Topic: Can somone recommend a very basic beginner program for me

[Bruce Darley]

Some background. I am 43, 6,2 268 pounds as of this morning and am trying to get under 105Kg. I bought my own equipment in Jan. of this year to start oly lifting and have been working out for a year previous at 24 hour fitness. My areas of weakness first are getting the bar back enough on the snatch and not rolling on my toes in the hole. So shoulder work for flexability, core work for strength and ankle flexability. On C&J I have trouble getting my elbows up on the catch and somtimes it just kills my wrists although the wrist thing has gotten alot better and I am learning to use less arm on the catch. The other wierd thing that somtimes happens is when I do heavy full cleans my ribs in front at the very bottom of my rib cage hurt like no other. If I power clean this never happens, so it seems to happen in the hole on the clean.  I have only been at this 5 months and would really apreciate any help on training routines that are very basic. I can C&J 100Kg and power snatch 80 or so. I can only full squat snatch about 65 because I lose the weight forward. I can easily jerk anything I can clean and my front squat max is only 100Kg so that is the big limiter. (I can seated military 100kg 5-6 times with free weights) So that is why I say I can easily jerk what I can clean. Thanks for any help. Bruce

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

I wouldn't recommend a generic program for anyone that has the option of getting a customized program. If there isn't a coach in your area that can help you, you could hire me. I provide coaching through the web:

My Weightlifting Coach, CSCS, MS, USAW III

But, if you can't find or afford coaching, here are a few program samples you could check out and maybe modify to your needs:

Training Programs

Good luck

[Craig Vandeweghe]

Do Snatch, Clean and jerk, and Front Squats. Thats all you need. I been lifting for 3 months now after 12 years of nothing. I've read just about everything I could on the sports in the last 3 months. Keep it simple, If you want to be  good at snatching, do snatches. Right now I do a 5 workout cycle, Day 1&3 snatch, Day 2&4 C&J, Day5 Snatch and C&J.

If you can find a coach thats the best thing for your lifting. Even if you have to drive an hour or so once every couple of weeks.

Video tape yourself lifting, this is a great tool.

Hope this helps a little...

[Jim Hooper]

Bruce,

I disagree that you can or should train by simply doing snatches, CJs, and front squats at this point. That's one effective way you might choose to train in the future, after your form and flexibility are in place, but not now.  The systems that use that approach don't just start new lifters off doing just the lifts and front squats -- they start with simpler movements to develop correct technique, especially good pulling form and receiving positions.  That's probably what you should do, too.

From the information you provided, it sure sounds like you should make priority of getting mobile moving into, and being stable in, the receiving positions for the snatch and clean.  One thing your training at this stage should emphasize are the positional squats -- snatch squats (overhead squats with a snatch grip) and front squats.   Nothing is really going to happen with your full lifts, they aren't ever going to be right, until the bottom positions are "in" and technically solid with at least moderate weights.  Doing a lot of them, frequently, and doing them in good form is more important than how much weight is on the bar.   

If you really cannot get coaching and a training program designed for your unique needs, find the websites for "Idaho Weightlifting" and "Queensland Weightlifting Association."  Look at the "Basic USAW" program on the Idaho site (the first one listed), and the "Beginner" and "Intermediate" programs on the QWA site.  Those will give you a pretty good idea of what "generic" beginner programs look like, and you can modify them to fit your situation -- i.e., you might want to substitute snatch squats for back squats in the "Basic USAW" program, keeping the front squats in there, at least until your snatch mobility comes in, and/or do pulls or power cleans/snatches immediately followed by front/overhead squats (riding them down) until you develop the mobility and positions necessary to perform the full lifts correctly -- the idea is that you do what you can do reasonably well at this point and build on it.

Good luck, be safe, and keep it fun.

[Shaun Le Conte]

Do Snatch, Clean and jerk, and Front Squats. Thats all you need. I been lifting for 3 months now after 12 years of nothing.

To put your message in some perspective though, you had several years of training in your teens. When we were in high school together you snatched 40 kg over your bodyweight and clean & jerked approximately double bodyweight :)

[Craig Vandeweghe]

Shawn I wish I could still lift like that. Maybe soon.

I should have wrote a little more. I should have put snatch movement (ie power/hang/drop snatch/OHS) and Clean and Jerk movements(ie Power/hang cleans/ rack jerks etc...). And all I do now is Front Squats. When I train on a Snatch day, I train the weak part of my snatch. Same for C&J. This is what everyone should do. Then on my 5th day I do Full Snatches and Full Clean and Jerks.

[Bruce Darley]

Craig What is a drop snatch? Thanks

[Craig Vandeweghe]

Drop Snatch - (I think some people call it Snatch Balance) Start with the bar on the traps (behind neck) with a snatch grip. Give the bar just a little bit of a shot up and drop down into a bottom position.  Good exercise to get use to receiving the bar in a snatch.