Olympic Weightlifting Programs
This website’s Shop (see main menu) offers a large collection of affordable, high-quality Olympic Weightlifting training programs for athletes at all experience levels.
All programs are designed by Lionel (Leo) Isaac, coach and resource creator of learning Olympic Weightlifting (see biography).
Choose from a range of programs designed specifically for competition preparation, skill development or recovery from periods of training absence. All programs provide comprehensive instructions and a high level of detail.
How to choose a program
Training Frequency
How many days per week do you intend to train? Do not overestimate your ability to attend training sessions consistently. For advice on training frequency, see Training frequency for Olympic Weightlifting.
Program Duration
What program duration do you require? The duration of the program is usually the number of weeks until your next competition, but it is not always. If you are not competing or have no competition planned, you can choose program durations between 6 and 13 weeks. Short-duration 6-8 week programs are not ideal for competition preparation, but sometimes athletes have no choice. However, short-duration programs can help break up long intervals between competitions. For example, there are short-duration skill-development programs on this website. A training cycle between 9 and 13 weeks is ideal for competition preparation, and many programs are available in the shop for this duration.
Program Level
Programs on this site are available in five levels:
- Level 0 – Beginner
- Level 1 – Novice
- Level 2 – Intermediate 3 days per week
- Level 3 – Intermediate 4 days per week
- Level 4 – Advanced
The boundary between these program levels is blurred to some extent, except that a person with less than 30 training sessions on Olympic Weightlifting is definitely a beginner. If this is you, start with Book 1 of the Beginner Olympic Weightlifting Program.
The key factor that distinguishes other program levels is training load. The higher the program level, the greater the cumulative weekly training load. You are advised not to attempt Level 3 programs until you have at least two years of continuous training experience. Similarly, advanced programs are for athletes with four or more years of continuous training experience.
It is essential to understand that training load should be commensurate with the athlete’s abilities, fitness and experience.
Program Type
With a few exceptions, the programs on this site are of two variations.
Skill Development Program
This type focuses the individual on a wide variety of exercises and skill drills to enhance skill learning. The assumption is that the program user does not have a competition at the end of the program duration. Note that all programs provide for work on technique, but the focus is greater with skill development programs.
Competition Preparation
This type of program assumes that the user will compete at the program’s conclusion.The program’s objective is to raise the athlete’s technical, physical, and psychological capacity for the competition. It is essential to understand that the order and content of training sessions are highly orchestrated to improve the competition athlete’s results. It is unwise to miss sessions or swap the order of sessions around.
