15 reviews for 3 Day Beginner Olympic Weightlifting Program
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.
David F.
Man, 263 weeks complete
8 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
Less than expected muscle gains
Excellent program for me to continue to sharpen my weightlifting skills
Santamaria S.
Man, 233 weeks complete
7 years of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
More than expected muscle gains
Perfect transition from powerlifting
Derrick Coleman
Man, 239 weeks complete
4 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
Pretty good program however I think if you can afford being in the gym a lil more often throwing in a few extra days would definitely help but If you only want to be in the gym 3 days a week it’s great
Nicolas C.
Man3 weeks complete
7 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
Good for starting with oly lift.
Sean O.
Man, 323 weeks complete
5 years of prior experience
As expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
Using this as a way to learn weightlifting before my regular workouts. Skipping the non-Oly lifts, takes 15-20 minutes and I’m getting great practice out of lots and lots of singles. Simple and effective
Denis D.
Man10 weeks complete
6 years of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
As expected muscle gains
The program is okay I guess but is also lacking severely in terms of proper periodization and programming/selection for accessory lifts. I've made a few small snatch and c&j PRs, but the lift that progressed the most and by a large margin was back squat (160 kg->200+ish kg based on 5RM in ~10 weeks). That said, this is also my biggest gripe with the program as despite my best attempts to autoregulate I ended up with a patellar tendonitis in my left knee by the week 11 and couldn't finish all 12 weeks. Tldr The program is okayish but lacks proper periodization and requires major changes to accessory lifts. Squat progression might not be sustainable for some folks even when autoregulated properly.
Man, 33
3 weeks complete
6 years of prior experience
Less than expected strength gains
Less than expected muscle gains
Cardio?
P V.
Man3 weeks complete
8 years of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
Less than expected muscle gains
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
Christopher N.
Man, 475 weeks complete
2 years of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
More than expected muscle gains
Love the pump front this one
Patrik C.
Man, 413 weeks complete
8 years of prior experience
More than expected strength gains
More than expected muscle gains
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..