Masters Weightlifting Comprehensive Training Guide M35 Plus To W35 Plus - Nodrm

Comprehensive Training Guide
Covers all Age Groups from 35 to 80+
Jim
www.strengthandvelocity.com
NAPIER
Masters
Weightlifting
Covers all Age-Groups from 35 to 80+
By Jim Napier
Masters
Weightlifting
By Jim Napier - Copyright © 2017
Note of Rights: All rights reserved. No part of this book my be reproduced

or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, otherwise, without the prior written permission of
the author. For permission email: jimnapier@sbcglobal.net
Notice of Liability: The information in this book is distributed on an “as is”

basis, without warranty. While every precaution has been taken in the
preparations of the book, the author shall not be held liable to any person or
entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused
directly or indirectly by the instructions contained in this book.
About the Author

Jim Napier graduated from Arlington Heights High School in
1963. Was captain of the track team and placed second at the
Texas HS State Meet in the Discus in 1963. Attended
Howard County Junior College on an athletic scholarship
and placed second in the Junior College Nationals in the
discus in 1964 and 1965. Attended TCU on an athletic
scholarship. Received a degree in Physical Education in 1968, taking courses
in (physics, statistics, biology, kinesiology and Anatomy).
Jim was National Weightlifting Champion in 1977 in the 82.5 kg class and
placed second at Nationals in 1975, 1976 and 1978. Set four American
records in the snatch, including a Pan American Record snatch of 140 kg in
the 75 kg class, American Record snatch 142.5 in the 75 kg class in 1978,
and National record snatch of 155 kg in the 82.5 kg class in 1979. Set
National and World Record in masters division.
Jim has been a member of Spoon Barbell Club Weightlifting Team since
1974 and inducted into Texas Weightlifting Hall of Fame 2009.
Table of Content
Chapter 1
Introduction
Important
Websites
History of the USA Masters Weightlifting Program
Why Lift Weights
Chapter 2
What’s Different and What’s
Not Rules of the Sport
Technique
Posture
Training
Equipmen
t
Chapter 3
Performance Differentials by Age/Gender
Chapter 4
Anatomy of the Snatch and Clean &
Jerk Anatomy of the Snatch
Style Variations
The Power Snatch
Anatomy of the
Clean Anatomy of
the Jerk Jerk
Variations
Jerk Recovery Variations
Times-in-Motion
The Value of Times-in-motion
Chapter 5
Beginners and Returnees
Chapter 6
Delayed Gratification
Chapter 7
Classification of
Lifts Primary Lifts
Variations
Partial Lifts
Auxiliary
Exercises
Overhead Lifts
General Training Method
Chapter 8
Ratios and Formulas
Ratio 1a:
Ratio 1b:
Clean Pull to Back
Squat Ratio 1c:
Ratio 1d:
Equivalent Force
Formulas Excess Velocity
(Force)
Adjustments to the Equivalent Squat Multiplier
Chapter 9
Training & Programming
Methodology Precision Lifting
Specific Times-in-motion
II. Programming
Methodology Auxiliary Blocks
Partial Lifts
Chapter 10
Incremental Increases
Purpose of Incremental
Increases Creating Incremental
Tables
Chapter 11
Number of Training
Session M35 Training
Example W35 Training
Example M65 Training
Example W60 Training
Example
Chapter 12
Scheduling Lifts
Chapter 13
Average Monthly Intensity Levels
Chapter 14
Separation
Creating
Separation
Equivalency Chart
Two Types of Overloading
Chapter 15
The
AEC&J
Summary
Chapter 16
Weaknesses and
Imbalances
Misconception of Partials
Chapter 17
Writing a Program
Boundaries Placed on
Training Missing Lifts
Designing a Program
Breakdown of the Primaries
Chapter 18
Peaking and
Tapering Tapering
Peaking the Squats and Pulls
Summary
Chapter 19
Equivalency of Performance
Chapter 20
Conclusion
Appendix A
Programming Hints
Programming: Example
1a Programming:
Example 2a Training Log:
Program 2a
Programming: Example
1b Programming:
Example 1c Training Log
1b
Strength Cycles and Squat Routines
Appendix B
Conditioning Phase (pre-training or competing)
Walking or Jogging
Wind Sprints
Calisthenics
Stretching
Regimen
Moderate Bodybuilding
Exercises Auxiliary Exercises
and Partials
Chapter 1
Introduction
Master’s programs have been around for decades for many sporting
events, such as track & field, swimming, tennis, golf, softball, and others.
The master’s program found its way into the sport of weightlifting back in the
1970s. The basic premise was to give older adults a way to stay fit by doing
something they could enjoy doing, or they appreciated as an open lifter.
Master programs require that there should be divisions by age groups, due to
the aging factor which has a profound effect on the body’s hormonal system;
placing older athletes at a disadvantage to those who are younger.
In the sport of weightlifting, the age groups are divided in 5-year
increments from age 35 and up; however, the IWF decided that M80 and
W70 would be the cutoff point for all National and International
competitions. Anyone older than M80 or W70 would have to compete against
those who were actually in the M80 or W70 age groups. Since first
publishing this book, the weight categories have been changed, but I believe
the tables concerning the difference between world records and age can be
generally applied until a few years have passed and world records from the
new age groups have been established.
The following table lists the current age groups for the sport of
weightlifting;
Men’s Age Groups Women’s Age Groups
M35 - 39 M35 - 39
M40 - 49 M40 - 49
M45-49 M45-49
M50 - 54 M50 - 54
M55 - 59 M55 - 59
M60 - 64 M60 - 64
M65 - 69 M65 - 69
M70 - 74 M70+
M75 - 79
M80+
Each age group consist of various weight classes, which are the same for
junior, senior and master divisions; see table 2.
Table 2
Men’s Weight Classes Women’s Weight Classes
55* 45*
61 49
67 55
73 59
81 64
89* 71*
96 76
102* 81*
109 87
109+ 87+
* Not included in the Olympics
The most competitive age groups are the M35 to about M45, due to the
recent growing number of lifters getting involved in the sport.
The rules that govern the competition aspect of the sport are the same as
those for the youth, junior and senior level lifters. The strict adherence to the
rules can pose a problem with the older master lifters who might have issues
with the rule concerning press-out or re-bending of the elbows. Most judges
are sympathetic to this plight, and at times can allow a wide range of
interpretations. Lock-out problems seem to have the most effect on master
lifters in the M65 age group and older. Women don’t have the same lock-out
problem as the men, due to physiological differences. Lock-out problems
occur in younger master lifters as well, but on average not near as many have
those problems as do the older male master lifters.
The lifter usually applies technique consistently in the open division, but
in the master division a more extensive array of technical applications can be
seen, from the full squat style to the split style and lifters commonly use even
the power snatch and clean in all age divisions. Most of these style variations
are coming from the older master lifters who are trying to avoid certain
stresses from particular positions that cause some pain or could cause an
injury. For example, the power snatch and clean can be less stressful for the
older master lifters in the M65 and older age divisions.
As the lifter ages in the sport, the emphasis should be placed more on
longevity than performance. It is of course not possible to push the human
body for such a long period to the same extremes as an open lifter. The
master lifter should take special care during training regardless of age. While
any lifter of any age can enjoy a few years of pushing limit weights, at some
point the wheels will fall off and the lifter will be facing some acute problems
with overloading or even an injury and possibly a severe injury. The sport of
weightlifting is only safe if the lifter takes certain precautions that can at least
mitigate those dangers.
Many of the same principles I wrote about in my other books on
weightlifting I have included in this book. I will try and explain the
differences that occur with age among the different age divisions. Some
master lifters tend to place too much emphasis on the amount of weight they
can lift instead of longevity. While being an intense competitor in the junior
and senior ranks is of extreme necessity, in the master program that intense
competitive spirit needs to be dampened down a notch to allow for longevity
and the pleasure of just going into the gym to work out for the sake of
exercise and fitness if nothing else. Pushing too hard and long for those
seemingly elusive PRs might be fun at the time, but eventually, those long
and hard sessions will come back to haunt the lifter in the form of aches,
pains, and injuries.
If the only pleasure one can get out of training is through the social
networks, then the lifter is not trying to please or pleasure themselves, they
are trying to please others. As soon as the big lifts dwindle over time, then the
lifter will lose interest in the sport, at least the same enthusiasm they had
before. While the open division is somewhat cutthroat as each lifter tries to
reach the top of the pyramid, the master lifter should not fall into that
mindset. It will work for a small period, but there is no way a person can
push that hard for 4 or 5 decades without causing some problems sooner or
later. Of course, injuries can happen to anyone regardless of how cautious
they are, but when the lift throws all caution to the wind, the chances of
injury are increased considerably, especially with age.
The methodology I have developed will allow the master lifter to train
with as little stress and unnecessary overloading as is possible. It will also
enable the lifter greater longevity in the sport. I have developed this training
methodology as an alternative to the programming methodologies currently
being used.
Important Websites
worldmastersweightlifting.com
This website has the rules of the sport, upcoming international
competitions, results, and records. It also has a Sinclair/Meltzer-Faber
calculator that is easy to use.
www.mastersweightlifting.org
This website contains all the information needed about upcoming
National and International competitions, rules, records and much more.
www.teamusa.org
Anyone wishing to compete in the sport of weightlifting at sanctioned
meets will need to pay a membership fee to the USAW. The USAW website
also keeps track of the rankings by division and gender. It contains
information about upcoming events and relevant information and news. It
also includes articles of interest concerning training and technique. The
website lists weightlifting clubs and coaches in the USA.
History of the USA Masters Weightlifting Program
From the USA Master’s Website: William (Bill) Clark founded the
Master's program in 1975. Bill started weightlifting in 1959 when his boxing
team was looking for an off-season sport. There was not a state meet at the
time, so he held the very first one in Columbia in 1959.
The idea of a Master’s program came to the table in 1973 at the AAU
convention and was approved by a laugh with the mention of old people
wanting to lift and compete. In 1974, only four lifters entered the National
Masters Meet – Jim Witt, Jack Lano, Wilbur Miller, and Bill Clark. The Meet
was canceled that year. In 1975, the Master Championship was held in
Columbia with 15 entries. Age groups were divided by five years starting at
the age of 40.
Bill Clark was our first Masters Chairman, and his Vice Chair was Walter
Imahara. Initially, Masters included men only. In 1976, Bill violated the IWF
rules which limited lifting to males only and worded a sanction which made a
combined Power/Olympic lifting competition into an all-female meet. It
broke the gender barrier, and women’s weightlifting was off and running.
The World Master’s program was also started at about the same time. The
World Masters was held every year. The decision of where the competition
would take place was decided at their congress, which is the annual meeting
at the World Championships. All Masters Chairmen were allowed a vote (one
vote for each country). All elections for officers took place there as well.
Women were eventually allowed to compete separately, and another age
bracket was added (35-39). Walter Imahara was voted in as the new Master's
Chair after Bill Clark stepped down. Walter was also the IWF Masters
Chairman for 20 years. In 1996, Howard Cohen was voted Masters Chair.
Why Lift Weights
Of all the master sports out there to choose from, why would anyone
want to pick the sport of weightlifting. In my opinion, there is no better sport
than weightlifting for helping to maintain muscle and bone density as a
person ages. If not overdone a person can lift as long as they are alive baring
any health restrictions that would preclude any physical activity. Of course,
weightlifting is not for everyone, but everyone can do it. There is no greater
challenge than the battle between the lifter and the barbell, and the chess
game between programming and progress. Most other sports only require the
skill set to be able to progress the event, but weightlifting requires both the
skill set and the challenge of an ever-increasing resistance placed on those
skill sets. The sport of weightlifting is by far the best way to go about staying
fit at any age along with the enjoyment of being able to compete with others
who share a common interest.
Chapter 2
What’s Different and What’s Not
Not all things change in the sport of weightlifting due to aging. The most
notable changes will occur by happenstance, that being a drop-off in
performance, once the lifter has fully developed from their original point of
origin. If a person started competing at age 18 and never stopped lifting, then
whatever development they reached in the open division, usually by age 23,
will be carried over into the master division, with the only change being a
gradual drop-off in performance over time. An open lifter can fully develop
in 4 or 5 years and can stay at the same level for several years past their peak
performance, usually up to the age of 30, and with or without bodyweight
changes. Between 30 and 35 years of age, the lifter is in no man’s land,
where performance begins to drop off to the point where the lifter is not able
to sustain their precious open division performances. The women lifters seem
to be able to maintain their top performance longer than the men, but more
research on that subject needs to be done.
If a person who has never lifted before begins at age 35 or later, then their
full development would be reached in 4 or 5 years. They will, however, be
fighting a drop-off in performance as they are developing due to some
hormonal reduction. A person returning to the sport after several years of
absence, such as 20 years or more, will retain some of their ability and
residual muscular development. They will also have the same 4 or 6 years to
fully develop or re-develop, but at a lesser level of performance than when
they stopped the first time. Re-developing can create some psychological
problems where they still remember how much they lifted before as an open
lifter and have some pre-delusion of grandeur about picking up where they
left off.
A prior National Champion of some twenty years earlier will sometimes
think they can come back to the sport, and start training as if they had never
stopped lifting. The master lifter should remove all notions of past
achievements from their mind and they should, as best as they can, start all
over as if they had never touched a barbell before. The rate of injuries among
returnees is very high, and the dropout rate is even higher. Returnees are
more easily discouraged than newbies because they want to achieve too much
too soon.
My training methodology should help all lifters, both returnees and
newbies, gradually reach their full potential with less stress, aches, and pains
that could occur using other methods.
Rules of the Sport
As the lifter ages, the rules governing the sport do not change. One of the
main issues older lifters must deal with concerns the locking-out of the
elbows in the snatch and the jerk. Other problems, like hitching (pausing) the
bar before the lifter, starts the 2nd pull is rare but does occur from time-to-
time. Aside from whatever issues the master lifter might have with those
rules, they are precisely the same for everyone regardless of age or weight
class.
Technique
The ability of a lifter to perform with extreme precision and technique
does degrade over the years, mostly due to a decrease in flexibility and some
mobility. Other factors would be the level of proficiency the lifter can
develop and if they begin lifting at age 35 or older their technical ability will
be somewhat reduced. People who start lifting in later life will have trouble
receiving the barbell into the lowest position possible, i.e., they will have to
ride the weight down a bit and sometimes a lot. This skill is held back by the
neurological muscle protection of the knees, if this muscle protection is not
going on the lifter could eventually face some severe knee problems and
muscle tears, especially in older lifters, but the younger master lifters are not
immune either, but are more willing to throw caution to the wind.
Master lifters are fraught with aches, pains and shoulder, and knee
injuries. I believe the lifter causes most of these aches, pains, and minor and
major injuries due to decelerated squats and pulls, which place a considerable
amount of pressure and inflexibility on the joints. Decelerated actions, I
believe to be the primary cause of injuries and stagnation, because those
decelerated actions create non-beneficial overloading and those actions are
antagonistic to the production of momentum needed during a snatch and
clean & jerk. Decelerated movements in the squats and pulls also play a
significant role in creating what are perceived to be weaknesses in the lifter’s
snatch and clean & jerk.
The lifter could experience a decline in technical proficiency which is
generally followed by a decline in performance. A decline in technical
proficiency and performance being one-in-the-same as far as aging is
concerned. This decline occurs simultaneously and very gradual. Most causes
of large swings in performance are due to improper training or training too
long and hard or heavy, and the lifter is unable to recover adequately from
one session to the next. The heavy loadings and decelerated squats and pulls
make it difficult for the lifter to heal appropriately for subsequent workouts.
The accumulation of stress becomes too much for the joints and ligaments to
handle and eventually the body begins to breakdown.
A physiological issue that has a direct impact on technique is the reaction
time of the lifter, which decreases with age. The reaction time may or may
not cause a problem with the production of momentum or not being able to
do the snatch or clean in one-second (from the platform to lock-out), but it
could create the decline or drop-off as the lifter ages, by reducing the
performance level. Performance is the amount the lifter can lift. Another
physiological issue is a reduction in hormonal production. Hormone decline
is very gradual, and medical papers have documented this decline. I have
already provided, in Section 3, the effects of hormone decline. The drop-off
of performance, flexibility, mobility and hormonal production will occur
gradually.
Posture
The ability of the lifter to maintain or secure good posture degrades over
time, usually from factors not associated with athletics, but with muscular
atrophy. Slouching while standing up or sitting down with the shoulders
hunched forward creates a tightness in the upper back that is difficult to
correct if it can be corrected at all. Poor posture will have an enormous effect
on technique and how much weight the lifter will be able to lift, i.e., keep
them from lifting to their capability had their posture been more erect. Poor
posture kills momentum and reduces the proficiency of the lift and the level
of performance the lifter can attain, relative to each age group division.
Although the lifter might associate poor posture with slouching, it can
also be caused by slow grinding squats that decelerate to such an extreme the
shoulders must hunch forward to complete the ascent. Deceleration is the
greatest destroyer of performance than any other type of improper training
protocols. Non-decelerated squats and pulls can over time help ease some of
those flexibility issues surrounding the hips and upper back, regardless of the
age of the lifter.
Non-decelerated squats achieved in one-second or faster during the
ascension are required to meet the velocity requirements of the snatch and
clean & jerk. Anything slower than one-second would constitute deceleration
and would be considered unnecessary overloading, creating stress on the
muscular and adrenaline systems.
The sport of weightlifting is not a strength sport; it is a speed sport, like
track & field, swimming, and speed skating. To classify weightlifting as a
strength sport is to misunderstand the athletic properties inherent in the sport.
The fact that there is an ever-increasing weight handled is irrelevant to the
athletic motion or extension of the body needed to produce momentum
because the snatch and clean take one-second to perform regardless of the
amount of weight on the bar. Non-deceleration training disqualifies
weightlifting from being a strength sport. Strength sports require a reduction
in the accelerated velocity (deceleration) to move a greater mass, such as
powerlifting, strongman competitions and bodybuilding to some degree.
Attempting to train the squats and pulls like a powerlifter or bodybuilder
will result in the squats and pulls being trained using decelerated actions, and
the results will be self-evident. The lifter over a relatively short period will
ascend to a decent level, but over time the lifter places stresses and forces on
the joints of the body and the muscles will cause a forced decline in
performance or an injury or both. As the lifter ages, certain injuries are
almost inevitable regardless of what precautions they take, because there is a
certain level of danger inherent in just about all sporting events.
Training
The most notable changes in practice will occur gradually between the
M35 through the older age divisions. The training as I outlined in my book,
Weightlifting: How to Lift and Train Like a World Champion, is generally
the same regardless of age. The differences would be the number of training
sessions per week will decline as the lifter ages. The lifter can increase the
number of days per week as long as the monthly average level of intensity is
decreased to accommodate the additional volume. The average monthly level
of intensity will also decline with age, from a high of 87% as an open lifter to
close to 70%, from around M65 and W55 and older.
The number of warmups with incremental increases might also increase.
It will take a little longer for the older master lifters to get warmed-up after
they have completed the empty bar routine; however, it could depend on the
individual as to how much warmup is needed. At least enough, so the
proficiency of the lifter is reached before the heavier loadings occur.
The amount of training for younger master lifters is almost double that of
the older master lifters, such as five days a week for M35 and three days a
week for M65 and older. The time it takes to peak for meets is also about
double, or 2 months for M35 and one month for M65. Tapering is
considerably less, anywhere from 85% for M35 to 75% for M65 and older. It
takes twice as long for an M65 lifter to recover than it does for an M35 lifter,
due to the physiological effects mentioned before.
Equipment
The lifting equipment remains the same for open or master lifters. The
lifter uses the same bars, same plates, and the same competition platform for
both open and master lifters. Shoes, belts, and wraps are all the same. The
only disadvantage to the older master lifters is the oscillation of the bar is lost
because the older master lifters do not handle enough weight to create that
oscillation. As the weight reaches over 80k, as a maximal lift in the clean, the
impact forces are significantly accumulated due to that lack of oscillation. It
can be somewhat jarring and is another factor in older master lifters not being
able to train at higher monthly averages. An advantage for older master lifters
is the need for straps is meaningless, due to the amount of weight that can be
handled.
The lifter can purchase Items like shoes, singlets, belts, straps, wraps,
chalk and tape over the internet. Shoes can be more of a status symbol than
something that will help the lifter lift more weight, as this is an impossibility.
The lifter should purchase the shoe that is the most comfortable not a
particular shoe that might be seen as a status symbol or because it’s the
newest model.
Things that will change with age;

