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 weightlifter 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/