoulders and start pulling yourself under the bar. Your goal is to generate maximum upward force.
4. Third Pull (Pulling Under the Bar)
   • Quickly drop under the bar, turning the wrists over while pulling yourself into a deep overhead squat.
   • Keep the barbell directly overhead, with locked-out arms.
   • At this point, you can transition out of the hook grip or release it into a regular overhand grip if you can’t maintain it without pain or mobility issues.

Phase 2: Catch and Recovery

1. Overhead Catch
   • Land in a deep squat with the bar locked out overhead.
   • The bar should be over the base of your neck and mid-foot.
   • Keep your core braced for stability.
2. Standing Up (Recovery)
   • Keep the bar stabilized overhead while maintaining an upright torso, and stand up with the weight overhead.
   • The lift is complete once you fully extend your legs and control the weight.
   • Lower the bar in front of you, with control.

Common Snatch Mistakes and Fixes

Mistake	Fix
Pulling with the arms too early.	Your main focus should be on leg drive first, then shrug and pull under.
Not fully extending in the second pull.	Make sure you have completed a full hip, knee, and ankle extension before pulling under.
Catching the bar too far forward.	Keep the bar close to the body and pull straight up.
Poor squat depth or mobility.	Improve ankle, hip, and shoulder mobility for a deeper catch.

Snatch Pull

The snatch pull is a great accessory exercise for reinforcing snatch mechanics while allowing you to use more weight than you could handle in the full movement. Unlike the snatch itself, where you receive the bar overhead in a squat, the snatch pull stops at the top of the second pull, meaning you don’t actually catch the bar—you just focus on the forceful upward pull.

Snatch pulls have several benefits that make them indispensable for weightlifters. First and foremost, they build confidence and strength in the specific movement patterns you need to snatch heavy weights and improve your capacity to generate force quickly—a quality referred to as “speed-strength,” which is central to success in Olympic lifting. It also helps you fine-tune your positioning by ingraining a vertical line of drive.

You can program snatch pulls both during hypertrophy phases, with higher repetitions and moderate weights to build posterior chain strength and technique, and lower reps with heavier weights to maximize force production and speed.

How to Snatch Pull

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart, gripping the barbell with a wide snatch grip. Keep your back straight, chest up, and shoulders slightly in front of the bar.
2. Push through your legs to lift the bar off the floor, keeping it close to your body. Maintain a straight back and keep your arms extended.
3. As the bar passes your knees, shift your torso upright and prepare to extend your hips.
4. Explosively extend your hips, knees, and ankles (triple extension), shrugging your shoulders and pulling the bar upward.
5. Keep the bar close to your body as it rises, then control it back down to the floor.
6. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Squat

The squat is one of the most basic but essential exercises in all of strength training, regardless of whether you’re training for raw strength (powerlifting), muscle mass (bodybuilding), or athletic performance. It also has a permanent spot in any beginner to advanced Olympic weightlifting program.

As a weightlifter, you mainly utilize the back squat to build general leg and hip strength. Because you position the bar on the upper traps (high-bar and low-bar variations exist, but weightlifters almost exclusively do high-bar squats), you can handle heavier weights than in the front squat. Both squats have their place—the back squat is a foundational tool for building strong legs, and the front squat is a movement-specific strength tool.

How to Squat

1. Place the bar on your upper back with your shoulders blades squeezed together. Inhale and brace your core slightly, and unrack the bar.
2. Take two steps back, and adjust your foot position.
3. Squat as deep as possible with proper form.
4. With control, stop and reverse the movement, extending your hips and legs again.
5. Exhale on the way up or exchange air in the top position.
6. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Clean and Jerk

The clean and jerk is one of the two competitive lifts in Olympic weightlifting, alongside the snatch, but you also see it in gyms around the world as a staple for athletes who want to build strength and explosiveness for their sport.

It is actually two lifts combined into one. The first part, the clean, gets the bar from the ground to your shoulders. The second part, the jerk, takes it from your shoulders to overhead. It looks effortless when you see a good weightlifter do it, but it takes time to get the technique right. If you’re starting out, the key is to have patience. Speed and power will come once you’ve ingrained the correct form into your muscle memory. Start with just the bar (or even just a PVC pipe) and practice until the movement feels natural.