1. Decline in performance
2. Decline in technical proficiency
3. Decline in flexibility and mobility
4. Reduction in reaction time
5. Master lifters are more prone to aches and pains as they age
6. Reduction in the number of training days per week
7. Reduction in the average monthly level of intensity
Some things that do not change;

1. Rules (rarely)
2. Equipment
3. Age groups
4. Weight classes (rarely)
5. Enjoyment of the sport
Chapter 3
Performance Differentials by Age/Gender
The following tables will give the lifter an idea of the age differentials, as
far as performance is concerned, between the open division and the master
division, by both age and weight class. This table is based on the previous
world records, but it should hold up regardless, since I am simply showing
the general decline in performance as the lifter moves through the different
age groups.
Open World Master World

Age Group Percentage Difference
Record Totals Record Totals
M35 - 39, 56k 307 202.5 66.0%
M35 - 39, 62k 333 262 78.7%
M35 - 39, 69k 359 280 78.0%
M35 - 39, 77k 380 315 82.9%
M35 - 39, 85k 396 320 80.8%
M35 - 39, 94k 412 332.5 80.7%
M35 - 39, 105k 437 359 82.2%
M35 - 39, 105+k 473 375 79.3%
Average Percentage 78.6%
M40 - 44, 56k 307 218 71.0%
M40 - 44, 62k 333 260 78.1%
M40 - 44, 69k 359 257 71.6%
M40 - 44, 77k 380 288 75.8%
M40 - 44, 85k 396 302 76.3%
M40 - 44, 94k 412 309 75.0%
M40 - 44, 105k 437 342 78.3%
M40 - 44, 105k+ 473 358 75.7%
M45 - 49, 56k 307 198 64.5%

M45 - 49, 62k 333 210 63.1%
M45 - 49, 69k 359 250 69.6%
M45 - 49, 77k 380 263 69.2%
M45 - 49, 85k 396 270 68.2%
M45 - 49, 94k 412 290 68.2%
M45 - 49, 105k 437 307 70.3%
M45 - 49, 105k+ 473 320 67.7%
M50 - 54, 56k 307 177 57.7%
M50 - 54, 62k 333 197.5 59.3%
M50 - 54, 69k 359 230 64.1%
M50 - 54, 77k 380 254 66.8%
M50 - 54, 85k 396 260 65.7%
M50 - 54, 94k 412 305 74.0%
M50 - 54, 105k 437 300 68.6%
M50 - 54, 105k+ 473 310 65.5%
M55 - 59, 56 307 167 54.4%
M55 - 59, 62 333 186 55.9%
M55 - 59, 69 359 215 59.9%
M55 - 59, 77 380 227.5 59.9%
M55 - 59, 85 396 241 60.9%
M55 - 59, 94 412 275 66.7%
M55 - 59, 105 437 270 61.8%
M55 - 59, 105k+ 473 257 54.3%
M60 - 64, 56k 307 167 54.4%
M60 - 64, 62k 333 176 52.9%
M60 - 64, 69k 359 201 56.0%
M60 - 64, 77k 380 210 55.3%
M60 - 64, 85k 396 225 56.8%
M60 - 64, 94k 412 240 58.3%

M60 - 64, 105k 437 256 58.6%
M60 - 64, 105k+ 473 250 52.9%
M65 - 69, 56k 307 141 45.6%
M65 - 69, 56k 333 160 48.0%
M65 - 69, 56k 359 180 50.1%
M65 - 69, 56k 380 205 53.9%
M65 - 69, 56k 396 211 53.3%
M65 - 69, 56k 412 224 54.4%
M65 - 69, 56k 437 234 53.5%
M65 - 69, 56k 473 218 46.1%
M70 - 74, 56k 307 135 44.0%
M70 - 74, 62k 333 158 47.4%
M70 - 74, 69k 359 165 46.0%
M70 - 74, 77k 380 195 51.3%
M70 - 74, 85k 396 199 50.3%
M70 - 74, 94k 412 192 46.6%
M70 - 74, 105k 437 200 45.8%
M70 - 74, 105k+ 473 180 38.1%
M75 - 79, 56k 307 116 37.8%
M75 - 79, 62k 333 131 39.3%
M75 - 79, 69k 359 147 40.9%
M75 - 79, 77k 380 158 41.6%
M75 - 79, 85k 396 173 43.7%
M75 - 79, 94k 412 170 41.3%
M75 - 79, 105k 437 180 41.2%
M75 - 79, 105k+ 473 156 33.0%

M80+, 56k 307 90 29.3%
M80+, 56k 333 120 36.0%
M80+, 56k 359 123 34.3%
M80+, 56k 380 147 38.7%
M80+, 56k 396 136 34.3%
M80+, 56k 412 156 37.9%
M80+, 56k 437 124 28.4%
M80+, 56k 473 95 20.0%
W35 - 39, 48k 217 132.5 61.1%
W35 - 39, 53k 233 147 63.1%
W35 - 39, 58k 252 165 65.5%
W35 - 39, 63k 262 177 67.6%
W35 - 39, 69k 286 190 66.4%
W35 - 39, 75k 296 192 65.9%
W35 - 39, 90k* 283 183 64.6%
W35 - 39, 90k+ 348 220 63.2%
W40 - 44, 48k 217 130 60.0%
W40 - 44, 53k 233 145 62.2%
W40 - 44, 58k 252 152.5 60.5%
W40 - 44, 63k 262 175 66.8%
W40 - 44, 69k 286 170 59.4%
W40 - 44, 75k 296 189 63.9%
W40 - 44, 90k 283 184 65.0%
W40 - 44, 90k+ 348 179 51.4%
W45 - 49, 48k 217 115 53.0%
W45 - 49, 53k 233 126 54.1%
W45 - 49, 58k 252 148 58.7%

W45 - 49, 63k 262 151 60.3%
W45 - 49, 69k 286 150 52.4%
W45 - 49, 75k 296 152 51.4%
W45 - 49, 90k 283 165 58.3%
W45 - 49, 90k+ 348 177 50.9%
W50 - 54, 48k 217 112 51.6%
W50 - 54, 48k 233 122 52.4%
W50 - 54, 48k 252 131 52.0%
W50 - 54, 48k 262 149 56.9%
W50 - 54, 48k 286 139 48.6%
W50 - 54, 48k 296 142 48.0%
W50 - 54, 48k 283 156 55.1%
W50 - 54, 48k 348 170 48.9%
W55 - 59, 48k 217 87 40.0%
W55 - 59, 48k 233 109 46.8%
W55 - 59, 48k 252 117 46.4%
W55 - 59, 48k 262 117 44.7%
W55 - 59, 48k 286 118 41.3%
W55 - 59, 48k 296 134 45.3%
W55 - 59, 48k 283 145 51.2%
W55 - 59, 48k 348 155 44.5%
W60 - 64, 48k 217 74 34.1%
W60 - 64, 53k 233 96 41.2%
W60 - 64, 58k 252 120 47.6%
W60 - 64, 63k 262 111 42.4%
W60 - 64, 69k 286 108 37.8%
W60 - 64, 75k 296 108 36.5%
W60 - 64, 90k 283 107 37.8%
W60 - 64, 90k+ 348 106 30.5%

W65 - 69, 48k 217 65 30.0%
W65 - 69, 48k 233 69 29.6%
W65 - 69, 48k 252 74 29.4%
W65 - 69, 48k 262 91 34.7%
W65 - 69, 48k 286 91 31.8%
W65 - 69, 48k 296 82 27.7%
W65 - 69, 48k 283 83 29.3%
W65 - 69, 48k 348 85 24.4%
W70+, 48k 217 57* 26.1%
W70+, 53k 233 71 30.5%
W70+, 58k 252 70 27.8%
W70+, 63k 262 68 26.0%
W70+, 69k 286 69 24.1%
W70+, 75k 296 77 26.1%
W70+, 90k 283 74 26.1%
W70+, 90k+ 348 78 22.4%
M35 78.6%
M40 75.2% -3.4%
M45 67.6% -7.6%
M50 65.2% -2.4%
M55 59.2% -6.0%
M60 55.7% -3.5%
M65 50.6% -5.1%
M70 46.2% -4.4%
M75 39.9% -6.3%
M80+ 32.4% -7.5%
Average Differential -5.13%

Age Division Averages Differential
W35 64.7
W40 61.1 -3.6%
W45 54.9 -6.2%
W50 51.7 -3.2%
W55 45.0 -6.7%
W60 38.5 -6.5%
W65 29.6 -8.9%
W70+ 26.1 -3.5%
Average Differential -5.5%
The average decrease from one age group to the next is shown in this
table as an average percentage and shows an actual reduction in performance,
not necessarily proficiency. Proficiency would be somewhat relative
depending on each age group.
With each age group there will be a reduction in performance of about
5%. There are exceptions to these overall averages because not everyone ages
at the same rate and some are better athletes than others even among those
master world record holders. In the open divisions, all the world record
holders are equally gifted athletes.
It is essential for the master lifter to understand these differentials as
these will have a lot to do with how they might conduct training to increase
the longevity of the master lifter. Attempting to maintain performance from
one age division to another will only place undue stress and frustration upon
the lifter. Short term gains from harder and longer training sessions might
yield short term results, but long-term aches, pains, and injuries. Indeed, it is
vital for each master lifter to do their best, and they must assess performance
against the expectations that might cause harm. The hierarchy of performance
is a little different between open and master lifters.
Open Lifters
1. Performance
2. Increase in Training
3. Recovery
Master Lifters
1. Recovery
2. Performance
3. Decrease in Training
The priority of the master lifter is recovery first and performance second
and the difficulty of training last. As the lifter ages from M35 to M65, the
hierarchy between the two will gradually shift from the open lifter mindset to
the master lifter mindset. Everything becomes more personified as the lifter
ages. The amount of training becomes more difficult to handle, it takes longer
to recover from the training and gain back performance, mobility and
flexibility are affected, and the Sinclair coefficient and Meltzer-Faber
coefficient must measure progress between age groups.
If the master lifter does not consider their gradual decline from one age
division to the next, they are likely to become frustrated when they are unable
to lift the same weight they lifted in a previous age group. With each new age
group should come a new beginning and as tricky as it might be, the lifter
should try and erase from their mind all those performances they achieved in
that prior age division and start with a clean slate, PRs and all. This book will
follow the same methodology I presented in my book; The Sport of
Weightlifting Series Book 3: Training Manual, and Weightlifting: How to
Lift and Train Like a World Champion.
Chapter 4
Anatomy of the Snatch and Clean & Jerk
Anatomy of the Snatch

Some people claim that the snatch and clean & jerk are highly technical
movements. They say it takes years to become proficient and during that time
the lifter is constantly working on weaknesses or technical problems. For
some people who might not have the necessary athletic ability this might be
true, but for those who have athletic ability, good reaction time and desire the
snatch and clean & jerk can be easily mastered in just a few sessions with a
knowledgeable coach or simply by watching the best lifters in the world and
mimicking their technical style.
Once the lifter has the basic movements down, as far as what it looks like,
then they only have to transfer over those visuals as their own. Transferring
other athlete’s style or form is nothing new and the best way to learn how to
do a particular movement is first watch the best and then try and mimic those
actions. The most ineffective way to learn how to do an athletic motion is to
have someone tell you how it’s done without showing how it’s done, or read
how to do it in a book, without some accompanying video visuals.
Photographs are a poor teacher, as are words in a book as far as athletics
are concerned. As an example, how do you get from the position 1 to the
position 11 shown in the photos below. It would be very difficult to explain
in words how this lifter has gone from 1 to 11 without knowing all the
positions that are involved. The only change from 1 to 11 between the legs,
hips and torso is the feet are spread out wider, and the arms went from a
vertical position pointing downward to a vertical position pointing upward.
For further analysis more, photos must be included to show as many positions
and transitional phases as possible. Some of the positions achieved as the
weight leaves the platform to where it is received at the lowest position have
been named and some are transitional. It should be understood that all these
positions are all transitional and should be thought of as one motion, from the
platform to full lock-out.
A lot of time can be spent on analyzing these positions and thinking that
certain fixes to these positions can be applied if these positions are not being
correctly achieved. A lot of research goes into analyzing the most intricate of
motions and positions. For the athlete such information can become
somewhat irrelevant to their ability to produce momentum and to produce
that motion which will maximize that momentum. Producing momentum is
synchronized between the CNS and the muscular system with the aid of the
adrenaline system. The technique of the snatch and clean & jerk must be the
same for the top lifters in the world for those top lifters to be able to train and
compete at the same competitive level. The difference in winning and losing
must be reduced to the ambiguous element of desire, backed up by proper
training, rather than which angle or style variation is considered to be
perfection
Photo A Photo B
For further analysis more photos must be included to show as many

positions and transitional phases as possible. Some of the positions achieved
as the weight leaves the platform to where it is received at the lowest position
have been named and some are transitional. It should be understood that all
those positions between photo A and photo B are transitional and should be
thought of as one motion, from the platform to lock-out.
A lot of time can be spent on analyzing certain positions and thinking that
specific fixes to these positions can be applied if these positions are not being
correctly achieved. A lot of research goes into analyzing the most intricate of
motions and positions. For the athlete such information can become
somewhat irrelevant to their ability to produce momentum and to produce
that motion which will maximize that momentum. Producing momentum is
synchronized between the CNS and the muscular system with the aid of the
adrenaline system. The technique of the snatch and clean & jerk must be the
same for the top lifters in the world for those top lifters to be able to train and
compete at the same competitive level. The difference in winning and losing
must be reduced to the ambiguous element of desire, backed up by proper
training, rather than which angle or style variation is considered to be perfect.
Position 1 (Set-Up): The start or set-up position allows the lifter time to
ready themselves for the liftoff from the platform. Right before liftoff the
lifter should relax the arms and arch the back allowing the legs, back and
torso to do the work of the initial liftoff. The concentration should be on a
smooth, continuous accelerated velocity on a conscious level and allow the
unconscious to go through the action instinctively. There should be no
negative thoughts creeping into the lifter’s head and only positive thoughts
about a successful lift. The grip should be secure enough that the barbell does
not rotate within the hand, but not a death grip that will tense the arm
muscles.
Position 2 (Liftoff): When the barbell is just a few inches off the
platform the angle of the back should be set and not rotate downward any
more than it has from the starting position. The angle of the back is
transitional and it is never a static angle except from position 2 to position 3,
the end of the 1st pull. The weight should be somewhat evenly distributed on
the feet with the head held up and the back arched using a good posturing
position while going through the lift to full extension. The weight should
travel from the platform to the knees in 0.33 seconds and with as little effort
as possible. You will never see a world class lifter drags the barbell off the
platform. An effortless 1st pull is essential in progressing the lifter towards
their full potential. How the lifter should go about training for this will be
discussed in later chapters.
Position 3 (2nd Pull): The first pull is from the platform to where the
knees and hips begin to push forward. The action between the 1st and 2nd
pull is also transitional and there should be no decelerated actions. The
snatch is about combining various positions into one motion which is smooth,
controlled and the accelerated velocity is continuous to the point where the
arms are locked-out. The 2nd pull takes a very short period of time to
complete, or approximately 0.2 seconds and this added to the 1st pull should
be approximately 0.67 seconds. The barbell will travel the shortest vertical
distance during the 2nd pull, but will receive the greatest momentum at the
point of full extension. The ankle extension is applied to reaching full
extension, but not directly involved in the production of momentum.
The transitional phases in and of themselves cannot be determinative as
far as absolute proficiency is concerned. Lifters will travel through these
transitional phases using many different style variations and it’s the
maximum velocity that determines those style variations adopted by the
athlete. The general schematic of lifting technology must be the same for
every lifter, not the transitional nuances which are created by the lifter for
their own purpose of producing momentum. These transitional nuances might
even become cultural, because most lifters learn how to lift through coaches
from their own country and they more often than not will try and emulate the
best lifters from their own country. The assumption that China produces
lifters with better technique than other countries would be false and illogical,
as can be seen by looking at how the world records are spread out over many
athletes from different countries. China has better lifters overall in the lower
weight classes is all that can be inferred, not that their technique is the
superior one. Technique must be the same for everyone, but style variations
will be numerous, but should not be misconstrued as a different type of
technique that can produce a better result.
Style Variations
1. The distance apart the feet are placed for liftoff and when receiving
the barbell at lock-out.
2. The spacing of the grip for the snatch, clean or the jerk
3. The angle of the back at various phases of the pull to full extension
4. The position of the head during various phases of the snatch, clean or jerk.
5. The style of the jerk used
6. Jumping backward or forward in minuscule amounts
7. Some minuscule arm bending at liftoff
8. Going up on the toes before the power position is reached, but in the snatch
more than in the clean & jerk
9. The amount of lean-back in the snatch or clean
Position 4: The power position is the transition between the 2nd pull and
the 3rd pull. There is nothing mysterious, complex or remarkable about this
position, other than lifters and coaches have seen fit to dub this position as
more important than other positions and have tried to prove it is
determinative. The distance the lifter can travel is very small from the power
position to full extension where maximal velocity is produced, thus the
beginning of accelerated velocity must begin at the start of the 2 nd pull, not at
the power position. The lifter is actually readying themselves to pull under
the bar at the power position.
Position 5: Full extension is the point where maximum momentum is
placed into the barbell. The top of the lifter’s head or apex is at its highest
point, the ankles are fully extended and the arms are straight. The shoulders
are not engaged until the action of pulling downward is initiated. The lifter
will be leaning back at this position enough to pull under the weight and keep
the trajectory of the bar as vertical as possible.
When working on a conscious level, the human mind is poorly adapted at
making split second decisions. By the time the bar reaches the knees it will be
too late to consciously decide to apply maximum velocity. If the lifter waits
till the power position it will be even later. The lifter has to learn how to
unconsciously apply velocity at the start of the 2nd pull. This means the 1st
pull must be nothing more than an afterthought and be like cutting butter with
a knife; velocity opposed to strength.
Position 6: Pulling under the bar at full extension is commenced when

