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I’m often asked about Olympic weightlifting. Specifically, I’m asked about lifts like the clean and jerk, snatch, and power clean, and how to incorporate them into a more general strength training or even bodybuilding program. Should you even include Olympic-style lifts? What are the benefits of Olympic weightlifting? Can it increase your power, speed, explosiveness, and athleticism? Is it dangerous? All that and more in this podcast.

I wanted to get an Olympic weightlifting expert on the podcast to help answer these questions. So, I tagged in Greg Everett, owner of Catalyst Athletics, which is a USA Weightlifting National Champion team and a huge educational resource for Olympic weightlifting content.

Not only is Greg an accomplished Olympic weighlifter himself, but he’s a coach at the world championship level. He’s also an author of a dozen books, including Olympic Weightlifting, the world’s best-selling book on the subject. So I was happy to have him join me for an interview.

In this podcast you’ll learn about . . .

  • What Olympic lifting is and how it differs from strength training, bodybuilding, and powerlifting
  • Reason to do Olympic weightlifting (and who shouldn’t do it)
  • How to learn the Olympic lifts and how to get started with it
  • How Olympic lifting affects explosiveness and athleticism
  • Olympic lifting’s safety and danger compared to basic compounds (and what to do to avoid injuries)
  • Programming considerations (and how to progress)
  • Body fat percentage sweet spots for performance
  • And more . . .

So if you’ve ever wondered about Olympic weightlifting, what you might be missing by not doing any Olympic lifts, and how to get started with Olympic-style weightlifting, listen to this episode. I think you’re going to enjoy it! 

Timestamps:

0:00 – Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://www.muscleforlife.show/vip

5:03 – What is Olympic weightlifting?

7:23 – What are your thoughts on Olympic weightlifting and athleticism? 

9:34 – How can people benefit from Olympic training?

13:43 – How can we start Olympic training?

16:51 – What are some safety tips for Olympic weightlifting? 

19:51 – What is the best way to learn Olympic training? 

24:24 – What are some Olympic training workouts?

27:49 – What is the relationship between intensity and volume?

33:38 – Do women and men recover differently?

35:41 – How can we work these exercises into our routine?

51:47 – What body composition is best for Olympic training?

53:57 – Where can we find you and your work?

Mentioned on the Show:

Legion VIP One-on-One Coaching: https://www.muscleforlife.show/vip

Catalyst Athletics: catalystathletics.com

Greg’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catalystathletics/

What did you think of this episode? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below!