Because the clean and jerk is a complex movement involving the entire body, it can be a good idea to seek guidance from a coach or experienced lifter, at least in the beginning. They can spot form errors and suggest mobility drills. If you don’t have access to a coach, filming yourself can be a reasonable alternative and reveal issues you might not feel in the moment.

Like we did with the snatch, let’s break down the step-by-step instructions in extra detail.

Phase 1: The Clean

The clean is the first part of the movement, where you pull the bar from the ground to the front rack position.

1. Setup
   • Stand with your feet hip-width apart and grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width with a hook grip (thumb wrapped under fingers).
   • Position your shoulders slightly in front of the bar, keeping your back flat and your chest up.
2. First Pull
   • Drive through your legs, keeping the bar close to your body.
   • Extend your knees while keeping your hips and shoulders rising at the same rate.
   • Brace your core throughout.
3. Second Pull (Explosive Phase)
   • Once the bar reaches mid-thigh, aggressively extend your hips, knees, and ankles (triple extension).
   • Shrug your shoulders and begin pulling yourself under the bar. Your goal is to generate maximum upward force.
4. Third Pull (Pulling Under the Bar)
   • Pull yourself under the bar quickly, transitioning into a front squat position.
   • Catch the barbell on the front rack (shoulders) with your elbows high and chest up.
5. Front Squat Recovery
   • Stand up from the squat.

Phase 2: The Jerk

The jerk follows the clean and is where you push the bar overhead to straight arms.

1. Setup for the Jerk
   • After standing up from the clean, stabilize the bar in the front rack position.
   • Your feet should be hip-width apart, and your elbows slightly in front of the bar.
2. Dip and Drive
   • Take a deep breath and brace your core. Slightly bend your knees and dip straight down (not forward).
   • Drive upward by extending your knees and hips, generating force to launch the bar upward.
3. Split or Power Jerk
   • As the bar moves overhead, split the feet (split jerk) or dip slightly (power jerk).
   • Catch the bar with locked-out arms and an active shoulder position.
4. Recovery
   • Stabilize the weight overhead.
   • Bring the front foot back, then the rear foot to stand up fully.
   • The lift is complete once you stand still with the bar overhead.
   • Lower the bar in front of you, with control.

Common Mistakes and Fixes

Mistake	Fix
Pulling with the arms too early.	Focus on leg drive first, then shrug and pull under.
Catching the clean with low elbows.	Keep your elbows high to prevent bar slippage.
Leaning forward in the dip of the jerk.	Maintain an upright torso during the dip.
Pressing the jerk instead of driving it.	Use leg power to push the bar overhead.

Clean Pull

The clean pull is a weightlifting exercise for developing explosive power, strength, and technique for the clean portion of the clean and jerk. It is like the first and second pull of the clean and reinforces those movement patterns but without the additional technical demand of receiving the bar in a front squat. Because it eliminates the catch, you can use heavier loads than your max clean, making it very effective for overload training.

Clean pulls might look similar to snatch pulls, but there are differences in grip width, pulling mechanics, and body positioning.

Factor	Snatch Pull	Clean Pull
Grip Width	Wide grip (snatch grip)	Narrower grip (clean grip)
Starting Position	Hips lower, chest higher	Hips slightly higher, chest slightly lower
Pulling Path	Bar stays closer to the body but moves higher due to wider grip	Bar follows a more vertical path
Final Extension	Often involves an exaggerated shrug and more aggressive triple extension	Powerful but less exaggerated triple extension

How to Clean Pull

1. Stand with your feet hip-width apart and grip the bar just outside your knees. Keep your back straight, chest up, and shoulders slightly in front of the bar.
2. Push through your legs to lift the bar from the floor, keeping it close to your body. Maintain a straight back and extend your knees while keeping your torso angle constant.
3. Once the bar passes your knees, explosively extend your hips, knees, and ankles while pulling the bar upward.
4. As you extend, shrug your shoulders forcefully and let the momentum bring the bar up. Keep your arms relaxed and elbows pointing up.
5. Let the bar descend under control and reset for the next rep.
6. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Front Squat

The front squat is a variation of the traditional squat, but instead of resting the barbell on your upper back, you position it across the front of your shoulders and support it with your fingertips and upper chest.