the shoulders are shrugged. The above photo shows the initiation of the
shoulder shrug as a transitional phase after full extension has been achieved.
The change in direction from full extension to pulling under the weight is
determinative and must be absolute and the greatest momentum at that
transitional position must have been placed into the barbell for the transition
under the weight to be efficiently applied. The pull under the weight to lock-
out should be 0.33 seconds.
Position 7: The only time the arms should bend is when the lifter is
pulling downward to receive the bar at lock-out. The arms are used only to
guide the lifter under the weight, keeping the bar close to the body and
support the weight overhead. There should never by any attempt to induce
height on the bar by using the arms for that purpose. The arms are simply not
strong enough to do anything at that point but cause the lifter to float too long
at full extension, which kills the momentum that is needed to receive the
weight at the lowest possible trajectory point, without the weight dropping on
the lifter with too much force to control the reception.
Position 8: With the right momentum at full extension, the barbell should
be traveling upward while the lifter is moving downward to receive it. At the
moment the lifter begins to pull under the bar the feet can be moving outward
or stay in the same position. From the ankle flex, at full extension, the feet
need to reengage the platform quickly in order to create a solid base for
which to receive the barbell.
Position 9: At the time the feet are reengaged with the platform, the
thighs will be just above parallel and the triceps will be parallel to the
platform. The bar will be around eye level and still moving upward as the
lifter is still moving downward to receive and lock-out the weight.
The optimum time-in-motion from full extension to locking out the arms
in the snatch and receiving the bar on the shoulders in the clean & jerk should
be 0.33 seconds. The ratio of 2:1 between full extension and receiving the
weight at lockout will always be in effect, unless the lifter has a voluntarily
slower pull to full extension and still is able to pull under the weight in 0.33
seconds. It is the 0.33 seconds time of pulling under the bar that is critical.
Position 10: The difference between locking out the arms upon receiving
the bar and settling down into the full squat position should be minimized in
the snatch to where the weight does not drop down after lock-out. The lifter
can pull into the full squat position and pause a short time before standing up
or initiate a timed-rebound without any pause.
Most beginning master lifters have difficulty in receiving the snatch at the
lowest trajectory point without riding the weight down from a higher
receiving position. The amount of ride down after lock-out can be
considerable and will somewhat depend on the athletic ability of the lifter as
well as the age and skill level.
Position 11: From position 10 the lifter might have to settle down into a
lower position after locking out the elbows. Again, the time between the
lock-out and standing up should be minimal or eliminated completely in the
snatch.
The Power Snatch
The Functionality of the Power Snatch
Some determination needs to be made about what is considered to be a
power snatch, as far as the height at which the weight is to be received, and
make sure that height becomes a fixed standard, so involuntary variations in
depth are held to a minimum or eliminated completely. Any lift received at
just above parallel or higher should count, as long as the depth is consistently
achieved. The power snatch is only a variation for those who can do a full
squat snatch.
The power snatch should mainly be used as a warmup protocol for the
lighter incremental increases and as the weight increases the lifter should
gradually lower the receiving position until they are at an incremental weight
where they have warmed up sufficiently to receive the weight in the full squat
position. For both lifts this would be done to gradually get the legs used to
receiving the weight at the different heights by riding the weight down after
reception, in order to eliminate any abrupt shock to the muscular system, and
ensure a smooth transition from power to full.
Riding the weight down after reception when doing a power snatch is
strictly for warmup purposes. A true power snatch, regardless of the depth
reception, should be received without riding the weight down, but executed
by immediately standing up from the point of reception. A power snatch
should be exactly the same technically, save for the height of the reception, as
doing a full squat snatch. It takes the same time-in-motion to do a power
snatch as it does a full squat snatch, at least from the platform to locking-out
the weight overhead. It takes 1.0 second regardless of how low or high the
snatch is received. The power snatch will be an equivalency between the full
snatch and power snatch, regardless of the receiving height. There will be a
proportional drop off in the mass as the weight is pulled higher. The
accelerated velocity and momentum are the same regardless of the various
receiving heights. However, there will be faster overall times-in-motion
(from the platform to standing up) from a full to a power snatch. This is what
makes these lifts equivalent regardless of the height the weight is received or
the amount of weight being handled.
For example, a full squat snatch with 150k in 2.2 seconds (from the
platform to stand-up) and a power snatch at quarter squat (from the platform
to stand-up) with 135k in 1.5 seconds are equivalent in accelerated velocity
and momentum. There is basically no difference between a power snatch and
full squat snatch as far as the mechanics of the pull to full extension and the
3rd pull are concerned. The receiving height and overall time-in-motion are
the only variables.
It would be difficult to correlate a power snatch to full squat snatch, due
to the equivalencies, and there are too many different depth variations.
Generally, there should be about an 85% ratio of power snatch to snatch, if
the power snatch is caught at about quarter squat. At lower depths the ratio
increases to eventually become 100%. A muscle snatch without press-out
might be around 60% of snatch. The variance of weight goes from 60% to
100% depending solely on the height the weight is being received.
When doing doubles or triples, in the power snatch, the lifter should take
great care in insuring each rep is voluntarily received at the same height. If
each rep is subsequently and involuntarily lower, then the weight should be
reduced in order to keep each receiving height consistent. Catching each rep
at different receiving depths voluntarily is different from the amount of
weight causing each depth to be different, due to involuntary actions caused
by a change in mass.
From a training standpoint, the power snatch cannot progress the full
squat snatch because both lifts are technically the same as is the energy or
power output. As stated before the main benefit of doing power snatches is in
the early stages of warming up. There is also some benefit in teaching
beginners the power snatch in order to show them how to power snatch into
the full squat position. Aside from those two benefits, the power snatch’s
functionality drops off considerably, unless the athlete is mobile enough so
the motor pathways stay intact when switching from power to full. The power
snatch should be considered a variation if it is trained off the platform. If it is
trained as a partial lift it should be considered a partial lift, and trained at a
reduced level of intensity and volume compared to the full movement. All
variations should be trained at a reduced level of intensity and volume
relative to the full movements.
Anatomy of the Clean
Position 1: The setup for the clean will be similar to the snatch except the
grip will be narrower in the clean than in the snatch. Some lifters take longer
to set up after gripping the bar and some begin the liftoff as soon as the grip
has been secured. There are numerous personal preferences involved in what
is called a particular style of lifting. Style preferences have little to do with
the basic technique of lifting the barbell from the platform to full extension.
Position 2: Transitioning into the liftoff the hips will rise along with the
bar to the above position, where the back angle will be locked into place and
the downward rotation will cease. Some lifters will maintain the same back
angle from liftoff to the beginning of the 2nd pull. The arms are straight and
the head is up. Weight is evenly distributed on the feet. At this point the angle
of the back should not change or rotate downward, so the tension can be
shifted from the back to the hips.
Note: Skeletal proportions create style variations, but do not create
advantages or disadvantages to the basic technique of lifting. Whatever
advantages or disadvantages there are, with respect to skeletal proportions,
will be offset if the training is based on repeated precision, specific times in
motion and non-decelerated actions.
Position 3: This begins the 2nd pull into the power position. At the
power position the lifter’s ankle flex will be sooner in the snatch than the
clean. This is because the lifter is not having to produce the same momentum
as in the snatch where the barbell has to be raised to a position higher than it
does in the clean. Note the angle of the back decreased from its greater angle
from the initial liftoff. The back and hips act like levers to produce torque
between the hip and back.
Position 4: This is commonly known as the “power position” and is a
transitional phase between the beginning of the 2nd pull and full extension.
The use of the ankle extension is varied among lifters. Some begin the ankle
extension just a little before the torso is vertical and some wait for the torso to
be vertical before extending the ankles. Again, this is individualized
depending on how much momentum can be produced, depending on the
method best suited.
Position 5: Full extension will look basically the same for all lifters,
some might have to lay-back more than others and this depends on the
momentum or time-in-motion of the pull to full extension. The slower the
time-in-motion the more the lifter will need to lay-back before pulling under
the weight and vice versa. Style variations are generally determined from
those times-in-motion that each individual lifter is able to achieve and the
accompanying transitional velocities.
Position 6: From full extension the shoulders are shrugged in order to

initiate pulling under the weight to receive it. As in the snatch, the times-in-
motion are approximately 0.67 seconds to full extension and 0.33 seconds to
receiving the bar on the shoulders from full extension, commonly known as
racking the weight. There is an approximate 2 to 1 ratio between full
extension (1st plus 2nd pull and the 3rd pull).
Positions 7: During the 3rd pull the feet are repositioned back to the
platform as quickly as possible, using whichever style is best suited for the
individual. The most common style is shifting the feet outward, which allows
the lifter to receive the weight at the lowest trajectory point and keep the hips
closer to the lifter’s center of gravity.
Position 8: Racking the barbell should occur when the thighs are parallel.
The elbows need to be rotated around and at the highest point when the
barbell comes into contact with the shoulders. Some lifters are able to keep
the hook grip and some have to release the hook grip upon receiving the bar
on the shoulders. Some lifters even receive the bar on the tips of the fingers.
Style variations are dictated by flexibility or personal preference.
The lifter dictates style variations through flexibility or personal
preference or even physiology. The basic technique of receiving the barbell is
the same for all lifters, where the elbows are rotated around at the time the
bar comes into contact with the shoulders, the thighs are parallel upon
receiving the weight, and the upper torso is in a vertical position at when the
lifter receives the barbell.
Position 9: This would be the lowest position achieved before standing

up from the clean. The lifter will initiate a timed-rebound out of the bottom
position or a double bounce or stand up from a short pause in the bottom
position. These variations might even occur at different times in training or in
competition. The timed-rebound using a quick change in direction to drive
the lifter upward is the most efficient variation.
After all style variations are eliminated, what is left are the basic
technical nuances all lifters must achieve.
Positions 10: Standing up with the weight should take 1.0 second or less
so the lifter will conserve enough energy for the jerk. This means the clean
from the platform to standing up should be 2.5 seconds or faster. The slower
the overall times are, then there will be more of a chance the jerk will be
more difficult to perform. Most top lifters are able to execute all their lifts in
training and in competition with an overall time less than 2.5 seconds, and
some can do it at around 2.0 seconds. This is because speed is more valuable
to the lifter than the absolute value of strength. Strength should always be
defined (trained) as a product of accelerated velocity and never an exclusion.
Anatomy of the Jerk
The time between the clean and the jerk should be just enough so the
lifter will be able to make the most effective dip possible. The overall time
from the platform to lock-out should be consistent and as quick as the lifter is
comfortable with. This time can be anywhere from 3.5 seconds to 7 seconds,
but it should be consistent in training and in competition.
Position 11: Before the dip is commenced the lifter should raise the
elbows and set the upper torso in a stable and rigid position. A deep breath
should be taken right before the dip. The deep breath will help stabilize the
upper torso during the jerk.
Position 12: The dip should be controlled and as fast as the lifter is able
to move and still maintain control and keep the bar in contact with the
shoulders. The more leg drive (speed) the lifter has developed the shorter the
dip will be and if the leg drive is not very well developed the dip can be very
long and even paused at the bottom of the dip. Again, velocity will dictate
much of the lifter’s style of lifting.
Position 13: The drive should be as fast as the lifter is able to move
toward full extension. Full extension will be where the lifter is fully extended
and the bar is still on the shoulders. The ankle flex will be minimal when the
split style is being used.
Position 14: Both feet should return to the platform at the same time at
maximal impact. The toes might come down first, but with little force yet
applied until the front foot has been returned with equal force. The lifter,
once the feet have received the shock of the weight, must push downward
until the arms are locked out. This means the lifter is moving downward to
the point where the lockout can be secured, rather than the barbell moving
upward. The arms should not ever be used to push the barbell upward, but
only used to push the lifter downward. The arms should stay as relaxed as
possible during the dip and drive to full extension, and come into play at the
right time to secure the lockout.
Position 15: The head should move back so the bar will not come into
contact with the chin. The arms should not come into play until the bar leaves
the shoulders and then used only to push under the weight and secure the
lock-out.
Jerk Variations
1. Split with straight back leg
2. Split with bend in back leg
3. Split with extreme bend in back leg
4. Squat Jerk above parallel (commonly known as power jerk)
5. Squat Jerk at parallel
6. Full Squat Jerk
7. Combination of split and squat
Jerk Recovery Variations

1. Front leg first followed by back leg
2. Back leg first followed by front leg
3. Back leg to front leg
4. Standing up out of a squat jerk
Position 16: In this photo the back foot is brought forward to come into
line with the font leg.
The method most used in training and warming up, is for the front foot to
move in toward the lifter first and the back foot is moved in line with the
front foot. The opposite of what is shown in position 16, but this is actually
more common than most would think. It depends on the trajectory of the
barbell. If the barbell is pushed forward a small bit, then the back foot will
move forward before the front foot. Either method can be used at any time
during training or in competition when maximal weights are being attempted.
In other words, whatever can happen will happen and the lifter must be able
to react, to whatever situation arrises.
Position 17: About half the world clean & jerk records use this style and
the other half the front foot is brought back and then the back foot is brought
into line. The style variations are dictated by how the jerk was received and
sometimes it is simply a preference or a necessity at at the time. As stated
before technical nuances are created by the lifter to satisfy their ability to
produce momentum and travel through these motions in the most effective
manner that is suited for them for any particular situation.
Lifters should train using precision and specific times in motion for the
majority of training, so when it comes to handling maximal weights those
ideas might be carried over. This is not always possible and some breakdown
in that precision will occur but it can be mitigated if precision and velocity
have been used as the major training protocol or methodology.
Times-in-Motion
The Snatch
1. From liftoff to full extension: 0.67 sec.
2. From full extension to lock-out: 0.33 sec.
3. From liftoff to standing up: 2.0 to 2.5 sec.
The Clean
1. From liftoff to full extension: 0.67 sec.
2. From full extension to rack: 0.33 sec.
3. From liftoff to standing up: 2.0 to 2.5 sec.
The Jerk
1. From the dip to lock-out: 0.5 sec.
2. From the liftoff to lock-out: A Consistent time-in-motion suitable to the
lifter
The Value of Times-in-motion
It is important to record and come to understand what each time-in-
motion means to each individual lifter. If the times-in-motion are not held to
a strict standard during training, and are allowed to degrade (decelerate), then
over time, the lifter will cease to progress to their full potentiality. These
times-in-motion above are essential for training purposes in order for the
lifter to allow room to progress. Decelerated (grinding) actions over time will
hinder progress. This is because the muscles are not being trained or
strengthened for maximal accelerated velocity, but for slower velocities that
will only allow more weight to be handled in the squats and pulls, but those
squats and pulls will be transferred over as slower times in the 1 st pull and
when standing up with the weight.
The times-in-motion of the squats and pulls must be in sync with the
times-in-motion of the snatch and clean & jerk. The same way the squats and
pulls must be executed exactly the same as the lifter executes the pull and
recovery in the snatch and clean and the dip and drive in the jerk.
Maintaining position and specific times-in-motion are equal in
importance, but greater velocity will always win out over a less than perfect
performance. In reality, moving at accelerated velocities during training will
eventually correct errors and make the lifter more efficient and more
proficient over time. The opposite can be said when slower times-in-motion
are being applied.
For example; if a lifter can handle most of the warmups in 2.5 seconds or
faster, but when they get to 90% or more those times begin to degrade, it is a
sure bet the lifter is training the squats and pulls using absolute amounts
instead of specific times-in-motion, regardless of the amounts.
In training, all that matters, is consistency in both the times-in-motion and
the intensity levels. Without this consistency, the lifter might become a
decent lifter, but will never become a world champion.
Chapter 5
Beginners and Returnees
Training becomes habitual and tied to other factors concerning

confidence and desire. It seems that when most lifters come back to the sport
after a few decades have passed, they tend to believe they can start again
training the way they did as an open lifter. Of course, this usually spells
disaster and a string of aches, pains and injuries quickly emerge, after a short
period of euphoria.
The sport of weightlifting is not exactly like riding a bicycle. While the
athlete might not forget how to snatch or clean & jerk, they tend to forget
how old they are, and the difference between riding a bicycle and moving
around relatively heavy-weights are two entirely different things. It takes
minimal effort to get a bike moving after not doing it for a few decades.
Aside from some soreness in some regions of the body, the cyclist can motor
off for miles and miles with little effort. The lifter will find out quickly that
coming back to the sport of weightlifting is not as forgiving as the open road.
The same old habits of the past, as far as training is concerned, is carried
into the present as if nothing had ever changed. The returnee thinks they can
pick up where they left off 20 or 30 years ago as if that time was just a blink
of an eye. The first time in the gym, they can tell the weights are not
cooperating and don’t feel the same as they did those many years ago, but
nothing will stop the returnee from pushing the limits, except after a few
workouts they start feeling some twinges in their joints and muscles. A few
ice baths and massages will take care of that in no time. After a few more
workouts the pain gets worse, but nothing can stop them from their appointed
mission, which is to get back to where they were. After a while, the
weightlifting shoes go back in the closet, and the would-be lifter sells the
weights on eBay.
What the returnee to the sport doesn’t understand is that unlike riding a
bicycle, the sport of weightlifting requires the lifter to build a solid
foundation before training begins. The muscles and joints need to be
conditioned to accept heavier loads, and this conditioning and loading must
be gradual. The returnee should take six months to a year to engage in
conditioning work and gradually increase the loading, but should never lift
anything remotely close to being greater than effortless, before the lifter
completes conditioning. This process means no 100% efforts or maximal PR
attempts until the lifter has established a good foundation.
The problem with programming a beginner or returnee is there is no
established PRs in the competition lifts, especially the clean & jerk. And in
point of fact, there should not be any PRs attempted until this conditioning
phase has been well underway and the lifter can attempt those maximal lifts
with some degree of precision, velocity, and certainty. When too much
resistance is placed on the muscular system too soon, it can cause the muscles
to become less pliable and tensed, due to the sudden loading.
For the returnee, the amount of weight is not as significant as the
development of precision and velocity. There needs to be just enough
resistance to allow precision and speed to be beneficial to the lifter’s
progression and includes the assistance lifts and auxiliary exercises. The lifter
should train the auxiliary exercises at lower intensity levels than the
primaries, including partial lifts, such as snatch and cleans off boxes, jerks
out of the rack, and snatch and clean hangs. It is vital for the returnee to
reestablish their motor pathways in the full movements and squats and pulls
first before introducing those partial motions back into the mix.
The lifter should understand they should base programming on a certain
amount of predictability of outcome. Most programming does not include
precision, velocity (non-decelerated actions) or no missed lifts as a
requirement of that programming. Programming is similar to forecasting the
weather, it is not always accurate, but unlike the weatherman, the
programming is not often corrected or adjusted for inaccuracies. Repeated
precision and velocity (specific times-in-motion) are far more critical than
how much weight the lifter handles or which lifts or exercises are scheduled.
Without these components, the lifter will wind up lost in a myriad of lifts and
exercises that would be far more suited for a fitness center than a sport.
The lifter should base programming on repeated precision and specific
times-in-motion being more important than the amount of weight, sets, and
reps. Those sets and reps need to be conditioned by repeated precision and
velocity first and foremost for the programming to be useful for the lifter,
where very few if any misses will occur, and the training will not have to be
adjusted due to accumulations of fatigue or unnecessary overloading when
such occurs.
If the lifter happens to become fatigued in the snatch off the platform,
then doing snatches off boxes will not help the lifter become less fatigued if
they train those snatches off boxes at the same level of intensity as the snatch.
In other words, doing something different because of fatigue issues should
not be done with the idea in mind that by doing something else the lifter is
free to increase the weight to maximal efforts. Regardless of which lift is
scheduled, the lifter must perform with repeated precision and specific times-
in-motion, which would require some reduction in the level of intensity that
will accommodate for that repeated precision and velocity.
The very reason most programming fails is due to the lifter not
considering the times-in-motion as part of the technique and proficiency of
the lifter. Equivalent force, refer to two lifts where the weight is different and
the times are different but the force produced is the same. The lifter should
link those times and weights to the competition lifts to have any substantial
meaning or direct benefit. For the lifter to fully understand if one particular
squat is better than another the lifter must know the ascent time of both
squats.
Example: A lifter squats 200k in 2 seconds and then a month later after a
rigorous squat routine, he squats 230k in 3 seconds. The 200k in 2 seconds is
equivalent to 150k in one-second, and the 230k in 3-seconds is equivalent to
130k squat in one-second. Clearly, the 230k sounds more impressive, but the
200k is more beneficial to the snatch and clean & jerk.
Times-in-motion gives athletes the data points needed to progress
themselves. Without those data points, it becomes a game of chance, as far as
which athletes reach the highest levels in the sport. When times-in-motion are
not a methodology of training, all sorts of problems can arise; usually, the
lifter associates the problems with weaknesses that they need fix. The
problem with the assessment of weaknesses is that the lifter causes much of
those weaknesses by decelerated actions, as well as imbalances between the
squats and competition lifts, not the programming per se. Programming is a
two-dimensional view of the potential output. Time-in-motion gives that
programming a three-dimensional look where the output can be both
monitored and manipulated to the betterment of the athlete. Programming
without monitoring those specific times-in-motion is like trying to tie a shoe
with one hand. While that might be possible, it can only be accomplished
with great difficulty and much slower than it can with two hands.
The laws of physics are unconcerned with how much weight a lifter can
squat by using decelerated actions, at least those laws of physics that pertain
to producing momentum. Athletes who are unwittingly fooling themselves by
attempting to equate a big decelerated back squat with a big athletic feat,
outside of powerlifting, is one of the greatest miscalculations in all of sports.
Sports that rely on the production of momentum to achieve a result can only
be aided by a squat that is in sync with the velocity of that performance
would include the throwers and sprinters in track & field, speed skaters,
gymnast, weightlifters and most all team sport motions that require quick
reaction times.
There is very little need for marathon or distance runners to have a vast
back squat or even a substantial non-decelerated squat, although it is far more
beneficial than the decelerated squats. Squats are determinative of an athletic
motion that includes an extension that must be achieved using maximal
velocity and producing maximal momentum. The fast twitch fibers determine
the action that can be developed to move quicker in a short period. The
athlete can even prepare the slow twitch to react quicker, but only if they are
trained to do so. It is not possible to train the fibers using decelerated actions
to perform at the same proficiency as those fibers that have been trained
using non-decelerated movements. Slow grinding decelerated squats are
antagonistic to those athletic motions which require a quick response and
outcome and are also antagonistic to the non-decelerated squats which also
need a quick response and outcome which the athlete can transfer to those
athletic motions, used in a snatch and clean & jerk.
Training in the sport of weightlifting is not about how big the back squat
or front squat is in comparison to the lifter's clean & jerk. The squats must be
in sync and balance with the clean & jerk at all times. If the squats are trained
at too high a level of intensity, decelerated actions and volume compared to
the intensity level of the clean & jerk, those squats can cause the overall
times-in-motion of the snatch and clean to be slower than 2.5 seconds. It
might not affect the amount of weight that the lifter is capable of handling,
but if the times-in-motion are slower than 2.5 seconds that will keep the lifter
from reaching their full potential and they will reach stagnation before they
reach that full potential.
For programming to have any useful purposes, the lifter must condition it
on repeated precision and specific times-in-motion. The lifter or coach will
need to know where the lifter stands concerning how much weight they can
handle in the primaries and at what times-in-motion so there will be no
overloading or decelerated actions. Pushing the primaries by the numbers
only is a huge mistake and can only result in early stagnation or injury.
Heavy, slow grinding squats and pulls will cause problems with technique,
fatigue, and aches, and pains, especially in older master lifters, but not
relegated to just older master lifters, even younger master lifters and open
lifters are not immune from the harm that slow grinding squats can cause.
In the sport of weightlifting, the lifter should define strength as a specific
time-in-motion with a maximal amount of weight and not merely an amount
of maximal weight with no regard for the time-in-motion. Many times, I hear
how strong a lifter looks and I wonder what that means, especially if that
lifter has not reached an elite level. People say lifters look strong when they
grind out of a lift or when they don’t. The word strong is thrown around for
every conceivable action, but mostly when they grind out of a PR squat or
clean. It might be heroic to grind out of a PR squat in 4 seconds or a clean in
2 seconds, but the reality is different. The lifter is not strong; they are slow.
Those grinding actions did nothing but produce non-beneficial overloading
and stress on the joints and other bodily functions. The subsequent workout
will be automatically reduced, and it can and usually does take several days
or a week to recover fully. In competition it might be necessary to grind out
of a clean, but not in training and never when doing squats or pulls.
Lifters progress through beneficial volume and by adhering to specific
times and linking those times between the clean & jerk and squats and pulls.
The lifter can adapt to increases in non-decelerated volume, but they cannot
adapt to non-beneficial overloading, regardless of the amount of weight
handled. Training to move slow will only produce a slower motion and
training at the right velocities or times-in-motion will produce a faster
movement.
Since we get good at doing what we do when we do it often, then it
stands to reason that doing something else will not help us do what we do.
The weightlifter has only two events, and those are the snatch and clean &
jerk. The squats and pulls are assistance lifts to those competition lifts and
should never be considered or trained as an event. The younger master lifters
can train up to 6 days a week, and they can insert some variations and partials
into the mix, but the older master lifter will only be able to train about 3 days
per week and thus the primaries will be the only lifts they will be doing for
the vast majority of training. The lifter should include auxiliaries and partials
at the end of the workout, but at a reduced level of intensity, such as 50%
effort or less.
In my opinion, most of the training in the snatch and clean & jerk should
be executed off the platform and not off boxes or from the hang. The
rationale for lifting off boxes or from the hang is based on being able to
increase the 2nd pull velocity, but when the lifter adds the 1st pull back into
the mix, the lifter will revert or even be slower because of the neglect of the
1st pull. Doing pulls will not make up for that neglect. Using boxes or
partials to fix specific problems is puzzling since it insinuates that lifting off
the platform causes those problems and that those problems are caused
primarily from the 1st pull. Not sure how this is possible, but for a lifter to fix
a problem they should fix it doing the full movement. Also, the lifter can
cause most technical problems through decelerated actions in the squats and
pulls, and since those are an indirect effect, it would be difficult to know
exactly how to fix those problems using boxes or partials. It is usually just
assumed the problem is contained in the 2nd or 3rd pull somewhere when in
most cases it is caused by the lifter being too slow to produce the right
momentum to make a lift using precision. Lack of momentum causes erratic
lifting to occur, and the immediate ah-ha moment, where the coach can
prescribe a fix to the problem, which never includes the actual cause, the
decelerated squats and pulls.
Another major blunder, in my opinion, is when lifters train the clean
without a jerk and jerks without a clean, instead of doing the full clean &
jerk. The clean & jerk is one lift and should never be trained as two lifts and
then magically expect those two separate lifts to be put together in any
practical way. The transition between the clean and the jerk is highly critical
and leaving that out too often can have a negative impact on the clean & jerk.
The clean or racking the weight must be executed with the jerk in mind so
there will be a smooth transition between standing up from the clean and
initiating the jerk. The lifter should position the bar on the shoulders the same
way they will start the jerk, even if the lifter adjusts the grip after standing up.
The lifter might bypass these intricate maneuvers when too often they train
the clean and the jerk separately.
Much of what I discussed, in this section, I will discuss in greater detail
in the following sections. Weightlifting is not an exact science, but the lifter
should adhere to some aspects so the lifter can sustain the rigors of training
over several decades or as long as the lifting bug is still biting.
Chapter 6
Delayed Gratification
In some circles of influence, the conventional thinking is that to progress

