Ep. #929: Greg Everett on How to Start Olympic Weightlifting (and Why You Should)

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/