It is a knee-dominant movement focusing more on the quadriceps than the back squat. Unlike the back squat, which allows for a more hip-dominant hinge, the front squat requires you to stay vertical, or the bar will roll forward, and your lift will fail.

You front squat strength gains directly carry over to Olympic weightlifting, the clean & jerk in particular. The receiving position in the clean is essentially a front squat. However, that doesn’t mean you should only do front squats and not back squats. You can use more weight in the regular squat, which makes it better for overall strength-building, so doing both is a good idea. In the Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program, you’ll do just that.

How to Front Squat

1. Grip the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width. Step forward and place the bar on the front of your shoulders: on top of your clavicles, and tight against your throat.
2. Inhale and brace your core slightly, and unrack the bar.
3. Take two steps back, and adjust your foot position.
4. Squat as deep as possible with good technique.
5. With control, stop and reverse the movement, extending your hips and legs again.
6. Exhale on the way up or exchange air in the top position.
7. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Power Snatch

The power snatch is an extra-explosive variation of the traditional Olympic snatch. You lift a barbell from the floor to overhead in a single motion but in contrast to the full snatch—which involves a deep squat position to receive the barbell—the power snatch requires you to catch the bar at a position above parallel, in a quarter or half squat.

Because you have to catch the bar at a higher position, you can’t use as heavy weights as you can in the full snatch, but doing so requires tremendous speed, timing, and explosive force, building explosive power while reinforcing proper bar path and positioning. It also works like a diagnostic tool for your technique, pinpointing faults such as poor hip extension, incomplete pull, or slow transition under the bar.

How to Power Snatch

1. Step up close to the bar, so that it is about over the middle of your foot.
2. Lean forward and grip the bar with a wide overhand grip, close to the weight plates.
3. Hold your breath, brace your core slightly, and lower your hip closer to the floor.
4. Lift the bar in a smooth but fast motion, by extending your legs and knees simultaneously.
5. Once the bar has reached maximum speed, bend your knees slightly and catch the bar on straight arms over your head.
6. When you’ve got control of the bar, stand up straight.
7. Lower the bar in front of you, with control.

Overhead Squat

The overhead squat is one of the fundamental accessory lifts in Olympic weightlifting, developing the stability, mobility, strength, and technical proficiency you need for a successful snatch. It requires more shoulder, thoracic spine, and hip mobility than either the back or front squat, combined with positional accuracy and the ability to brace and stabilize your core under load because of the fact that you hold the barbell overhead during the entire movement.

Mastering the overhead squat correlates with performance in the snatch—if you can’t overhead squat a weight, you likely lack the overhead strength and stability to snatch it—making it an important component of many weightlifting routines. It builds strength and confidence in the bottom catch position and drives the neurological adaptations to stabilize heavy loads in a dynamic way.

The Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program uses the overhead squat for moderate-volume sets with relatively lower intensity compared to back squats or front squats early in the training cycles to hammer good technique and build muscle endurance and positional strength.

How to Overhead Squat

1. Stand about shoulder-width apart. Grip the barbell wider than shoulder-width and press it overhead, locking your arms and shoulders into place. Ensure the bar is positioned slightly behind your head in line with your heels, stabilizing your core and squeezing your glutes.
2. Engage your shoulders by pushing up into the bar, keeping your elbows locked. Keep your gaze forward, and your spine neutral.
3. Start the squat by moving your hips back and down. Keep your chest up and the barbell stable overhead.
4. Lower yourself as deep as your mobility lets you, but at least parallel to your knees, without compromising your form.
5. Drive through the soles of your feet to return to the starting position, keeping the barbell overhead and your body stable.
6. Stand up fully at the top of the movement, with your hips and knees fully extended and the barbell still overhead.
7. Repeat for the deisred number of repetitions.