one must always be pushing for PRs in just about every lift and exercise that
has become part of the training regime. On the surface, this might seem like
the right training methodology, and many do, but the reality of the situation is
very different. Attempting to max out frequently will eventually be met with
an automatic reduction in the average level of intensity, i.e., the lifter will
adapt to executing the frequent PR attempts, but those increases will
gradually become stifled until the lifter can make no more progress and they
eventually become stagnant. Stagnation is because the lifter doesn't give the
muscular and adrenaline systems enough time to gain back performance from
those PR attempts. The muscle fibers are not allowed the time hypertrophy
takes to produce the change to the muscles necessary to continue making
gains.
Another factor associated with training at too high a level of intensity for
long periods is the technical proficiency of the lifter will begin to break down
and become erratic, and the actions will become slower than usual. Erratic
lifting is generally, and even specifically, caused by decelerated squats and
pulls. The minute the lifter begins to push the squats and pulls to absolute
amounts, by using decelerated actions during the ascension of those squats
and pulls, the difference between the non-decelerated and decelerated squats
and pulls becomes non-beneficial. Decelerated movements produce non-
beneficial overloading. An additional volume, using accelerated actions,
produces beneficial overloading. Decelerated movements are the primary
cause of a variety of problems I have listed below;
1. Erratic lifting
2. The first pull and standing up with the weight is slower.
3. The overall time (t) from liftoff to standing up with the weight is slower.
4. The jerk drive is slower.
5. Frequent misses with weights that would typically not be missed.
6. Very slow progress or stagnation.
7. Negatively affect subsequent workouts.
8. Minor injuries, aches, and pains persist.
9. A major injury is possible.
Decelerated actions are okay for the sport of powerlifting because they
don’t have to contend with such events that contain changes in direction that
cause impact forces nor do they have to deal with complex motor pathway
skills. The athlete can perform unidirectional motions like the squat and
deadlift by moving slower (decelerated) as the weight increases without the
associated problems listed above. Additionally, how many powerlifters do the
snatch and clean & jerk as a part of a training regime, conversely why would
a weightlifter train the squats and pulls like a powerlifter. This issue has
nothing to do with the technique between a powerlifting squat and a
weightlifting squat. The technique of a squat is almost irrelevant compared to
the velocity of those squats. The lifter should base the weightlifting squat on
the same times-in-motion as those applied forces associated with the snatch
and clean & jerk times-in-motion.
Bidirectional motions contained in the snatch and clean & jerk requires
the velocity to remain constant as the weight increases, at least once the
weight begins to exceed 75% of PR. This fact alone forces the lifter to train
the squats and pulls using those same accelerated actions that are being used
to complete a snatch, clean or jerk. A lifter will lift the way they squat, and if
those squats are being trained at absolute amounts and using decelerated
actions, then those actions will be reflected in the lifter’s snatch and clean &
jerk as slower overall times, as well as the myriad of other problems listed
above.
Most of those above-listed problems come about because the lifter wants
to have instant gratification. They want to become a World or Olympic
Champion overnight. They seem to think that those athletes who become
World or Olympic champions show up without having to put in the blood
sweat and tears it takes to achieve those accomplishments. Elite athletes have
one thing in common, they all train using repeated precision, specific times-
in-motion and non-decelerated actions and above all delayed gratification.
Without this methodology of training, the athlete will never be able to reach
their full potential. Instant gratification will cause the lifter to push harder and
longer than the bodily systems can accommodate. It takes patience and skill
to progress towards a particular goal, and above all, it takes delayed
gratification.
For the lifter to consistently perform squats and pulls with weights that
will never decelerate takes a tremendous amount of patience and faith. The
lifter will always be tempted to see how much they can squat or deadlift in
absolute amounts using slower times. The athlete should suppress those
temptations to keep that overloading from accumulating stress which could
negatively affect subsequent workouts or cause injury.
Delaying gratification is a process that if adhered to will, in the long run,
reap far greater rewards than any other methodology can deliver. Delayed
gratification for the master lifter allows for longevity in the sport. Being able
to maintain a competitive level over many decades demands that the lifter
takes the time to do things correctly and avoid those things that can cause the
lifter to have to discontinue competing in the sport.
As the lifter ages, those minor or almost imperceptible tears will
accumulate, and if the lifter doesn't address those twinges, it could eventually
lead to a significant injury. When the lifter feels even the slightest twinge to a
muscle or joint they should back off the intensity level just for that day.
Instead of going to 85%, they should only go up to 70% or even less if need
be. Better to back off and fight another day.
Chapter 7
Classification of Lifts
It is essential to classify each lift that will become a significant part of the
lifter’s arsenal. There are five major classifications of lifts and exercises;
Primary Lifts
The primary lifts include the snatch and clean and jerk; the events the
lifter trains for competition. The primary lifts also include the assistance lifts,
which are the squats and pulls. The primaries are the major lifts which are
manipulated along with the squats and pulls to create separation and ready
the lifter for competition. The primaries need to be scheduled and trained at a
relatively higher level of intensity and volume than all the other lifts and
exercises. The lifter should record the times-in-motion of the top-end weights
in a journal for all the primaries, to control the volume and intensity through
a dispensation of precision and velocity.
Variations
Variations are voluntary adaptations, such as grip spacing, foot spacing,
and height of the hips. Variations should be applied only to the primaries and
not to partial lifts.
Partial Lifts
Partial lifts are any lift that is not started from the platform or leaves out
particular motions required by the rules of the sport, such as doing cleans
only. I do not consider partial lifts to be auxiliary exercises, because they do
contain enough action reaction-based motions that should disqualify them as
an exercise, but not as a primary lift.
In my personal opinion, I believe the continuity of the snatch and clean &
jerk is disrupted by doing too many partial lifts at too high a level of
intensity. Leaving out the 1st pull from the platform is counterproductive to
the 2nd and 3rd pull. Doing cleans without a jerk and jerks off boxes is also
counterproductive to the clean & jerk because the transitional phase between
the clean and the jerk is critical for keeping that movement honed-in. Partials
can be of some benefit as a warm up and warm down protocol. Partials
should be infrequent and with less weight, because of that infrequency. It is
far better for the partials to suffer some indignity due to not being trained
frequently enough than for the full movement to suffer those indignities, due
to being undertrained. Partials should not be timed or used as part of the
average monthly level of intensity. Only the primaries should be timed and
used as such.
The lifter should not turn partials into an event where they attempt PRs.
The timing, balance, and precision will always be better when doing partials,
but the lifter cannot transfer that type of precision back into the full
movement. Both partials and full movements must be trained using precision
and specific times-in-motion. The lifter should train partials at a lesser
monthly level of intensity and volume, so they do not interfere in the
progression of the primaries.
Auxiliary Exercises
All lifts and exercises which do not contain an athletic extension
(bidirectional motion) or a necessity for anything other than a rhythmic
motion, such as good morning exercise and hyperextensions. Too often lifts
that are not full movements or squats are lumped into the same auxiliary
exercise category. Partials cannot be auxiliary because they contain the same
impact forces as the full movements. Partials leave out transitional phases
that are critical for the lifter’s ability to perform those lifts with repeated
precision and specific times-in-motion.
Overhead Lifts
I have listed these as a separate category, regardless if the lifter performs
the overhead motion after cleaning the weight off the platform or boxes. I
have left out behind the neck overhead jerks and such because those motions
are outside the realm of this sport. Squat snatch and snatch balance contain a
behind the neck jerk, and that should be sufficient enough. Behind the neck,
actions should primarily be used as a warm up and warm down protocols.
The auxiliary exercises are primarily for fitness and conditioning by
exercising those muscles that do not receive as much work as those muscles
the lifter uses when executing the primaries. The nature of those auxiliary
exercises has become diluted with other lifts and exercises that have been
lumped together in an endless list of things to do.
The lifter should not use partial lifts as an effort to fix something wrong
with a lifter’s technique. Fixing one’s technical style must be achieved
through the primaries because the motor pathways the lifter ingrained
improperly should be fixed by through the full movement correctly by using
repeated precision. It takes a certain amount of will power and determination
by the lifter to fix some technical issues that are already ingrained. The lifter
cannot fool themselves into fixing an issue by doing something else. Partial
lifts leave out those transitional phases that cause most of the lifter's technical
issues.
The following table lists the different exercises according to their
classification;
Primary Primary Variations Partial Lifts Auxiliary Exercises Overhead
Snatch Power Snatch Snatch off Boxes Lateral Raises Snatch Balance
No Feet Snatch Hang Snatch Snatch Squat
Weighted
Clean Grip Snatch
Dips Snatch Grip Press
Weighted Push-ups
Stiff Legged Snatch
Muscle Snatch
Clean & Jerk Power Clean Clean off Boxes Bench Press Press
Military
No Feet Clean Hang Clean
Press Push Press
Squat Jerk out of Rack/Boxes

Stiff Legged Clean Squat Jerk out of Rack/Boxes
Jerk out of Jerk out of Rack

Muscle Clean Rack or off
Boxes or off Boxes
Good Morning Exercise

Back Squat Wider Stance Back Squat
Hyper-
extensions
Front Squat and Jerk Front Squat and Jerk

Front Squat Wider Stance Front Squat
Snatch Pull Pull to Mid Thigh Pull to Knees
Pull to Midsection
Clean Pull Pull to Mid Thigh Pull to Knees Stiff Legged DL
(RDL)
Pull to Midsection
An attempt to include the whole laundry list of things to do will cause the
lifter to reduce the primaries in precision, intensity, and velocity to fit all
those exercises and lifts into such a short period.
Since the variations are considered primaries, with some exceptions, the
lifter should work those variations into the programming with little problems
concerning the available time allocated. Doing a power snatch is not much
different from doing a full snatch. There are very few auxiliary exercises, and
most of those have more to do with the overall conditioning and fitness of the
lifter. Most coaches categorize partial lifts as auxiliary exercises, but not if
they contain portions of the full movements and impact forces.
Learning to lift using perfect technique is not the same as being
technically proficient. The lifter should condition perfect technical style with
specific velocity (time-in-motion) and repeated precision.
The lifter should use some of the partials and variations as warmup
protocols, such as the muscle snatch, power snatch and clean, and hang
snatch and clean. The lifter mostly uses the hang snatch and clean during
warm up with the empty bar. The snatch high pull is also used with the empty
bar to loosen up the shoulder girdle area. The main emphasis in pre-warmups
is to get ready for the incremental increases or the first loading of the barbell.
Partial lifts have one thing in common; they would all be disqualified in
competition because the rules state the weight must be lifted off the platform
in one continuous motion to lock-out in the snatch and the shoulders in the
clean. No hitching (hangs or boxes) or press out (muscle snatch and push
press) is allowed. These disqualifications alone render some careful
consideration of the necessity of these exercises, at the very least, the lifter
should never push these exercises to maximal efforts, so the integrity of those
motor pathways in the primaries can be maintained and progressed without
disruption.
Muscle snatch and clean and push press should be considered more of a
warmup exercise than a lift or variation. In reality, most of those exercises
considered to be partials originated from warmup protocols and were given a
catchy name and then turned into an event. The functionality of those
exercises has been lost in the race to invent lifts where the lifter can set PRs
in the gym as a means to increase the lifter’s confidence, however It can do
the opposite by causing problems with the training of the primaries, as well
as the timing, balance, and velocity of those primaries. Pushing for PRs in
auxiliary exercises and partials will also go a long way in turning the
weightlifter into a gym lifter.
The auxiliary exercises are crucial to the lifter’s wellbeing, and overall
fitness as those lifts relate to the primaries in ways that are beneficial. The
good-morning and stiff-legged exercises are essential for keeping the
hamstrings stretched out and conditioned. The presses and bench press with
somewhat effortless weights keep the shoulders conditioned for the shock of
receiving the weight. The hyperextensions (back) help keep the lower back
muscles conditioned and less likely to incur lower back spasms or strains.
Both the good-morning and stiff legged DL can serve the same purpose for
the lower back.
The myriad of partial lifts does little more than dilute the training of the
primaries and can in many instances create delusions of grandeur where the
lifter can jerk much more out of the rack than they can clean & jerk. The
lifter goes into a meet basing their wants and desires on that jerk out of the
rack, instead of what they can clean & jerk. Big gym lifts can sometimes fool
the lifter into believing they can do more in the next competition than what
the reality of that training has indicated. It will always be the average of a lift
over a monthly period that matters more than the one-shot big gym lift.
Using other lifts, such as snatch off boxes, jerks out of rack cleans off
boxes, decelerated back squat PRs, will lead mightily to those euphoric
notions that big lifts are in the works. The cold hard facts will always point
back to what the lifter has achieved in the gym with the snatch and clean &
jerk off the platform without straps and is no different from a thrower in track
& field fouling big throws in training and then going into the meet expecting
to throw those same distances they achieved by fouling. Avoiding fouling in
practice is part of the technical aspect of the throws, as is lifting off the
platform without straps part of the technical aspect of the snatch and clean &
jerk.
Partial lifts should be classified as exercises and not on equal footing with
the primaries. The lifter should train partials at a lesser intensity level than
the primaries and rarely over 80% of those corresponding primaries. Few can
refrain from attempting big lifts on occasion in the snatch from the boxes or a
jerk out of the rack, but they should be occasional and those lifts not trained
to set PRs. The lifter should expressly place energy stores into the primaries,
specifically the squats, and not spread out over those myriads of lifts and
exercises. The law of mediocrity says the more lifts that are pushed to
maximal efforts the more each lift will become mediocre.
The lifter should treat variations of the snatch and clean & jerk as
exercises, and they should keep the level of intensity at around 80% of those
corresponding PRs. Variations are best suited for working the mobility of the
lifter, such as being able to do a power snatch and full squat snatch in the
same set, or not moving the feet outward in the first rep and then moving
them outward in the next rep without any problems with precision or velocity
from one variation to the next. Mobility is far more critical than the amount
of weight handled as long as the lifter tempers that mobility with repeated
precision and velocity for every rep in every set.
Variations are equivalent and should not be used to correlate lift to
variation. A power snatch has the same equivalency as the full squat snatch,
regardless of the depth that power snatch is received. The lifter cannot train
the power snatch in hopes it will automatically increase the full squat snatch
because the progress of the snatch is dependent on the progress from the
clean & jerk which in turn is dependent on the progress of the one-second
squats or their equivalents. All the primaries are linked together by certain
times-in-motion and repeated precision.
General Training Method
Corresponding Percentage of
Lift or Exercise PR or Method of Execution
Snatch 75% to 95% of Snatch PR
Snatch off 80% of Snatch PR or less
Boxes Muscle Non-Decelerating
Snatch Equivalent or less
Power Snatch 50% or Less of Clean & Jerk
Good Mornings 100% or Less of Clean & Jerk
Stiff Legged 100% of Snatch or Less
DL Squat
Snatch
Snatch Balance Cleans 80% of Snatch
Jerks out of Rack Push Press Hang Snatch Hang Clean
Cleans off Boxes Squats 100% or less of Clean & Jerk
Pulls
75% to 85% of Clean & Jerk
Non-Decelerating
80% of Snatch PR or less
80% of Clean & Jerk PR or less
80% of Clean & Jerk PR or less
Non Decelerating
Non-Decelerating
The table above shows a few of the lifts and exercises a lifter will be
scheduling (if time permits) and the corresponding percentage of PR or the
method used in training those lifts.
Auxiliary exercises can be scheduled at the end of training and partial
lifts will be scheduled in the place of the full movements, as shown in the
following example.
Date Programming Example
Day 1
Snatch 30 x 2, 40 x 2, 50 x 2, 60 x 2, 70 x 2, 80 x 4 x 2 / 80%
Hang Clean 50 x 3, 70 x 3, 80 x 2, 90 x 2, 100 x 3 x 2 / 80%
Back Squat 110 x 2, 120 x 2, 130 x 5 x 2 / 155k equiv. 1 sec. / 133k equiv. C&J
Good Morning Exercise 40 x 5, 50 x 5, 60 x 5 x 3 / 48% of C&J
Day 2
Snatch off Boxes 30 x 3, 40 x 3, 50 x 3, 60 x 3, 70 x 3 x 3 / 70% of Snatch PR
Clean & Jerk 50 x 1, 70 x 1, 80 x 1, 90 x 1, 100 x 1, 105 x 3 x 1 / 84% of C&J
Clean Pull 105 x 2, 115 x 2, 120 x 2, 125 x 4 x 2 / 100% of C&J
Stiff Legged DL 80 x 5 x 5 / 64% of C&J
Day 3
Snatch 30 x 2, 40 x 2, 50 x 2, 60 x 2, 70 x 2, 80 x 4 x 1 / 80%
Clean & 50 x 1, 70 x 1, 80 x 1, 90 x 1, 100 x 1, 105 x 2 x 1 / 84% of C&J
Jerk 110 x 2, 125 x 2, 140 x 3 x 2 / 155k equiv. 1 sec. / 133k equiv. C&J
Back Squat or Front Squat 0 weight to something somewhat effortless

