Adding Olympic Lifts

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
1

I’m currently doing Defranco’s Westside for Skinny Bastards (3 days/week) and playing soccer 2-3 days/week (1 game, 2-3 practices or pick up games), and I’m looking to add in some olympic lifting to increase my explosiveness and power - correct me if I’m wrong on assuming this will help. I love the strength and size gains I’m seeing each week with the Westside adaptation so I don’t want to just quit that for a full blown OL program, but I’m not sure how to work in the olympic lifts. Any ideas? Here’s what I’ve been toying with:

  • just add them in at the beginning or end of my current workouts. But then which day(s): ME upper body, lower body, or repetition uppper body?

  • take an additional day and just work OL. This may be easier in a few weeks when the season’s over, and I have an extra day to train.

Either way I choose I could then focus on clean and jerks for 1-3 weeks, then focus on the snatch for a few. Or I can hit both each week.

Also, and maybe more importantly, I’m pretty new to OL. Other than a few hang cleans a few months ago I don’t have much experience with these lifts. Any tips or suggestions getting started.

Thanks in advance.

2

Keep an eye out for my upcoming article on the snatch…

3

There was a recent thread on this, do a search. Basically, add Oly lifts to DE days as the first exercise. You can do Push Press on DE upper body and rotate between snatch/cleans on DE lower body.

Aim for 4-6x3 @ 70%-80% of 1RM.

For power and explosiveness, hang clean and hang snatch will be just as good as the full movement.

Remember, technique is everything so take it easy initially.

4

My advice would be to order Jim Schmitz’s video and book (more like a manual). Both of them detail extensively the PROPER way to perform the Olympic lifts. In addition, you get a good workout program as well.

5

like Chints stated, you will definitely want to do the O-lifts first in your routine. They require more technique and thus you need to be at your freshest.