3 Day Beginner Olympic Weightlifting Program
(16 reviews)
For athletes looking to learn and improve Olympic lifts
Program Description
This is an outline for beginner athletes looking to learn and train in Olympic lifts by one of the greatest American Olympic weightlifting coaches ever (RIP). It was originally published on Glenn's blog in 2010, which is now defunct.
Program Overview
| Coach | Glenn Pendlay |
| Level | Beginner, Novice |
| Goal | Olympic Weightlifting |
| Equipment | Full Gym |
| Time Per Workout | 45 minutes |
| Days Per Week | 3 days |
| Program Length | 12 weeks |
Start the program
on Boostcamp for free
on Boostcamp for free
Week 1 · A variation
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 10 | 1 |
| Clean Pull + Hang Clean From Knee | 5 | 1 |
| Push Press (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snatch Pull + Hang Snatch From Knee | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 10 | 1 | |
| Front Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 3 | |
| -- | |||
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 5 | 2 |
| Clean Pull + Hang Clean From Hip | 5 | 1 |
| Behind The Neck Jerk | 5 | 2 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
Week 2 · B variation
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snatch Pull + Hang Snatch From Hip | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 5 | 2 | |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 | |
| -- | |||
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 10 | 1 |
| Hang Clean From Hip + Hang Clean From Knee | 5 | 1 |
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
| Front Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 3 |
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hang Snatch From Hip + Hang Snatch From Knee | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 10 | 1 | |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 | |
| -- | |||
Week 3 · A variation
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 10 | 1 |
| Clean Pull + Hang Clean From Knee | 5 | 1 |
| Push Press (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snatch Pull + Hang Snatch From Knee | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 10 | 1 | |
| Front Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 3 | |
| -- | |||
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 5 | 2 |
| Clean Pull + Hang Clean From Hip | 5 | 1 |
| Behind The Neck Jerk | 5 | 2 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
Week 4 · B variation
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snatch Pull + Hang Snatch From Hip | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 5 | 2 | |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 | |
| -- | |||
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 10 | 1 |
| Hang Clean From Hip + Hang Clean From Knee | 5 | 1 |
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
| Front Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 3 |
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hang Snatch From Hip + Hang Snatch From Knee | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 10 | 1 | |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 | |
| -- | |||
Week 5 · A variation
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 10 | 1 |
| Clean Pull + Hang Clean From Knee | 5 | 1 |
| Push Press (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snatch Pull + Hang Snatch From Knee | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 10 | 1 | |
| Front Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 3 | |
| -- | |||
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 5 | 2 |
| Clean Pull + Hang Clean From Hip | 5 | 1 |
| Behind The Neck Jerk | 5 | 2 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
Week 6 · B variation
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snatch Pull + Hang Snatch From Hip | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 5 | 2 | |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 | |
| -- | |||
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 10 | 1 |
| Hang Clean From Hip + Hang Clean From Knee | 5 | 1 |
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
| Front Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 3 |
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hang Snatch From Hip + Hang Snatch From Knee | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 10 | 1 | |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 | |
| -- | |||
Week 7 · A variation
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 10 | 1 |
| Clean Pull + Hang Clean From Knee | 5 | 1 |
| Push Press (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snatch Pull + Hang Snatch From Knee | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 10 | 1 | |
| Front Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 3 | |
| -- | |||
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 5 | 2 |
| Clean Pull + Hang Clean From Hip | 5 | 1 |
| Behind The Neck Jerk | 5 | 2 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
Week 8 · B variation
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snatch Pull + Hang Snatch From Hip | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 5 | 2 | |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 | |
| -- | |||
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 10 | 1 |
| Hang Clean From Hip + Hang Clean From Knee | 5 | 1 |
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
| Front Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 3 |
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hang Snatch From Hip + Hang Snatch From Knee | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 10 | 1 | |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 | |
| -- | |||
Week 9 · A variation
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 10 | 1 |
| Clean Pull + Hang Clean From Knee | 5 | 1 |
| Push Press (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snatch Pull + Hang Snatch From Knee | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 10 | 1 | |
| Front Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 3 | |
| -- | |||
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 5 | 2 |
| Clean Pull + Hang Clean From Hip | 5 | 1 |
| Behind The Neck Jerk | 5 | 2 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
Week 10 · B variation
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snatch Pull + Hang Snatch From Hip | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 5 | 2 | |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 | |
| -- | |||
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 10 | 1 |
| Hang Clean From Hip + Hang Clean From Knee | 5 | 1 |
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
| Front Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 3 |
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hang Snatch From Hip + Hang Snatch From Knee | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 10 | 1 | |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 | |
| -- | |||
Week 11 · A variation
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 10 | 1 |
| Clean Pull + Hang Clean From Knee | 5 | 1 |
| Push Press (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snatch Pull + Hang Snatch From Knee | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 10 | 1 | |
| Front Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 3 | |
| -- | |||
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 5 | 2 |
| Clean Pull + Hang Clean From Hip | 5 | 1 |
| Behind The Neck Jerk | 5 | 2 |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
Week 12 · B variation
Day 1
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snatch Pull + Hang Snatch From Hip | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 5 | 2 | |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 | |
| -- | |||
Day 2
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Snatch (Barbell) | 10 | 1 |
| Hang Clean From Hip + Hang Clean From Knee | 5 | 1 |
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3 | 5 |
| Front Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 3 |
Day 3
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hang Snatch From Hip + Hang Snatch From Knee | 5 | 1 | |
| Clean & Jerk | 10 | 1 | |
| Squat (Barbell) | 3 | 5 | |
| -- | |||
What People Are Saying
4.4/ 5
Man, 33
3 weeks complete
6 years of prior experience
Less than expected strength gains
Less than expected muscle gains
Marginal modifications
Cardio?
7 days ago
P V.Man
3 weeks complete
8 years of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
Less than expected muscle gains
None modifications
The squat progression in this is not for the faint of heart. +10lbs every week is a lot to ask for. There needs to be some accessory work but the program has none
2 months ago
Christopher N.Man, 47
5 weeks complete
2 years of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
More than expected muscle gains
Marginal modifications
Love the pump front this one
3 months ago
Patrik C.Man, 41
3 weeks complete
8 years of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
More than expected muscle gains
Marginal modifications
Like this program, super easy to add in stuff as needed and it is short enough to make sure I finish everything before work. I will probably repeat this program for the next 4 months..
4 months ago