Hyperextensions
Day 4
Power Snatch 30 x 2, 40 x 2, 50 x 2, 60 x 2, 70 x 4 x 1 / 70% of Snatch PR
Clean & Jerk 50 x 3, 70 x 3, 80 x 2, 90 x 2, 100 x 3 x 2 / 80%
Snatch Pull 80 x 2, 90 x 2, 100 x 2 / 100% of Snatch PR
Good Mornings 40 x 5, 50 x 5, 60 x 5 x 3 / 48% of C&J
Whenever the coach or lifter schedules a partial lift it should be with less
intensity than the full movement to maintain those motor pathways with those
primaries and not shift them over to the partial lifts. Partials can cause some
issues with precision, timing, and balance if trained at too high a level of
intensity compared to the primaries. The partials should be scheduled less
frequently than the primaries. For example, if the lifter is training five days
per week then 3 of those days should be devoted to the primaries and two can
be dedicated to the partials.
Partials cannot of themselves progress the lifter’s performance. They
have some indirect value as a variation, and warm up and warm down
protocol, but nothing would e much different without doing partials, due to
the lack of functionality as compared to the primaries. Auxiliary exercises are
fundamental, much more than the partials, and the lifter should never neglect
them.
Overhead lifts and exercises pretty much fall into the same category as
partial lifts. Push presses and power jerks are also equivalent and are
determined by how much drive velocity the lifter has developed from the
squats.
Drive velocity is determined by how fast the lifter can ascend from just
above parallel in the squats. Drive time-in-motion should be 0.5 seconds in
the front squat with 100% of clean & jerk PR or 0.67 seconds from full or
from below parallel in the back squat. This movement needs to be a
consistent time-in-motion when the lifter explicitly performs the squats for
the jerk drive. The reason doing jerks out of the rack do not develop the drive
velocity is because the lifter is only dipping down to quarter squat and this
does not work or train those fast twitch fibers through the full range of the
sticking point. The sticking point is the weakest link in the muscular chain,
and the lifter cannot strengthen it; they must move through it with speed
(one-second). Jerks out of the rack should be considered a partial lift and not
a primary lift because the jerk out of the rack cannot progress the clean &
jerk. Only the one-second squats and their equivalents can progress the lifter
once they have reached the point where the ability to produce force through
only the competition lifts and this occurs early on in the lifters career,
probably within the first year.
Regardless of the lift, the lifter should execute them with repeated
precision and specific times-in-motion and non-decelerated actions. The only
exception is the auxiliary exercises, and the lifter should perform those in a
smooth rhythmical movement.
Each lifter will have to experiment with specific exercises and partials as
well as variations to find out what works or not. From a personal perspective,
I have found that the primaries are sufficient enough to help the lifter reach
their full potential, as long as those specific times-in-motion and precision are
adhered to religiously. Repeated precision and specific times-in-motion not
only allow the lifter to reach their full potential, it creates a more efficient and
effective technique that is self-correcting.
Chapter 8
Ratios and Formulas
Ratios are not based on absolutes but are generalized inferences from
maximal efforts, not maximum or finite efforts. The correlations and ratios I
have proposed are close approximations, and are accurate within a small
range of tolerance, but are not infallible. Each lifter will have to determine
their ratios based on their data as regards to the formulas I have created
below. I have used these formulas on hundreds of top lifters as well as
intermediate lifters, and the results are surprisingly accurate.
Ratio 1a:
Clean & Jerk to Back Squat ratio
The ratio of a current PR clean & jerk to current back squat, when the
ascension time is 1.0 second during a full squat, would be approximately
86%. Slower times in the back squat can move more weight, but the
efficiency of motion between a 1.0 second back squat and a squat slower than
1.0 second is less, and the ratio will become less than 86%. Current could
mean a PR established within the last six months or less, but I would not use
a PR older than six months, because it might not reflect the lifter’s current
condition of the lifter.
Example: A lifter has a back squat of 200k in 1.6 seconds and has a
clean & jerk of 150k. The raw ratio of clean & jerk to back squat is; 150k /
200k = 75%.
To determine what the lifter needs to back squat in 1.0 second to achieve
a 150k clean & jerk we take 150k and divide it by 86% which gives a result
of 175k (approx.). The 200k in 1.6 seconds was equal to 170k in 1.0 second,
and means the lifter’s clean & jerk should be 170k x .86 = 146k; thus,
determining what the overloading is for the clean & jerk, which is 4k. It
might be more advantageous for the lifter to stay with 146k or less for
training purposes until the athlete increases the equivalent or actual back
squat in 1.0 second.
Ratio 1b:
Clean & Jerk to Front Squat ratio
The ratio of a current PR clean & jerk to a front squat, when the
ascension time is 1.0 second during a full squat, would be approximately
100%. Slower times in the front squat can move more weight, but the
efficiency of motion between a 1.0-second front squat and a front squat
slower than 1.0 second is less than 100%.
Example: A lifter has a front squat of 200k in 1.6 seconds and has a
clean & jerk of 170k. The raw ratio of clean & jerk to front squat is; 170k /
200k = 85%. The front squat in 1.6 seconds is equal to the front squat in 1.0
second, but the 1.6 front squat creates 30k of overloading and also causes the
overall time in the clean to be slower.
The only qualification for correlation 1b is that the athlete should execute
the front squat precisely as the lifter executes the ascension part of the clean
during a clean & jerk. It cannot be a powerlifting style front squat, where the
grip is different or where the lifter's back is rounded during the ascension.
However, to even achieve a 1.0-second front squat with 100% of PR clean &
jerk the technique must be near perfection.
Clean Pull to Back Squat
There is no meaningful correlation between the pulls and squats both are
separately determinative. The only relationship is in how the lifter trains and
times the two assistance lifts. The athlete should time the squats during
ascension and the pulls from liftoff to where the bar reaches just below the
knee joint. The non-decelerated time in the squats is 1.5 seconds or faster,
preferably 1.0 second and the optimal time in the pull to the knees is 0.33
seconds. There will be no overloading if these times-in-motion are adhered to
strictly during training and regardless of the reps or sets of reps. It is the
decelerated actions that cause overloading and damage to the muscles
sometimes bringing on DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). In my
opinion, this damage is mostly to the slow twitch fibers which the
weightlifter should train at velocities or times-in-motion that will not harm
the muscles and will allow the lifter to recover faster from one training
session to the next.
Ratio 1c:
Snatch to clean & jerk: 80%
Snatch ÷ C&J = 80%
Example: The lifter with a 150k clean & jerk meet PR, should have a
snatch meet PR in the area of 120k.
150k x .8 = 120k.
80% is a normal, acceptable approximation of snatch to clean & jerk. The

snatch to clean & jerk can be anywhere from 70% to 90%. Anything well
outside the acceptable norm of 80% should be looked at carefully to make
changes to average monthly levels of intensity between the snatch and the
clean & jerks.
Ratio 1d:
Snatch pull to clean pull 85%
Example: The lifter has a 200k clean pull, thus;
200k x .85 = 170k snatch pull
The reason 85% is used instead of the 80% is that the pulls do not contain
the motion of pulling under the weight, so the 1st and 2nd pull are the
primary motion in both the snatch and clean pull. Only the width of the grip
is a factor. When lifters execute a snatch pull they and are somewhat amazed
that they can almost snatch pull as much as they clean pull the reason is due
to the disproportionate correlation between the snatch and clean & jerk and
the snatch pull and clean pull.
Equivalent Force Formulas
Equivalent force formulas posit the fast twitch muscle fiber’s role in
generating momentum from velocity. In weightlifting force is produced at
times-in-motion (t) of less than 1.0 second and force has to be overcome
when those times are slower than 1.0 second or at the point where the
movements of the lifter begin to decelerate. Deceleration is a crucial element
that should not be allowed to occur during any part of any lift or any rep in
any set of reps during training.
Formula 1a
A squat slower than 1.0 second is equated to a 1.0-second squat, using the
following formula;
Sq - [(t - 1) x 50] = 1 sec. eSq (equiv. squat)
Where (Sq) is the actual amount of squat weight, (t) is the actual time
standing up out of the squat and must be slower than 1.0 second. The
difference in the time is multiplied by 50, and this is then subtracted from the
original squat (Sq) to arrive at what the equivalent squat in 1.0 second (eSq)
would be.
Example 1: A back squat with a weight of 180k in 1.2 seconds.

1.2 minus 1.0 = .2 x 50 = 10k and 180k minus 10k = 170k
The multiplier of 50 represents 5k per 1/10 second or 5k x 2 tenths = 10k
5k per 1/10 second is used when the squat is slower than 1.0 second and 10k
when the squat is faster than 1.0 second. 1.0 second would equal 0k per 1/10
second.
Example 2: A lifter does a PR back squat of 220k in 1.7 seconds. The

equivalent in 1.0 second would be;
1.7 - 1.0 = .7 x 50 = 35k and 220k minus 35k = 185k in 1.0 second
Moving a weight slower allows the lifter to more weight, but it does not
mean the lifter has progressed their ability to snatch or clean & jerk more
weight. In the above example, the lifter’s functional efficiency is tied to the
185k in 1.0 second and not the 220k in 1.7 seconds. The 185k needs to be
used to calculate the equivalent clean & jerk;
185k x .86 = 159k
The 159k should be used for training purposes and not the lifter’s clean &
jerk PR because the squats need to be the focal point of training.
Formula 1b
Interpolate a squat faster than 1.0 second to a 1.0-second squat;
Sq + [(1.0 - t) x 100] = eSq
Where (Sq) is the actual weight of the squat, (t) is the actual time-in-motion
and must be faster than 1.0 second. The difference in the time is multiplied
by 100, and this is then added to the original squat (Sq) to arrive at what the
equivalent squat in 1.0 second would be (eSq).
Example: A lifter has a front squat of 180k in 1.2 seconds and does 160k in
.8 seconds.
1.0 - 0.8 = .2 x 100 = 20k and 160k + 20k = 180k in 1.0 second
This lifter should be able to clean & jerk 180k. I will discuss other
considerations later on, but in general, the lifter should be able to clean &
jerk whatever they can front squat in 1.0 second.
The reason there is 5k per unit when moving slower than 1.0 second, and
10k per unit when moving faster, is because the fast twitch fibers are 100% in
play at faster times-in-motion than they are at the slower times. I used the 5k
and 10k as close approximations for the sake of simplifying the formulas to
get close to a somewhat accurate picture. Correlations are not scientifically
precise expression because of the many factors among lifters that preclude
such exactness: however, these formulas are a close approximation of what a
coach or lifter can expect, and after hundreds of tests on athletes of all ages
and abilities these formulas prove satisfactory.
Formula 1c
Determine force equivalents when all reps are 1.0 second.
Sq + [(R - 1) x 5k] = eSq1
Where Sq = total weight squatted

R = the total reps in a set
eSq = the equivalent squat in 1.0 second
Example 1: A lifter with a front squat of 180k in 1.0 second does 160k x 5 in
a 1.0 second average time-in-motion;
5 - 1 = 4 x 5k and 160k + 20k = 180k in 1.0 second.
The 160k x 5 in 1.0 second is equivalent to 180k x 1 in 1.0 second.
Example 2: The same lifter has a back squat of 210k in 1.0 second and a
month later does 170k x 6 in an average time of .8 seconds;
Step One: Figure the equivalent time-in-motion using formula 2b;

1.0 - 0.8 = .2 x 100 = 20k and 170k + 20k = 190k in 1.0 second
Step Two: Figure the set of reps’ equivalents using formula 2c;
6 - 1 = 5 x 5k = 25k and 190k + 25k = 215k in 1.0 second.
Since 215k is greater than 210k then the lifter can take the 215k back squat
and multiply it by 86%;
215k x .86 = 185k
The lifter should use 185k to program the training of the clean & jerk, as
far as the application of percentages is concerned; however, writing a
program is more effective when the athlete uses the previous monthly
average of equivalent clean & jerks. Multiple sets should not be used to
calculate equivalency of outcome, only the best set that yields the best result.
But one would not be entirely in error by adding 5k per set after the 1st set to
the total as long as every rep was 1.0 second or faster. I prefer not to include
multiple sets because the volume is not the primary driver of progression
where the assistance lifts are concerned.
Excess Velocity (Force)
Generally, as long as the lifter places more force into a lift or a faster
time-in-motion, needed to make the lift, meaning the lifter is simulating
moving more weight than is loaded on the barbell. The lifter can measure
excess force by using times-in-motion. Excessive force production or
volume, based on faster times-in-motion, does not produce overloading; only
decelerated actions produce overloading.
Example: When a lifter is going from 60k to 130k in the clean, and a unit
of force of 1 is equal to 130k in an overall time of 2.5 seconds (from the
platform to standing up with the weight) then excess force can be determined.
These are approximate calculations used for simplifying the discussion.
Using the formula F = ma, where (a) is denoted as time-in-motion, then
the equivalent force for a lesser weight could be obtained by doing the
following calculations in defending order;
F = 130k x 1 = 130 (130k divided by 120k = 1.08)

F = 120k x 1.08 = 130 (130k divided by 110k = 1.18)
F = 110k x 1.18 = 130 (130k divided by 100k = 1.30)
F = 100k x 1.3 = 130 (130k divided by 80k = 1.625)
F = 80k x 1.625 = 130 (130k divided by 60k = 2.16)
F = 60k x 2.16 = 130
From the above we can determine the time-in-motion to make each lift
equal in force to 130k, using ascending order;
60k is 2.5 / 2.16 = 1.15 sec.

80k is 2.5 / 1.625 = 1.53 sec.
100k is 2.5 / 1.3 = 1.69 sec.
110k is 2.5 / 1.18 = 2.11 sec.
120k is 2.5 / 1.08 = 2.31 sec.
130k is 2.5 / 1 = 2.5 sec.
If 1.7 seconds is a lifter’s maximum overall time-in-motion they can

achieve with 60k; then, from 60k to 100k, the lifter could not produce an
excessive amount of force equal to 130k. They should attempt to move at that
maximum velocity of 1.7 seconds to ingrain that velocity for the remainder of
the exercise of the clean & jerk, meaning when moving up in weight from
60k to 130k the lifter will not be able to move fast enough to produce
excessive force till they reach 110k. There is only a small difference in
weight where an equivalent force can be applied. From the empty bar to 60k
the lifter need not move any faster than necessary to make the weight. In
other words, the lifter should not execute lighter warmup weights at maximal
velocity until fully warmed up, i.e., a sprinter always jogs before gradually
working up to sprinting speed. Once the lifter is warm enough usually after
the 1st or 2nd incremental, they can apply as much controlled speed as
possible.
60k in 1.7 sec.

80k in 1.7 sec.
90k in 1.8 sec.
100k in 1.9 sec.
110k in 2.11 sec.
120k in 2.31 sec.
130k in 2.5 sec.
Above 130k or more might look like the following;
140k in 2.7 sec.

150k in 3.0 sec.
As the weight drastically increases, the time-in-motion will begin to get

slower exponentially, due to forces placed on the unidirectional movements,
and the lifter unable to overcome those forces and generate the right velocity
during the bidirectional motions. The lack of speed is the direct cause of
lifters missing most lifts, and not necessarily a problem concerning
technique, but a problem concerning the lack of momentum produced during
the 1st and 2nd pull from the platform to full extension or a slower change-
in-direction pulling under the weight. Slower changes-in-direction can cause,
what appears to be, technical flaws or breakdowns. Somewhere along the
trajectory line, the accelerated velocity is too slow for the lifter to maintain
their particular precision or technical proficiency. Again, while it might look
as if the athlete missed a lift due to a technical error, it was missed because
there was not enough momentum produced.
It is possible to lift more weight in the clean & jerk by moving slower
than 2.5 seconds; however, it is not possible to progress to full-potential that
way. The slower unidirectional motions in the 1st pull and standing up with
the weight create a roadblock to progress, and at some point, the lifter will
begin to stagnate due to those slower times, even if the bidirectional times are
intact. There are greater stresses placed on the bidirectional motions when
there is less reliability in overcoming forces. Additional stresses are placed
directly into the fast twitch muscle fibers, which have a direct impact on
producing maximal velocities.
Example: The same lifter in the above examples with a 150k clean &
jerk decides to start pushing the squats and pulls using slow or decelerated
actions and eventually can clean & jerk 190k, but the overall time is 3.2
seconds. The athlete might not miss the jerk, but it will be a more difficult
jerk, especially if there is an additional 0.5-second pause in the bottom of the
clean. The more cleans with 190k the lifter does in training using these
slower times, then more overloading of the muscular system occurs, because
at 3.2 seconds the lifter is only producing the forces equivalent to a 155k
clean & jerk at 2.5 seconds. Stagnation will and must happen, and 190k will
be the lifter’s full-potential, and a direct result of doing slow grinding squats
and pulls over long periods to increase the performance of the clean & jerk.
What the lifter should have done was progress the clean & jerk using the 2.5
second overall time and increased the squats and pulls also using specific and
consistent times-in-motion. When the lifter reached 190k in 2.5 seconds, the
lifter could then continue to progress. Once an athlete has accepted specific
methodologies of training, it becomes near impossible to pry them away from
the comfort of their training methods, even if those methods are not yielding
any progress.
Note: Stagnation is not a good or bad term. It means that some lifters
have reached their full-potential and need merely maintain what they have
achieved for as long as possible. An athlete becoming stagnant before
reaching full-potential is not a good thing. Stagnation does not mean the lifter
doesn't make a few kilos of progress here and there; it says, that generally,
their growth has reached a tipping point where they no longer will be on a
consistent and continuous path of progressing their performance. Eventually,
there could be wild and erratic swings in performance from meet to meet and
in training.
By applying excess force to each weight, the lifter is adding more work to
the training load without increasing the volume. The additional stimulation
helps develop the muscular system by way of the fast and slow twitch fibers,
but there is no overloading or stress placed on the muscles unless the times
are slower than 2.5 seconds, then gradually from 2.5 seconds the overloading
increases.
The squats should look something like the list below when warming up to
175k in 1.0 second while applying excessive force (accelerated velocity)
from 135k and up;
75k in 0.5 seconds

95k in 0.5 seconds
115k in 0.5 seconds
135k in 0.6 seconds
155k in 0.8 seconds
175k in 1.0 second
As the weight increases past 1.0 second the times start to drop off
exponentially till the lifter is unable to move at all through the sticking point.
If the lifter trains the fast and slow twitch using 1.0 second times, and no
absolute weight is ever handled, then it becomes even more difficult to move
more weight slower, because the muscles have not been trained or developed
for that purpose. The lifter might be unable to squat slower than 1.3 seconds
without decelerating considerably at the sticking point. This is exactly what
needs to happen. It is a sure sign the lifter has been developing and training
the muscles to move at specific velocities. The specific velocities become
more ingrained and the sticking point is dissolved away almost completely.
The squats and pulls are for all intent and purpose used by the weightlifter for
one goal, and that goal is to increase the ability of the lifter to handle more
weight in the snatch and clean & jerk, and still maintain specific times-in-
motion.
If this lifter increases their back squat to 220k in 1.0 second, then 190k
clean & jerk can be achieved in 2.5 seconds or faster and the lifter can
continue to progress both the clean & jerk and the back squat using those
specific velocities for each lift. In this case their back squat would look
something like the following;
150k in 0.5 sec.