Overhead Press / Push Press

The overhead press (also called the strict press or simply “the press”) is a classic exercise in weightlifting, powerlifting, bodybuilding, sports, and general strength training. It used to be a contested lift in Olympic weightlifting (as the clean and press) but was removed in 1972 as lifters developed more and more excessive back-bending techniques—basically turning it into standing bench press—to lift heavier weights, making it difficult for judges to determine if a lift was performed correctly.

The main movers in the overhead press are the shoulders, triceps, and upper chest, making it great for improving stability and lockout strength in the snatch and clean & jerk. You also use your core to stabilize the movement and the upper back to control the bar path.

When doing overhead presses, keep your legs straight and avoid using them for momentum. That’s a push press, but the overhead press should be a strict upper-body movement.

The overhead press is the default programmed accessory exercise in the Day 1 workout of the Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program, but feel free to substitute it for the push press, or rotate between the two.

Power Clean + Power Jerk Complex

A complex in Olympic weightlifting combines two or more exercises performed sequentially without setting the barbell down. In the Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program, you’ll do one such complex—the power clean + power jerk complex—where you perform the two movements in succession to build explosive strength, technical proficiency, and coordination and improve your confidence in handling heavy loads during dynamic movement.

The movement pattern of this complex improves the force transfer and rapid extension of the hips, knees, and ankles required in sports like basketball, football, tennis, track and field, and many other explosive sports disciplines. And, of course, Olympic lifting.

In this training program, you’ll perform this complex at moderate loads (moving from 70 to 85% of your one-repetition max power clean) for moderate to low repetitions to maintain high movement quality and explosiveness throughout.

How to Do the Power Clean + Power Jerk Complex

1. Stand close to the barbell with your feet hip-width apart. Grip the bar just outside your legs, using a hook grip or regular overhand grip. Keep your back flat, chest up, and shoulders slightly in front of the bar.
2. Push through your feet and lift the bar off the ground, maintaining a flat back. Keep the bar close to your body and arms fully extended.
3. Once the bar passes your knees, explosively extend your hips, knees, and ankles upward. Shrug your shoulders aggressively upward to create momentum on the bar.
4. Quickly pull yourself under the bar, rotating your elbows forward under the barbell.
5. Catch the barbell across the front of your shoulders, in a partial squat (above parallel), elbows high and chest upright.
6. Stand tall to fully stabilize the bar in the front rack position. Take a brief moment to stabilize and reset your stance if needed.
7. Perform a short, controlled dip by slightly bending your knees while keeping your torso vertical. Immediately drive forcefully upward through your legs, extending your hips, knees, and ankles.
8. As the bar moves upward, quickly drop into a shallow squat position. Press yourself beneath the bar and catch it overhead with straight, locked-out arms.
9. Secure the barbell overhead, then carefully stand up fully with arms locked out and feet aligned.
10. Lower the bar back to the shoulders and carefully return it to the floor or perform another repetition.

Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift is a hip-hinge movement that builds the posterior chain—the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. Unlike the standard barbell deadlift, you don’t reset the bar on the ground each rep. Instead, you begin from a standing position and lower the bar to around mid-shin or just past the knees, then drive back up.

While the RDL isn’t a competitive lift itself, it makes you stronger and more explosive in them, especially the first and second phases of the pull.
For example, in both Olympic lifts, you begin the movement by pulling the bar off the floor using your posterior chain, and the RDL makes you stronger in this portion by training the hamstrings and glutes in a way much like the pulling mechanics of these lifts. That strength translates directly to your ability to explode off the floor and extend fully at the hips.

In addition, the RDL is fantastic for flexibility, great both for the mobility you need for optimal pulling positions and injury prevention.

How to Do Romanian Deadlifts

1. Get into the starting position by deadlifting a barbell off the floor or by unracking it from a barbell rack. Stand feet hip-width, inhale, and brace your core slightly.
2. Lean forward by hinging in your hips. Keep your knees almost completely extended.
3. Lean forward as far as possible with good form (no rounding your back). You don’t have to touch the barbell to the floor, although it is OK if you do.
4. Reverse the movement and return to the standing position. Exhale on the way up.
5. Repeat the movement for the desired number of repetitions.