170k in 0.5 sec.
180k in 0.6 sec.
200k in 0.8 sec.
210k in 0.9 sec.
220k in 1.0 sec.
In order for this lifter to clean & jerk the 190k in 2 seconds from liftoff to
standing up would require some separation between the back squat in 1.0
second and the clean & jerk would need to be increased by 110%.
190k / .86 = 220k back squat in 1.0 second = 2.5 overall

220k x 1.10 = 242k back squat in 1.0 second = 2.0 overall
The lifter need not increase the 190k as a training weight to match the
242k back squat but should try and do all the clean & jerks in 2 seconds up to
190k. The separation should be maintained, and if the lifter wishes to clean &
jerk more than 190k in 2 seconds then the back squat will need to be
increased in kind.
The correlations between lifts must be resolved from those specific times-
in-motion being at a fairly constant and consistent value, for those
correlations to hold up to a high standard of accuracy. If the times-in-motion
overly vary among the unidirectional and bidirectional motions, then those
correlations will also vary and it will become more difficult to pin down a
meaningful ratio. The same would be true for erratic lifting from one rep to
the next. Progress has to come from repeated precision including some
consistency in the times-in-motion of all lifts and exercises scheduled for
training.
Adjustments to the Equivalent Squat Multiplier
Times slower than 1.5 seconds become skewed so at 2 seconds the
multiplier should be adjusted to half for each additional second, to the point
where the equivalent 1 sec. squat becomes minimal at the slowest time
possible.
100k Front Squat

Time / Multiplyer Equivalent 1 sec. Squat
1.0 sec. 100k
1.5 sec. / 50 75k
2.0 sec. / 25 63k

2.5 sec. / 25 50k
3 sec. / 12.5 38k
3.5 sec. / 12.5 31k
4 sec. / 6.25 28k
The outcome is equivalent at the 1 second time in motion, but the

difference in weight is not equivalent. This satisfies the formula F = ma, as
the change in acceleration is slower the force will be equal to the mass.
Therefore slower times produce less force or equivalent force with less mass.
28k @ 1 sec. equals a front squat of 100k @ 4 seconds.

This would occur when the lifter’s IRM was absolute at 100k @ 4
seconds, not simply by squatting 100k in 4 seconds when the 1RM was 1
second.
150k Front Squat

Time / Multiplier Equivalent 1 sec. Squat
1.0 sec. / 50 150k
1.5 sec. / 50 125k
2.0 sec. / 25 113k

2.5 sec. / 25 100k
3 sec. / 12.5 94k
3.5 sec. / 12.5 88k
4 sec. / 6.25 84k

4.5 sec. / 6.25 81k
5 sec. / 3.125 80k
5.5 sec. / 3.125 78k
6 sec. / 1.5625 77k
77k @ 1 sec. equals a front squat of 150k @ 6 seconds.
Lifters who are able to squat absolute amounts of weight in times that are
extremely slow, such as 3 to 6 seconds, usually have more slow twitch than
fast twitch fibers which can be developed more effectively for such times
than a lifter with more fast twitch fibers. At 6 seconds the amount of weight
almost doubles from what can be achieved in 1 second.
It becomes a bit tedious to determine equivalent squats of 1 second from
squats slower than 1.5 seconds and it is also next to meaningless since the
force production is so meager. The times slower than 1.5 seconds produce
non-beneficial overloading which renders them somewhat meaningless to the
weightlifter.
Chapter 9
Training & Programming Methodology
Training methodologies define how the lifts are to be executed as far as
precision, times-in-motion and the amount of deceleration that will be
allowed. Programming establishes the order of lifts, the frequency of training,
the number of sets and reps, and the top-ending weight. The following outline
and explanations are designed for all lifters regardless of age, gender or
weight class. This method addresses longevity and being able to perform at
optimal competitiveness for as long as the lifter wishes to remain in the sport.
I. Training Methodologies
A. No Erratic Motions
B. Non-decelerated Actions
1. Ascension in the Squats
2. Pulls
3. 1st pull
4. Standing up after receiving the weight
5. All other lifts
C. Specific Times in Motion

1. Overall time from platform to standing up in 2.0 seconds and not to
exceed 2.5 seconds
2. Ascension time in the full squat at 1 second or faster.
3. Ascension time from a parallel squat at 0.67 seconds.
4. Time from the platform to the knees should be 0.33 seconds or faster.
5. From drive to lock-out in the Jerk should be 0.5 seconds.
Training methodology has to do with those abstract qualities that cannot

be readily noted or measured until after the fact. Training methodologies are
far more critical than programming methodologies, because if the lifter
doesn't execute the lifts correctly and consistently, then the best programming
in the world will not allow the lifter to achieve their full potential, or help
remedy imperfections in technique.
Precision Lifting
Precision lifting is mandatory if the lifter wishes to advance their
performance to full potential, regardless of age or athletic ability. Every
motion in training must be as precise as possible to progress that motion.
Erratic lifting will not and cannot advance the lifter to full capability. One
could say precision lifting is like turning on a machine and watching it run
without shaking or jostling around like a worn-out washing machine. It’s the
difference between driving an automobile with a flat tire and one without a
flat tire. Precision lifting must take precedence over the amount of weight
scheduled on any particular day.
Precision lifting is an absolute requirement during training, including
warmups during training and competition, up to and including the 1st and 2nd
attempts. The coach or lifter should only excuse erratic lifting on maximal
efforts which might require some irregular motions to secure a lift, especially
in competition. Precision lifting is needed to progress towards that point
where those erratic actions, with near maximal weights, can be controlled to
the degree that the lifter should not miss.
The following elements should be considered erratic actions;

1. Posture or form breakdowns.
2. Stepping forward or backward when standing up from a snatch, clean or a
jerk.
3. Jumping backward or forward more than what is normal.
4. Inconsistency in the overall times in motion from the platform to
standing up.
5. Longer than normal pauses in the full squat position of a snatch or clean.
6. Waiting longer than usual after the clean and before the jerk
7. Windmilling out of a snatch, clean or jerk more than what would
be considered normal for that lifter or that can be controlled.
Precision is repeated exactitude of one’s technical proficiency at the

current time, without any deviations from one rep to the next or from one set
to the next. The lifter must become a machine, but athletic, not robotic.
Learning how to control those erratic actions and make the adjustment to
eliminate those erratic actions is what training is all about, at least concerning
the competition lifts. Precision and velocity are more important than the
amount of weight being handled in training, regardless of the lift or exercise
scheduled. It makes little difference if the lifter can do 90% or more each
training session if the lifter executes the 90% with erratic actions. Erratic
actions become useless and non-beneficial to the long-term goal of the lifter,
which is to develop their full potential and progress their performance from
one competition to the next until the lifter reaches full potential.
For the master lifter, precision is not as easy to develop or execute, at
least for the older master lifters. Precision lifting becomes a constant battle,
but one the lifter can win if they stay with weights that allow for that
precision. Remember, precision is the form or style the lifter is capable of
achieving within their technical proficiency, not someone else’s ability or
necessarily what the coach sees or deems as proficient. Always trying to fix
some issue a master lifter is not able to fix will only throw that lifter’s
technical proficiency out of balance and cause erratic lifting to occur instead
of fixing it. We have to use whatever talents we have and if bending the arms
during the 2nd pull, or jumping forward becomes part of that talent, then
trying to fix it might well create other problems. Precision lifting has nothing
to do with perfecting technique based on what has been deemed to be perfect.
It is about lifting within one’s own capability to control a particular style of
lifting with an exactitude of mechanics and velocity, and the same way every
time regardless of what that technique happens to be. The lifter can only
achieve perfection from precision lifting they cannot achieve repeated
precision by being constantly erratic, even if they execute one out of two lifts
with perfection. Perfection can only be born from repeated precision,
regardless of how imperfect a lifter’s technique happens to be and regardless
of age or gender.
Erratic lifting includes deviations in the time-in-motion of the snatch,
clean and the jerk. Variations that occur in the times-in-motion from rep to
rep and set to set. For example, a lifter does a 90k clean & jerk for three
singles, and the 1st single is executed in 2.3 seconds from the platform to
standing up. The next rep is 2.6 seconds, and the third is 3.0 seconds. These
types of variations should never be acceptable, and the lifter should adjust the
weight for the next set or the next clean & jerk session, so each rep is the
same time-in-motion. Usually, the cause of erratic times-in-motion is the
squats, because the squats are being trained using not only decelerated
actions, but also the ascension times are slower from rep to rep until the lifter
reaches failure. Erratic squat times will be reflected during the training of the
snatch and clean & jerk. To avoid this dilemma, all the times-in-motion
should be the same from rep to rep and set to set. It is more important how
the weight is lifted and trained than how much weight is lifted.
A one-second back squat with 130% of clean & jerk PR will allow for a
2.0-second snatch or clean from the platform to standing up with the weight.
Lesser percentages of clean & jerk PR in one-second will yield slower times
than 2.0 seconds.
1 sec. Bsq 1 sec. Bsq 1 sec. Bsq

1 sec. Bsq 115% of C&J
C&J 130% 110% 90%
of C&J of C&J of C&J
50 65 / 2.0 sec. 58 / 2.33 sec. 55 / 2.69 sec. 45 / 3.0 sec.
60 78 / 2.0 69 / 2.33 66 / 2.69 54 / 3.0
70 91 / 2.0 81 / 2.33 77 / 2.69 63 / 3.0
80 104 / 2.0 92 / 2.33 88 / 2.69 72 / 3.0
90 117 / 2.0 104 / 2.33 99 / 2.69 81 / 3.0
100 130 / 2.0 115 / 2.33 110 / 2.69 90 / 3.0
110 143 / 2.0 127 / 2.33 121 / 2.69 99 / 3.0
120 156 / 2.0 138 / 2.33 132 / 2.69 108 / 3.0
130 169 / 2.0 150 / 2.33 143 / 2.69 117 / 3.0
140 182 / 2.0 161 / 2.33 154 / 2.69 126 / 3.0
150 195 / 2.0 173 / 2.33 165 / 2.69 135 / 3.0
160 208 / 2.0 184 / 2.33 176 / 2.69 144 / 3.0
170 221 / 2.0 196 / 2.33 187 / 2.69 153 / 3.0
180 234 / 2.0 207 / 2.33 198 / 2.69 162 / 3.0
190 247 / 2.0 219 / 2.33 209 / 2.69 171 / 3.0
The lifter should mark the squat percentage and the overall times-in-
motion to the right of the lifter’s clean & jerk. As the one-second back squat
becomes less of a percentage of the clean & jerk the overall times-in-motion
will also begin to slow down. The time-in-motion to full extension and
receiving the weight to lock-out might stay the same at one-second, but the
overall times will slow down because of non-equivalent forces. The lifter will
not be able to lift to their capability if they cannot achieve specific squat
times. A lifter who can only back squat 90% of their clean & jerk in one-
second will be able to clean their PR in 3.0 seconds or slower.
A one-second front squat with 110% of clean & jerk PR will allow for a
2.0-second snatch or clean from the platform to standing up with the weight.
Lesser percentages of clean & jerk PR in one-second will yield slower times
than 2.0 seconds as shown in the table below.
1 sec. Fsq 1 sec. Fsq 1 sec. Fsq 1 sec. Fsq

C&J
110% C&J 105% C&J 100% C&J 90% C&J
50 55 / 2.0 sec. 52.5 / 2.25 sec. 50 / 2.5 sec. 45 / 3.0 sec.
60 66 / 2.0 63 / 2.25 60 / 2.5 54 / 3.0
70 77 / 2.0 73.5 / 2.25 70 / 2.5 63 / 3.0
80 88 / 2.0 84 / 2.25 80 / 2.5 72 / 3.0
90 99 / 2.0 94.5 / 2.25 90 / 2.5 81 / 3.0
100 110 / 2.0 105 / 2.25 100 / 2.5 90 / 3.0
110 121 / 2.0 115.5 / 2.25 110 / 2.5 99 / 3.0
120 132 / 2.0 126 / 2.25 120 / 2.5 108 / 3.0
130 143 / 2.0 136.5 / 2.25 130 / 2.5 117 / 3.0
140 154 / 2.0 147 / 2.25 140 / 2.5 126 / 3.0
150 165 / 2.0 157.5 / 2.25 150 / 2.5 135 / 3.0
160 176 / 2.0 168 / 2.25 160 / 2.5 144 / 3.0
170 187 / 2.0 178.5 / 2.25 170 / 2.5 153 / 3.0
180 198 / 2.0 189 / 2.25 180 / 2.5 162 / 3.0
190 209 / 2.0 199.5 / 2.25 190 / 2.5 171 / 3.0
These times are reflective of averages and not of one-shot deals where on
certain days the lifter can move faster during the clean than would be
indicated by their front squat in one-second. It is always essential for the lifter
to go by averages when calculating ratios between lifts. If the lifter achieves
PRs in the gym through overloading, i.e., slower overall times-in-motion and
then bases training percentages off those overloaded PRs, then those
percentages will also contain some of that overloading. The lifter should base
training percentages on the average equivalent clean & jerk: See Section 14.
The training methodologies should be the same regardless of age or
gender. The only different elements are the performance levels, technical
proficiency, and programming protocols, but those three elements should not
hinder the way training is conducted, since just about everything is relative
between age groups.
Specific Times-in-motion
I have thoroughly discussed the times-in-motion in my book; The Sport
of Weightlifting: Strength and Velocity. I will reiterate in this book, as there
are a few minor variances that affect the master lifters.
1. In the snatch; from the platform to full extension should be 0.67
seconds and from full extension to lock-out should be 0.33 seconds. These
times will probably be the maximal times-in-motion for any master lifter,
regardless of age. These two times added together are one-second and form
the basis of the one-second squats, and the 0.33-second pull to lock-out forms
the basis of the pull to the knees, which is also 0.33 seconds. Even though I
have based these two times on different motions, they both produce the same
momentum. One from the platform at liftoff, and the other after the lifter
reaches a full extension. Both require a quick rate of change to produce the
upward (1st pull) and downward (3rd pull) momentum.
The time to full extension is not based on age as much as it is on the
reaction time of the lifter. It can vary from as fast as 0.67-seconds to one
second, depending on the reaction time of the lifter and their athletic ability
to produce momentum. A slower time than 0.67 seconds will mean there will
be less weight lifted if that slower time affects the time of the 3rd pull.
Example: If the lifter can still receive the weight at lock-out from full
extension in 0.33 seconds then the pull to full extension can be slower than
0.67 seconds, but not so slow that it hinders the ability of the lifter to achieve
the 0.33 seconds to lock-out. A slower pull than 0.67 seconds must be
voluntary and not involuntary, where the lifter is unable to pull the weight to
full extension in 0.67 seconds, but can only do 0.8 seconds. Then the pull
under the weight will be 0.4 seconds instead of 0.33 seconds.
The time-in-motion to full extension and receiving the weight at lock-out
needs to be assessed early on and monitored frequently. This particular time-
in-motion will be ingrained along with the lifter’s technique and will be used
to determine the performance level of the lifter and will also be an essential
element in how the lifter trains the squats and pulls.
2. From the platform to standing up should be 2.5 seconds. For the most
part, this time should be adhered to for training purposes regardless of age.
The power snatch or clean will be considerably faster without the lower
receiving position and time standing up. Whatever these times are, they
should remain consistent in training. The lifter should measure the power
snatch from the platform to lock-out and the power clean from the platform to
the point where the lifter receives the barbell on the shoulders.
3. The lifter should average the ascension times in the back and front
squat monthly. The lifter should adhere to the times-in-motion regardless of
age or gender. For training purposes, a one-second full squat or 0.67 parallel
squat is more useful for both the front and back squat than a slower average.
The age of the lifter should not hinder them from achieving these times,
because only the amount of weight can do that, outside of some prior injury
or stiffness that might prohibit quicker movements.
The faster squats train the muscles to react quickly to those changes in
direction applied during a snatch or clean & jerk. The non-decelerated squats
also are easier on the joints and physical recovery is faster. As the lifter ages,
there is very little soreness associated with the faster squats, even after doing
several sets of doubles or triples with 100% of clean & jerk PR.
The women might find that those times need to be adjusted to allow for
their ability to produce momentum over what the men are capable of
producing. For example, the one-second squat would be about 1.1 to 1.2
seconds for the women and the 1.5 second squat would be 1.6 or 1.7 seconds
for the women, however I do not recommend the women move any slower
than the men, because those relative faster squats would be more beneficial
for the women in the long run. Again, it is a question of matching the weight
to the times-in-motion and not trying to move fast with weights the lifter is
not capable of moving fast. Trying is not doing.
4. The snatch and clean pulls should be 0.33 seconds from the platform to
just below the knee joint.
The time to the knees is 0.33 seconds and .17 seconds to the 2nd pull
position, again approximately a 2:1 ratio. The 1st pull of 0.5 seconds is the
same as the jerk which is also 0.5 seconds from the drive to lock-out.
Times-in-motion is relative issues as far as the amount of weight the lifter
is capable of handling, i.e., a lifter with a 100k clean & jerk and a 1.2-second
time-in-motion from the platform to receiving the bar would be able to clean
& jerk more than 100k if they could move at 1.0 second. The operative word
is “if” because these times become ingrained and locked into the lifter’s
technique and are also dependent on reaction time. It is through the squats
and pulls that the lifter can cause their times-in-motion to stay the same
regardless of the weight on the bar. If this lifter had a front squat of 100k in
1.0 second, then they would only need to increase that to 105k in 1.0 second
to clean & jerk that same weight in 1.2 seconds. The clean pull off the
platform would also have to be 0.33 seconds to the knees with that same
105k. This process is how the squats and pulls should be progressed, as actual
assistance for the velocity needed, and not by pumping more iron slower.
Hypertrophy should occur by happenstance and not because the lifter is
pushing the squats for the sake of developing big legs and would be more like
bodybuilding than what the lifter needs for the sport of weightlifting.
Regardless of what the lifter’s time-in-motion is, it should be executed at
those exact times every rep in every set of snatches and clean & jerks. These
maximal times need to be ingrained during the warmup process and with
each incremental increase as the lifter reaches the top-ending weight for that
session.
Many of the problems associated with lifters missing their first attempts
in competition can be linked back to how they go about ingraining their
maximal velocities during the incremental increases. Once the lifter is
warmup up, usually at around 50% of PR then each incremental increase
should be executed with maximum controlled velocity from then on and
including the top-ending weight for that session or the 1st attempt in
competition.
It is crucial to measure the lifter’s times-in-motion for the various actions
I have listed above. Not knowing is like trying to train in the dark or like a
track runner not timing their intervals or a swimmer not timing their laps. The
weightlifter also needs to know and be aware of their own ability to produce
momentum, and how fast they are moving that will ingrain that motion
through the CNS. By ingraining the times-in-motion, the lifter will know if
they are decelerating or not or if they are moving at the right times during a
lift without having to measure those times every lift or workout session;
however, it is always a good backup to watch and measure those times after
training. This process will also help ingrain the times-in-motion and keep
them in line with the ability of the lifter to produce those times.
II. Programming Methodology
A. Number of Days Per Week for Training
B. Number of Sessions Per Day
C. Calculating Number of Weeks for Training
D. Calculate Number of Weeks for Peaking
E. Scheduling of Primary Lifts
1. Snatch
2. Clean & Jerk
3. Squats
4. Pulls
F. Partials
1. Snatch and Clean off Boxes (above and below knee)
2. Snatch and Clean from the Hang (above and below knee)
3. Cleans without Jerk
4. Jerks out of rack or off boxes
5. All other lifts off boxes or out of rack
G. Variations of the Primaries
1. Snatch with Clean Grip
2. Snatch and Clean without Spreading the Feet
3. Snatch & Clean with High Hip Start Position
4. Back Squat if Emphasis is on Front Squat
5. Front Squat if Emphasis is on Back Squat
6. Muscle Snatch Without Press-out
7. Snatch and Clean Pull to Knees
8. Snatch and clean Pull to Mid Thigh or Midsection
The lifter should mingle variations over a training month, but they should
not include variations in the average monthly report, neither should partials
or anything outside the primaries. The pulls would be an exception where the
only measurement is from the platform to the knees; therefore, the style of
pull should have no bearing on the time-in-motion to the knees. The
variations should not be trained for setting PRs but used more along the lines
as an auxiliary exercise, where the lifter handles relatively less weight, but at
the same volume level as the full movements. Squat variation, be it the front
or back squat, should always be trained at a lesser relative level of intensity
than the squat the lifter is emphasizing.
H. Scheduling of Auxiliary Exercises

1. Hyperextensions
2. Weighted Dips
3. Lateral Raises
4. Stiff Leg DL
5. Good Mornings
6. Other non-bilateral motions
7. Press
8. Overhead Snatch Squats
I. Outline the Training Phase Programming
1. Average Monthly Intensity
Date Snatch C&J Front Sq Back Sq Cl Pull Sn Pull

6 Months 75% 75% 95% 100% 90% 90%
Out of C&J of C&J of C&J of snatch
5 Months 75% 80% 100% 100% 90% 90%

4 Months 80% 80% 105% 105% 95% 90%

3 Months 80% 80% 105% 105% 95% 95%

2 Months 80% 80% 105% 105% 100% 105%

1 Month 80% 80% 105% 105% 105% 110%

The above spreadsheet is a guide whereby the percentages can be used to

determine the weights that will be handled each month in the primaries. With
six months of training before the peaking phase begins, the percentages
should gradually build up to the percentages desired at the end of the training
phase. The master lifter should maintain their average monthly intensity
levels at 80% or below.
2. Scheduled Lifts Per Day of Training
Date Snatch C&J Front/Back Sq Snatch/Clean Pull
Day 1 X X
Day 2 X X
Day 3 X X
Day 4 X X
I suggest the master lifters from M35 to M60 and W35 to W50 train no
more than four days per week or every other day. The lifter should focus the
majority of training on the primary lifts; snatch, clean & jerk, front or back
squat and snatch and clean pulls. The lifter should emphasize the front squat
over the back squat unless the lifter has some physiological problem that
precludes them from doing the front squat. The coach or lifter should
schedule auxiliary exercises after the primary lifts or by themselves. There is
no rule saying the lifter has to do primary lift every session.
3. Scheduled Sets of Reps with Top End Weights
Incremental increases are those sets executed from the empty bar to the
top-end weight or last warmup in a competition. The incremental increases
will depend on the level the lifter has attained in the sport. As a rule of
thumb, the incremental increases should be about 2k to 3k for a youth lifter
age 12 and under with totals less than 100k. Lifters with totals of between
100k and 200k should use 3k to 5k increases and for r lifters, with totals over
200k their increases can be up to 10k but should taper down to 5k when the
weight goes over 80%. The lighter incremental warmups might even be 20k
for the top lifters and taper off to 10k after 80% of PR is reached.
The incremental increases from the bar to about 40% or even less,
(depending on the weight class of the lifter), are composed of various
auxiliary style exercises, such as the muscle snatch, snatch high pull, behind
neck press, snatch balance, power snatch or clean and so on. The lifter should
cease these types of exercises once they are satisfied they have warmed up
enough to handle the first significant loading on the bar.
The incremental warmups and increases should become a well-ingrained
regimen that doesn’t ever change in the gym or competition so the lifter can
ingrain those actions with repeated precision and velocity, once there is
enough resistance to begin using maximal speed.
Taking too large a jump in those incremental increases can cause the
muscles to be jarred, and the lifter might disrupt the warming up process and
the ingraining of the mechanics. There should always be a smooth transition
between the first incremental loading and top-end weight or last warmup in a
meet.
The incremental increases (Section Ten) need to be habitual, so those
increases do not have to be written down in the programming every time the
lifter trains the snatch or clean & jerk, as this would be a waste of time. The
lifter need only record the top-end weights and the associated times-in-
motion.
Auxiliary Blocks
Auxiliary exercises should be blocked out from the primaries as a
separate and distinct training methodology. Auxiliary exercises contain no
impact forces or bidirectional reaction motions.
Auxiliary Block One

Exercise Sets and Reps
Hyperextensions 5 x 10
Lateral Flies 5 x 10
Good Mornings 5x5
Auxiliary Block Two

Stiff Leg DL 5x5
Weighted Dips 5x5
Press 5x5
Auxiliary Block Three

Lateral Raises 5 x 10
Overhead Snatch Squat 5 x 10
Weighted Dips 5x5
These blocks can be inserted at any time or as needed, and the exercises
can be mixed up in whatever order is best for the lifter. There are many more
of these types of exercises, and as long as they do not contain any significant
impact forces, they should be considered exercises. Auxiliary exercises
should be executed with a rhythmic action, not too fast or slow.
Jumping actions should not be considered as exercises since they contain
impact forces and full extensions. Jumping should never be for maximal
efforts, but the lifter should use a consistent rhythmic motion at a constant
height or distance. The amount of jumping, running or other outside training
should be just enough, so it does not interfere in the training of the primaries
or have an adverse effect on subsequent workouts. The lifter should not train
the jumps to set PRs because once they achieve those PRs, they could lose
interest and stop doing the exercise.
Partial Lifts
The lifter should note the partial lifts and times-in-motion, but they
should not include them in the monthly report. Since partial lifts contain the
same amount of impact forces as the snatch and clean & jerk full movement,
there should be no doubling up on the partials, such as doing extra sets or
reps over and above what the lifter scheduled. The lifter should not train the
partials as an event where they attempt PRs.
The primary methodology for the partials, I would follow, would be to
train the partials at a lower monthly level of intensity than the full
movements. I would also make sure the volume and frequency are less than
the full movements. The main goal of partials is introducing some variation
into the training, keeping the lifter from getting stale and aiding the lifter’s
mobility. If the lifter does not need the goals as mentioned earlier, then there
is less need to do partials.
26 Weeks Out
Day 1
Session 1 Auxiliary Exercises (Block One)

Box
145k 140k
Session 2 110k
3x2 5x3
3x3
Day 2
115 160k 175k

Session 1
4x2 5x2 4x2
Day 3
Jerks
100k 150k 135k
Session 1 125k
5x2 5x2 4x3
4x2
Hang
120k 170k
Session 2 140k
5x2 4x2
3x1
Day 4
Session 1 Auxiliary Exercises (Block Two)

Boxes
175k 175k
Session 2 115k
3x3 5x2
5x1
Day 5
120k 150k 180k 140k

4x2 3x1 5x3 4x2
Day 6
Session 1 Auxiliary Exercises (Block Three)

115k 145k 165k
Session 2
4x2 3x2 5x4
When doing snatches off boxes, the lifter should note the position of the
bar placement at liftoff as below or above the knee. The type of jerk from the
boxes noted as; push press, squat jerk, full squat jerk or jerk. The lifter should
indicate the hang snatch or clean as below or above the knee. The lifter
should note the pulls as to mid-thigh, to the midsection or full extension.
Pulls to the knees would not be necessary since the weight would need to be
decelerated before it reached the knees, and cause a different motion than
when the bar is lifted to mid-thigh, the midsection or full extension. The
transitional phase as the bar passes the knees is critical for creating a more
effective 1st pull and the change in acceleration is more critical than the
transitional phase. Velocity will always be more important than a nuanced
motion. The lifter's technique is a vessel that can be used to maintain specific
times-in-motion regardless of the weight on the bar.
4. Post Workout Data Input of Times in Motion
26 Weeks Out
Day 1
Session 1 Auxiliary Exercises (Block One)

Box 145k 140k
Session 2 110k 3x2 5x3
3x3 2.0 .7
Day 2
115 160k 175k

Session 1 4x2 5x2 4x2
2.0 .77 .30
Day 3
100k Jerks 150k 135k

Session 1 5x2 125k 5x2 4x3
2.1 4x2 .6 .27
120k Hang 170k

Session 2 5x2 140k 4x2
2.2 3x1 .8
Day 4
Session 1 Auxiliary Exercises (Block Two)

Boxes 175k 175k
Session 2 115k 3x3 5x2
5x1 1.0 .30
Day 5
120k 150k 180k 140k

4x2 3x1 5x3 4x2
2.17 1.9 1.0 .30
Day 6
Session 1 Auxiliary Exercises (Block

Three)
115k 145k 165k
Session 2 4x2 3x2 5x4
2.07 1.9 .9
At the end of each session, the lifter should analyze the video and the
times-in-motion logged into the spreadsheet. These will be averaged at the
end of the month or as necessary to make sure the lifter maintains specific
times related to the individual lifter. The lifter should adjust the program
when they are not maintaining the times-in-motion and especially when the
lifter is becoming erratic.
The lifter should focus training on repeated precision, specific times-in-
motion and non-decelerated actions and the amount of weight and volume
must become subordinate to those elements. If the amount of weight and
volume is emphasized over precision and speed the lifter is no longer training
but is competing using decelerated actions or with the volume itself
becoming an event.
The coach or lifter can use this methodology for youth, junior, open or
master programs. There should be no difference in how lifters go about
training as far as the methodology is concerned. The main variable should be
volume, and as long as the lifter adheres to repeated precision and specific
times-in-motion, they should not restrict volume as long as that volume does
not interfere in subsequent workouts. Faster times-in-motion allow faster
recovery and no need for outside recovery mechanisms like ice baths and
messages are of particular value other than making the athlete feel better.
Chapter 10
Incremental Increases
Incremental increases are just as significant for the master lifter as they
are for the open lifter. The master lifter will need more warmups with the
lighter incremental increases, especially in the snatch or any lift the lifter
schedules first. Taking too significant a jump between warmup lifts to
quickly reach the top-ending weight can create a shock to the muscular
system and also place some stress on the CNS (Central Nervous System). The
incremental increases are needed for the technique to be ingrained and
maintained properly through those gradual increases.
Table 9-1
Incremental Increase Table M35, 77k—120k Snatch and 145k C&J
Snatch 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
C&J 20 50 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 145
Purpose of Incremental Increases

A. Pre-Lifting Warmup Protocols
Everyone should be aware of the necessity for pre-warmup protocols,
which gradually increases the heart-rate, and begins the process of improving
the flexibility of the muscles to start handling the first loading and subsequent
increases. Usually, some light dynamic stretching, jogging and other
calisthenics type exercises are engaged in before handling the empty bar.
Once the pre-warmups have properly warmed up the muscular system, the
lifter should be ready to start handling the empty bar. The empty bar is light
enough for the lifter to begin stretching out those muscles which relate to the
specific motions which they are going to use as they move through the
incremental increases.
1. Twisting actions with the bar on the back or in front.

2. Hyperextensions
3. Pressing or overhead motions
4. Squatting Motions
5. Power Snatch or Clean
6. Other Motions
B. Ingraining
The first incremental increase after the lifter performs the empty bar
routine should be executed with complete control and precision and with the
same velocity as the top-ending weight. Attempting to move faster can cause
balance and timing problems since there is not enough resistance to control
those actions. The ingraining process starts with precision and with the same
velocity or time-in-motion. The time-in-motion for the snatch would be one-
second from the platform to locking out the weight overhead. With lighter
weights, it is possible to move faster than one-second, as long as the lifter can
control the precision, balance, and timing to perfection. Moving faster than
one-second, with the lighter weights, should occur by happenstance due to
the lesser amount of weight. As the lifter moves up through the incremental
increases, the weight will begin to dictate how low he lifter will need to squat
down to receive the weight. For master lifters, that exclusively execute the
power snatch and clean, the depth of the catch should be the same from the
first incremental to the top-ending weight. There could be some variation in
the depth as the weight increases, but it will be small compared to the lifter
being able to do a full squat style still. The split style is a compromise
between the power and squat styles.
3 Additional Workloads
The incremental increases can be used to increase the workload and get
the lifter in shape to go through those incremental increases, so they don’t
cause undue fatigue by the time the lifter reaches the top-end weights.
Usually no more than doubles up to about 60% of PR or the closest
incremental increase to 60%.
For example, the lifter above with the 120k snatch PR might warm up for
the snatch in the following way;
For example, the lifter above with the 120k snatch PR might warmup for
the snatch in the following way;
Table 9-2
Snatch 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
Reps 10 to 20 x2 x2 x2 x2 x2 x1 x1
Table 9-2: Since 70k is 58% of the 120k PR and is the closest to 60%,
this would be the last incremental to be performed using doubles. Getting in
shape through the use of the incremental increases is just as effective as the
top-end weights. The lesser incremental increases also help create technical
proficiency as well as help ingrain the one-second time-in-motion in the
snatch and the 2.5-second overall time-in-motion in both the snatch and clean
& jerk (from the platform to standing up with the weight).
Table 9-3
C&J 20 50 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 145
Reps x2 x2 x2 x2
Table 9-3: Since 90k is the closest incremental increase to 60% of 145k,
then this should be the last increase performed using doubles. 120k should be
the average weight handled during the training phase. The 100k and 110k can
be a double or single, depending on what they will be doing with the top-end
weight, if that top-end weight is 120k then singles should be performed with
100k and 110k, in order to cut down on some of the fatigue that could be
created by doing doubles all the way up to the top-ending weight.
Incremental increases are more important than using percentages of PR.
Percentages are far too variable, and because of this, they lose their meaning
and the ability to feel those percentages as the actual percentage value they
represent. The incremental increases need to be ingrained by feel so the lifter
will know their efficiency level for any particular training session. In other
words, each incremental increase should exactly feel like it is supposed to
feel like so the lifter will be free to continue toward the top-ending weight. If
the weights start causing erratic lifting, then some adjustment should be made
concerning those top-ending weights. Merely saying the lifter is going to
snatch 85% on a particular day might not mean the effort is 85%. The effort
could be 90% or 100%, which would decrease the productivity of that
training session and also create unnecessary overloading which could be
carried over to subsequent sessions in the form of an involuntary decrease in
the level of intensity.
Creating Incremental Tables
There should be ten increases between the empty bar and the personal
record (PR) achieved in competition or the average equivalent clean & jerk.
The empty bar can be whatever the lifter is using for that implement, such as
the 10k, 15k or 20k bar. For PRs less than 100k the incremental increases
might only consist of anywhere from 1k to 5k increases.
Table 9-4
Empty Bar 10 Equal Increases Meet or Gym PR Snatch
10k 30 - 10 = 20 / 11 = 2k to 1k 30k
15k 60 - 15 = 45 / 11 = 5k to 4k 60k
20k 120 - 20 = 100 / 11 = 10k to 5k 120k
Table 9-4: The coach or lifter dividing the snatch PR by the desired
number of incremental increases, may not be in equal amounts. The larger
increases would be applied to the lesser warmups, as illustrated below.
Table 9-5
Incremental Increases for 30k Snatch
10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 29 30
Table 9-5: The product arrived at by subtracting the empty bar from the
PR should be divided by the number of spaces plus 1 or 11. In table 9, the
increases would be 2k in each slot until the last increase before the PR and
that would have to be 1k. The lesser increments are always placed nearest the
PR to lessen those stresses as they get closer to the top-ending weights.
Table 9-6
15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 52.5 55 57.5 60
Table 9-6: The increases are 5k up to 50k and 2.5k up to 60k. If no 1.25k
plates are available the lifter should use the 1k and 1.5k plates, so instead of
52.5k it would be 52k or 53k, and instead of 57.5k, it would be 57k or 58k.
Table 9-7
20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 115 120
or
Table 9-8
20 50 60 70 80 90 95 100 105 110 115 120
Table 9-7: The increases are all 10k except for the one before the PR,
which is 5k. In table 9-8 the increases are spread out evenly between 10k and
5k increases. Either way should suffice, but Table 9-8 offers less stress
effects as the lifter nears the top-ending weights.
Example: 80% of 120k = 96k and since the lifter should round the 96k
down that would be closer to Table 9-8 at 95k instead of 90k in Table 9-7.
When creating these incremental charts or tables keep in mind that most
of the training will be between 70% and 85% and so the smaller incremental
increases should fall in the last half of the chart closest to the PR. Using
incremental increases instead of exact percentages will help in developing
those incremental increases as habitual and help keep the lifter from
overloading as the weight nears 80%, but does not feel like 80% effort.
There is a misconception about training by feel over sticking to a
program regardless of how the weights feel. Training by feel is voluntary, and
training by the numbers is involuntary. Training by feel is an art; it is not a
science or absolute. There will be times when the lifter feels good and wants
to handle more weight only to find out that when they reach that more weight
they didn’t feel as good as they thought. The opposite can occur as well,
where the lifer might feel tired, but can handle the top-end weights or a little
more.
It is essential that the lifter always call the shots, as far as the amount of
weight they are to be handling is concerned. Coaches tend to train lifters
more toward the high end, and the lifter will choose a more moderate pace.
At least those lifters that have a good sense of feel for that specific times-in-
motion they are using to determine when the amount of weight has reached
the point where adding more weight will cause the times-in-motion to be
slower than what would be beneficial.
Lifters should use incremental increases to work their way toward a top-
ending weight that they can handle with precision and specific times-in-
motion, rather than set percentages of a PR. A good system is to base the
percentages on the average equivalent clean & jerk.
Chapter 11
Number of Training Session
The number of days per week the master lifter needs to train the primary
lifts (snatch, clean & jerk, squats and pulls) will depend on the age of the
lifter and the intensity of the training on a monthly average.
Table 10-1
Age Division Number of Days Per Week
M35 4 to 5
M40 4 to 5
M45 4 to 5
M50 4
M55 4
M60 3 to 4
M65 3 to 4
M70 3
M75 3
M80+ 2 to 3
W35 4 to 5
W40 4 to 5
W45 4 to 5
W50 4
W55 3 to 4
W60 3 to 4
W65 3
W70+ 2 to 3
Table 10-1: The number of days is generalized, but gives some idea of
the gradual reduction in the frequency of the number of days as the lifter
ages. The lifter should conduct other training outside of the primary lifts at a
much-reduced level of intensity and would include auxiliary exercises, and
engaging in other non-weightlifting activities, such as jogging or swimming.
The main reason for reducing the training frequency is because master
lifters take longer to recover the older they get. An M65 lifter trying to train 5
or 6 days per week at even 80% average intensity levels would soon find
themselves in the ICU. Short term gains can be realized by training longer
than necessary, but for what could be a very high price.
The lifter will need to manipulate the frequency of the primary lifts so
they can adhere to repeated precision and specific times-in-motion in
preference to the amount of weight. As the lifter ages, the snatches and clean
& jerks, whether primary or auxiliary, needs to be managed, due to the
stressful nature of those lifts on the knee, hip and shoulder joints. The lifter
should emphasize the squats and pulls more than the competition lifts. The
squats and pulls work the larger muscles in the legs and back and are less
stressful if handled correctly, than doing endless snatches and clean & jerks
in some futile attempt at using those lifts to progress themselves.
M35 Training Example
In the following example, the lifter is 37 and has been lifting since age 20
without any break in competition. His best lifts as an open lifter were 153k
snatch and 180k clean & jerk. His best lifts to date as a master lifter are 123k
snatch and 146k clean & jerk.
Table 10-2
Snatch 20 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 123
C&J 20 50 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 146
Table 10-3
Date Snatch C&J B Squat
Day 1 80 x 3 x 1 (65%) 100 x 3 x 1 (68%) 145 x 4 x 3
Day 2 90 x 4 x 1 (73%) 110 x 1 (75%) 130 x 3 x 5
Day 3 Various Auxiliary Exercises
Day 4 90 x 3 x 1 (73%) 110 x 3 x 1 (75%)
Day 5 100 x 2 x 1 (81%) 120 x 2 x 1 (82%) 160 x 2 x 2
90 (73%) 110 (75%) 145 (100%)
Table 10-2 and 10-3: The coach and lifter should determine the
incremental increases before they write the program, so they don't use
percentages of PR but use those incremental increases that correspond to
those top-end weights they can handle with precision and specific times-in-
motion. The lifter can use percentages as a guideline, so the average monthly
percentage does not exceed 80%.
Snatch Top End Weights

70% x 123k = 86k
90% x 123k = 110k
The closest incremental would be 80k to 110k. These would be the

working weights and the monthly average of 80% would be 95k.
Clean & Jerk Top End Weights

70% x 146 = 102k
90% x 146 = 131k
The closest incremental would be 100 to 130k. These would be the

working weights, and the monthly average of 80% would be 115k.
The snatch should always be trained at an equal average intensity level or
less, but never greater than the clean & jerk. The volume can be greater in the
snatch than in the clean & jerk, as far as the number of reps, but this must be
determined by how the lifter can maintain repeated precision and specific
times-in-motion.
The lifter should base the back squat on a percentage of the clean & jerk
since the back squat should never actually have a 1RM. There will be a
benchmark for the squats and that will be based on the time-in-motion, which
should always be an average of one-second or faster in the ascension, but
never a PR per se. The squats and pulls are assistance lifts for the snatch and
clean & jerk and not events to be pushed to maximum efforts through
decelerated actions. For lifters that train the squats using deceleration and
grinding efforts, they should cease that type of training and begin using non-
deceleration for all squats and pulls in every rep and set.
Non-decelerated squats and pulls are entirely different from decelerated
squats and pulls. The emphasis should always be on the same velocity needed
to complete a snatch or clean, which is one-second from the platform to lock-
out in the snatch or receiving the bar on the shoulders in the clean. The jerk
requires enough leg drive to push under the bar in .5 seconds or less. Leg
drive cannot be developed by doing overhead lifts out of the rack or off
boxes. Leg drive comes from the non-decelerated squats.
We can assume that in Table 10-3 the squats were all one-second or faster
and each rep in each set in each session was the same time-in-motion and did
not vary from rep to rep, i.e., become slower with each subsequent rep. The
lifter benefits the most from the squat when each set of reps are the same
time-in-motion and are one-second or faster, preferably one-second for full
squats and 0.67 seconds from parallel.
With age comes an increase in the average level of intensity of the squats
and pulls and a decrease in the average level of intensity in the competition
lifts, albeit comparatively minimal between younger and older master lifters,
but some adjustment is necessary for longevity in the sport. There should be a
reduction in the volume of the heavier snatches and clean & jerks for older
master lifters due to the impact forces. The intensity must still correspond to
the one-second time-in-motion and not to slower times for the sake of
increasing the numbers.
W35 Training Example
In the following example, the lifter is 37 years old and has been lifting
since age 20 without any break in competition. Her best lifts as an open lifter
were 87k snatch and 112k clean & jerk. Her best lifts to date as a master lifter
are 78k snatch and 92k clean & jerk.
Table 10-4
Incremental Increase Table W35, 64k—78k Snatch and 92k C&J
Snatch 15 25 35 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 78
C&J 15 40 50 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 92
Table 10-5
Day 1 50 x 3 x 1 (64%) 65 x 3 x 1 (71%) 90 x 4 x 3
Day 2 55 x 4 x 1 (71%) 70 x 1 (76%) 80 x 3 x 5
Day 3 Various Auxiliary Exercises
Day 4 55 x 3 x 1 (71%) 70 x 3 x 1 (76%)
Day 5 65 x 2 x 1 (83%) 80 x 2 x 1 (85%) 100 x 2 x 2
56 (73%) 71 (77%) 90 (98%)

70% x 78 = 61k
90% x 78 = 70k

working weights and the monthly average of 80% would be 65k.