Plank

The plank is an isometric core strength exercise that is hugely popular for general fitness purposes but also very valuable for Olympic weightlifters. It is a simple yet effective exercise to develop the supplemental muscular endurance and stability you need for successful snatch and clean & jerk performance.

A strong core is essential for maintaining proper positioning during heavy lifts in Olympic lifting. When performing movements like the snatch or clean & jerk (and variations thereof, plus squats), the ability to brace and transfer force from the legs through your torso into the overhead or rack position relies on your core being able to handle it.

The plank strengthens many muscles, but the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, and internal and external obliques in particular. While it may seem basic compared to more dynamic Olympic lifts, its isometric nature replicates the bracing required during maximal lifts.

The Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program will call for planking a set amount of time; use added resistance if you can do more than that.

How to Plank

1. Stand on your elbows and feet.
2. Brace your abs and try to form and hold a straight line from your head to feet.
3. Hold the position for the intended length of time or as long as you can.

Snatch Balance

The snatch balance is an accessory movement to improve your ability to drop under and stabilize a heavy load in the receiving position of the snatch. Unlike a standard snatch, you start the snatch balance with the bar already placed across your shoulders behind the head, like in the back squat position. It helps you get comfortable receiving heavier weights overhead while improving your mobility and positional strength in the hips, ankles, thoracic spine, and shoulders.

A common mistake in the snatch balance is allowing the barbell to drift forward when driving upward. That can happen if your torso angle changes too much during the dip and drive phase. If you notice this happening, make sure your dip and drive are very vertical—your torso should remain upright, with your knees tracking directly forward and outward slightly, avoiding a forward tilt at the hips.

Another common fault is a passive or slow descent beneath the bar. If you find yourself pressing the bar overhead rather than pushing yourself down beneath it, try consciously practicing moving faster and being more aggressive in driving your body under the barbell, even if you have to sacrifice load to do so.

How to Do Snatch Balance

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a barbell behind your neck in a snatch grip (wide grip), resting on your traps.
2. Engage your core, keep your chest up, and look straight ahead.
3. Perform a quick dip by bending your knees slightly, keeping your torso upright.
4. Explosively extend your legs to drive the bar upward, then immediately drop under the bar into a deep overhead squat position.
5. Lock out your arms overhead as you receive the bar, with the bar directly above your shoulders and midfoot.
6. Pause briefly in the bottom position to stabilize the bar.
7. Stand up from the squat while maintaining control and keeping the bar overhead.
8. Carefully lower the bar back to your shoulders or the ground and repeat as needed.

Hanging Leg Raise

The hanging leg raise is a great ab exercise for general strength and bodybuilding but also a valuable supplementary exercise for Olympic weightlifting, building core strength, stability, and control—elements essential for maximizing your lifting performance.

Hanging leg raises develop the rectus abdominis (the front abdominal muscles), hip flexors, and deep core stabilizers like the transverse abdominis. When you build these muscles stronger, it becomes easier to maintain a rigid torso during dynamic lifts (like the big two), especially during overhead stabilization, receiving positions, and squatting under load.

Perform your hanging leg raises with controlled tempo and minimal swinging or momentum, pivoting at your hips until your legs reach parallel to the floor or higher. If you have the strength, you can bring your toes all the way up to touch the bar (“toes-to-bar”).

How to Do Hanging Leg Raises

1. Grasp a pull-up bar with an overhand grip, shoulder-width apart.
2. Hang from the bar with your arms fully extended and your body in a straight line from your head to your heels.
3. Engage your core and keep your back straight.
4. Raise your legs towards your chest, as high as you can, keeping your back straight and your core engaged.
5. Slowly lower your legs back down to the starting position.
6. Repeat the movement for your desired number of repetitions.

Final Words: Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program

Thank you for checking out this advanced Olympic weightlifting program. 🏋️ Follow it for 12 solid weeks of training, and you’ll be ready for new PRs, whether in a competition against other lifters or against yourself.

To follow the Advanced Olympic Weightlifting Program, download our workout log app and start tracking your workouts today:

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More Olympic weightlifting:

>> Beginner Olympic Weightlifting Program: Exercises & Guide

>> Intermediate Olympic Weightlifting Program: Exercises and Guide