70% x 92k = 64k
90% x 92k = 83k

working weights, and the monthly average of 80% would be 75k.
There should be little or no difference in how the men train as opposed to
the women since everything is relative as far as the amount of weight
handled. The days of training, the number of sets and reps, frequency of the
lifts, etc., are generally the same.
The only different thing and this is based on my research, is the
contractibility of the muscular system in women is a little less than that of the
men. The same difference in reaction time between men and women can be
seen in the 100-meter race in track & field, where the women run about 90%
slower than the men. Of course, this is also due to the difference in the
hormonal distribution between men and women, and other factors, such as
average height and muscle mass.
Women seem to have a relative advantage over the men in weightlifting
due to their ability to relax more during a lift and use more of their legs, hips
and upper torso better than the men. The men tend to use the arms more than
the women, especially in the jerk. Women seem to have less of a problem
making a jerk after a considerably difficult clean than the men. Women don’t
try and use their arms to push the barbell up; they use them to push
downward after the leg drive, which is precisely how the lifter should use the
arms. And of course, women are better looking than men, that’s just my
opinion.
M65 Training Example
In the following example, the lifter is 66 years old and has been lifting
since age 56 without any break in competition. His best lifts at age M65 are
80k and 105k.
Table 10-6
Snatch 20 30 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
C&J 20 40 50 60 70 80 85 90 95 100 105
Table 10-7
Date Snatch C&J Back Squat
Day 1 55 x 3 x 1 (.68%) 80 x 3 x 1 (76%) 105 x 4 x 3
Day 2 60 x 4 x 1 (75%) 80 x 1 (76%)
Day 3 Various Auxiliary Exercises (50% efforts)

Day 4 60 x 3 x 1 (75%) 85 x 3 x 1 (81%) 115 x 2 x 2
58 (73%) 82 (78%) 110 (105%)
Table 10-6 & 7: The incremental increases should be created before the
lifter writes the program, so the lifter is not using percentages of PR but is
using those incremental increases that correspond to the closest percentage.

70% x 80 = 56k
90% x 80 = 72k

working weights and the monthly average of 80% would be 62.5k.

70% x 105k = 73.5k
90% x 105k = 94.5k

working weights, and the monthly average of 80% would be 82.5k.
The lifter should resolve the manipulation between the snatch and clean
& jerk during the programming, so the lifter trains the snatch equal to or less
than the clean & jerk as far as the average monthly level of intensity is
concerned.
Again, the only substantial difference in training between the 35 and 65
age divisions, both men and women would be the number of days allotted to
training the primary lifts and the volume and possibly the number of lifts.
The M65 lifter can use manipulations, such as training the snatch and
clean & jerk on alternating days to reduce the recovery time between
workouts. The emphasis for the M65 lifter would be on avoiding any
overloading and keeping the intensity and frequency down to where recovery
is advantageous towards the longevity in the sport.
W60 Training Example
In the following example, the lifter is 62 and has been lifting since age 40
without any break in competition. Her best lifts in the W40 age group are a
30k snatch and 40k clean & jerk.
Table 10-8
Snatch 15 17 19 21 23 25 26 27 28 29 30
C&J 15 18 21 24 27 30 32 34 36 38 40
Table 10-9
Day 1 21x 3 x 1 (70%) 30 x 3 x 1 (75%) 40 x 4 x 3
Day 2 21 x 4 x 1 (70%) 30 x 1 (75%)

Day 4 23 x 3 x 1 (77%) 32 x 3 x 1 (80%) 44 x 2 x 2
22 (72%) 31 (77%) 42 (105%)
Table 10-9: The main factors that guide the training past what is
programmed would be the precision and times-in-motion of the lifts. A W60
lifter might have to either be using the split or power snatch instead of the full
squat snatch. That would also be relative to the amount of weight lifted and
would not affect the training methodology, but just the programming
methodology where the style of lifting can have an impact on the working
weight amounts.
The number of training sessions per week will be the primary difference
in training as the master lifter advances from one age group to the next. The
other factors, such as changes in technique or style, and of course the amount
of weight that the lifter handles are all based on physiological factors and are
generally relative, but those things should not affect the methodology of
training.
If the lifter is doing a power snatch or clean or above parallel split snatch
or clean the overall times-in-motion will be considerably faster than when
doing a full squat or full split snatch or clean. The lifter in the case of power
or power splits should monitor the time to the knees and the overall time
from liftoff to lock-out in the snatch and racking the weight on the shoulders
in the clean.
Chapter 12
Scheduling Lifts
The number of lifts that can be scheduled will depend on the age of the
lifter along with the number of days per week that can be scheduled. The
number of lifts will also depend on the average level of intensity of those
lifts. The lifter should govern the average level of intensity through repeated
precision, and specific times-in-motion held to a consistent value.
Generally, from M35 to about M55 the lifter should schedule lifts in the
following order;
Day 1
Snatch or snatch variation or partial
and/or
Clean & jerk or variation or clean + additional front squats or partial
Front Squat (should be emphasized more than the back squat if able)
Auxiliary exercises of choice
Day 2
and/or
Clean Pull to mid thigh or full extension
Day 3
and/or
Front Squat (should be emphasized more than the back squat if able)
Day 4
and/or
Snatch Pull to midsection or full extension
In most instances, the master lifter has to deal with job and family
responsibilities. Trying to cram too many lifts and exercises into the mix can
become confusing and messy. The lifter should train the snatch and clean &
jerk off the platform more frequently than all the other variations or partials
combined.
In some circles of influence, it is believed that doing snatches or cleans
off boxes is beneficial; however, it is difficult to verify such claims. The main
reason is that the lifter cannot know if box lifting helps them if they cannot
both incorporate the boxes and don’t incorporate them at the same time.
The snatch and clean off boxes have been around since the 1960s and are
as old school as anything can get, yet the lifter uses boxes for all sorts of
reasons which seem to defy logic. The only way to become precise and be
able to ingrain that precision into the full movement along with consistent
times-in-motion, the snatch must be trained off the platform. Box lifting
changes the dynamics of the snatch and develops the neurological pathways
in a completely different direction, where the production of force is
concerned. The timing of the lift during the 2nd and 3rd pull is different from
the boxes than off the platform. For example, the 2nd pull off the platform
takes about 0.17 seconds, and off the boxes, it takes 0.33 seconds, so the lifter
distorts the timing of the lift between the 1st and 2nd pull. The 2nd pull is the
1st pull when lifting off boxes. The lifter creates a problem with being able to
effectively switch from the boxes to the platform if the lifter trains both
lifting off boxes and from the platform at the same level of intensity, volume,
and frequency. If the lifter trains from boxes at high levels of intensity, right
before a competition, they might well carry that motor pathway into the meet
instead of those pathways off the platform. If the lifter is proficient at lifting
off the platform they will be proficient at lifting off the platform, and if they
are deficient at lifting off the platform they could still be proficient lifting
from boxes.
For partial lifts and variations of the snatch or clean to be beneficial,
those should follow certain parameters that will ensure the partial lifts and
variations will not interfere in the development of precision and consistency
of velocity of the full movements.
1. All partial lifts and other non-primaries must be trained at a lesser

average monthly intensity level than the primaries or 80% or less.
2. All partial lifts and other non-primaries must be trained less frequently
than the primaries.
3. All partial lifts and other non-primaries must be trained at a percentage
of effort and not at a percentage of PR.
The precision and specific velocities, connected to that precision, cannot

be held to those high standards when the lifter is attempting to ingrain so
many other motions at the same intensity, frequency and volume levels.
These different lifts will all become mediocre and become anti-productive to
the main purpose of training, which is to ready the lifter for a competition
where they can achieve their best performance in the snatch and clean & jerk,
not the snatch and clean off boxes, or the snatch and clean from a hang.
The idea that lifters must always be fixing problems by using partial lifts
defies logic. It assumes that lifting off the platform is the cause of those
problems and the lifter can only fix those problems by doing "something
else." Doing something else is both nonsensical and impractical. The parts
cannot fix the whole in weightlifting or any sporting event. There is no way
to practice doing a pole vault from the top of the vault because there is no
way to get in that position. There is no way to practice the spin in the discus
or shot put by not spinning. Taking out any part of that spin will render the
technical aspect completely invalid. Standing throws are strictly for warmup
purposes and not for developing the spin. Learning is different from training.
There are certain elements a novice athlete must learn in parts and then put
those parts together, but once the athlete learns their sport, the only way to
become proficient is to practice the full technical aspect of their event as
many times as possible and then some. Fixing issues in the snatch and clean
& jerk should be achieved through the full movements using repeated
precision and specific times-in-motion, because of all the subtle changes in
direction and transitional phases.
The lifter should base the following example on an M35 lifter, 75k class,
with lifts of 100k and 125k. I included both the top-end weights and
incremental increase table in this example.
Table 11-1
Snatch 20 40 50 60 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
C&J 20 50 70 80 90 95 100 105 110 115 120
Day 1
Snatch off Boxes 70 x 3 x 3 (70%)
*Clean + 2 + 1 90 x 3 sets (75%)
*Clean plus 2 additional fronts plus jerk
Day 2
Power Snatch (Quarter) 70 x 5 x 2 (70%)
Jerk out of Rack 90 x 5 x 2 (75%)
Day 3
Snatch 80 x 3 x 1 (80%)
Clean + 2 + 1 100 x 2 sets (83%)
Day 4
Power Clean & Jerk 80 x 2 x 3 (67%)
Day 5
Snatch 85 x 2 x 1 (85%)
Clean & Jerk 105 x 3 x 1 (88%)
The power snatch and power clean are still considered a primary lift, as
long as it is initiated off the platform and is not executed from a hang position
or off boxes. In this example the snatch and clean were trained three days
during the week and the snatch off boxes twice. The average intensity of the
snatch off boxes was 65% and off the platform it was 78%.
If this schedule was inverted to where the snatch off the platform was
65% and off the boxes it was 78%, then over time problems would crop up
with the timing, balance and velocity of the snatch off the platform. If both
are trained at the same level of intensity those same problems would arise.
There are many ways a lifter can fool themselves, but they cannot fool the
central nervous system. The CNS will respond best to that which is practiced
the most.
The purpose of auxiliary exercises, including partial lifts, is to exercise
those muscles that are not used as much as the muscles that are used doing
the primaries. It doesn’t take that much weight or effort to achieve that stated
goal. Auxiliary exercises are used mainly for warmup and warm down
purposes. Not to set PRs or exercise for the purpose of bodybuilding. If there
is no stated purpose that directly benefits the primaries then there is no need
to do auxiliary exercises.
The next example will be based on a W50 lifter, 58k class, with lifts of
40k and 60k. Only the top-end weights will be used in this example along
with the incremental increase table.
Table 11-2
Snatch 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36 38 39 40
C&J 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 53 57 60
Day 1
Snatch off Boxes 27 x 3 sets x 3 reps (68%)
*Clean + 2 + 1 45 x 3 sets (75%)
*Clean plus 2 additional fronts plus jerk
Day 2
Power Snatch (Quarter) 27 x 5 x 2 (68%)
Jerk out of Rack 45 x 5 x 2 (75%)
Day 3
Snatch 32 x 3 x 1 (80%)
Clean + 2 + 1 50 x 2 sets (83%)
Day 4
Power Clean & Jerk 40 x 2 x 3 (67%)
Day 5
Snatch 34 x 2 x 1 (85%)
Clean & Jerk 53 x 3 x 1 (88%)
The only difference between this W50 lifter and the M35 lifter is the
amount of weight. Everything else should generally be the same. There will
be programming differences between lifters concerning volume, intensity
manipulations and frequency of lifts, but the lifter should govern those
through repeated precision and velocity maintained from one session to the
next. When too many partial lifts are trained at too high a level of intensity
and trained more frequently than the primaries, the ability to maintain
precision and specific times-in-motion in the competition lifts can be
jeopardized.
Chapter 13
Average Monthly Intensity Levels
The coach or lifter should program the average monthly levels of

intensity into the training regime to avoid becoming overtrained by
establishing monthly average at 80% of current meet PR or PB. The average
monthly level of intensity should be based solely on the primaries and not the
variations or partials because the lifter should always train those lifts at a
lesser percentage than the primaries.
One method used for averaging the monthly level of intensity is to use the
most recent meet PRs or current PB. Another way is to use the average
equivalent clean & jerk, and I discussed that in Section 15. Using the first
example, an M60 lifter who is 62 years old, sets an M60 PR in the clean &
jerk with 93k, but at age 64 has yet to better that PR. His most recent PB at
M60 or age 64 is 80k. If he uses 93k for the clean & jerk, then 85% of 93k is
equal to 77k, but 85% of 80k equals 68k. The additional 9k could create
slower times in the ascension of the squats and also some overloading that
could show up in subsequent sessions. The master lifter should make every
attempt to train within the realities that are before them and not what they
used to do or wish they could do. It would be like a lifter who used to total
300k in the 94k class decided to drop down to the 85k class, but still trained
using the same top-ending weights and expected to do those same weights in
the competition they did as a 94k lifter. About all that would happen is the
lifter would become overtrained or injured or both.
The top-ending weights in each lift (snatch and clean & jerk) are added
up and then divided by the number of days the coach or lifter scheduled them
over the monthly period. The product is divided by the snatch and clean &
jerk PR to arrive at a percentage of PR for the month for each of those lifts.
This percentage of PR is what the lifter should manipulate to create
separation and keep the lifter from overtraining.
Table 12-1
Snatch 15 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75
C&J 15 40 50 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95
Table 12-2
Date Snatch C&J
Day 1 50 x 3 x 1 (67%) (2.3) 65 x 3 x 1 (68%) (2.4)
Day 2 55 x 3 x 1 (73%) (2.4) 75 x 3 x 1 (79%) (2.3)
Day 4 55 x 3 x 1 (73%) (2.4) 75 x 3 x 1 (79%) (2.3)
Day 5 60 x 4 x 1 (80%) (2.5) 80 x 2 x 1 (84%) (2.5)
Average 55 / 73% / 2.40 74 / 78% / 2.37
Table 12-2: The average monthly intensity for both snatch and clean &
jerk was 75.5%.
73% + 78% = 151% / 2 = 75.5% overall average for both snatch and clean &
jerk.
The average overall time-in-motion of 2.4 and 2.37 seconds are under the
2.5-second limitation for training purposes. The lifter will involuntarily
correlate overall times-in-motion to the one-second squats or non-decelerated
squats.
The lifter needs separation between the competition lifts and the
assistance lifts for that separation to allow the lifter to achieve the overall
times-in-motion that are necessary for both recovery and increasing
performance. For most master lifters increasing performance will be
indirectly obtained through the Sinclair Meltzer-Faber coefficient.
The master lifter should consistently apply the average monthly
intensities at around 80%. This percentage will help increase the longevity of
the lifter and help them recover faster as well as aid them in creating some
separation between the competition lifts and the assistance lifts. An amount
just shy of 80% is best for establishing and maintaining separation.
Table 12-3
Incremental Increase Table M40, 81k—100 Snatch and 125k C&J
Snatch 20 40 50 60 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
C&J 20 50 70 80 90 100 105 110 115 120 125
Table 12-4
Date Snatch C&J Back Sq
Week 1
Day 1 75 (75%) 100 (80%) 90%

Day 2 Auxiliary Exercises
Day 3 75 (75%) 90 (72%) 110%
Day 4 80 (80%) 100 (80%) 120%
Averages 77% 77%
Week 2
Day 1 75 (75%) 100 (80%) 100%

Day 3 85 (85%) 105 (84%) 125%
Day 4 80 (80%) 100 (80%) 110%
Averages 80% 81%
Week 3
Day 1 70 (75%) 90 (72%) 100%

Day 3 75 (75%) 100 (80%) 110%
Day 4 80 (80%) 100 (80%) 100%
Averages 75% 77%
Week 4
Day 1 75 (75%) 100 (80%) 90%

Day 3 75 (75%) 90 (72%) 130%
Day 4 85 (85%) 105 (80%) 100%
Averages 78% 77%
Monthly Totals 77.5% 78% 107%
Table 12-4: The lifter has met all the elements of training this month.
The average level of intensity was just under 80%, and the clean & jerk
intensity was greater than the snatch intensity. They trained the back squat at
107% of clean & jerk PR, and we can assume the lifter executed each lift at
one-second or faster, and the snatch and clean & jerks were 2.5 seconds or
faster in the overall time from the platform to standing-up.
Table 12-5
Snatch 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65
C&J 15 30 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
Table 12-6
Date Snatch C&J Back Sq
Week 1
Day 1 45 (75%) 60 (75%) 80%
Day 2
Day 3 45 (75%) 60 (75%) 100%

Day 4 50 (77%) 65 (81%) 110%
Averages 47 / 76% 62 / 77%
Week 2
Day 1 45 (75%) 60 (75%) 90%
Day 2
Day 3 55 (85%) 70 (88%) 112%

Day 4 50 (77%) 65 (81%) 100%
Averages 50 / 77% 65 (81%)
Week 3
Day 1 45 (75%) 60 (75%) 90%
Day 2
Day 3 45 (75%) 60 (75%) 100%

Day 4 50 (77%) 65 (81%) 90%
Averages 47 / 76% 62 / 77%
Week 4
Day 1 45 (75%) 60 (75%) 80%
Day 2
Day 3 45 (75%) 60 (75%) 117%

Day 4 55 (85%) 70 (88%) 100%
Averages 48 / 76% 63 / 79%
Monthly
Averages
Table 12-6: The only thing that changed between the M40 and W40 lifter
was the amount of weight. The methodology remains the same regardless of
age or gender. Even the percentages were about the same but the lifter
determined those by the incremental increase selection and not an absolute
percentage amount of PR. It is essential to use the incremental increases in
those same amounts the lifter will handle during the warmups in competition.
In both examples the squats were not calculated for separation, I discuss
this in the next Section. The reason the M40 percentage of the clean & jerk
for the squat were higher than the W40 was because of the 10% reduction in
reaction time for the women. Some adjustment in the weight needs to be
made to compensate for the 1.one-second discrepancy and create an
equivalency of one-second since the snatch, and clean & jerk still takes one-
second regardless of age or gender.
The methodology is how the lifter executes the lifts; it does not
necessarily include how they should program the training concerning top-
ending weights, sets, and reps or even the order of the lifts or the number of
sessions per day. Those things that fall outside of the methodology will
change over time with age, proficiency and job restrictions, as well as minor
injuries and include all those things mentioned above that makes up the
training or programming. Again, the methodology is composed of repeated
precision, specific times-in-motion and non-decelerated actions as well as
average levels of intensity. See Section Eight.
Chapter 14
Separation
In Section Thirteen I discussed how the lifter should hold the average
monthly intensity levels of current or most recent competition PRs to 80% or
just shy of 80% to create some separation between the competition lifts and
the assistance lifts. Separation is necessary to keep the lifter from
overtraining, overloading, and to maintain the 2.5 seconds or faster overall
times-in-motion in the snatch and clean from the platform to standing up.
Creating Separation
For master lifters, separation will be a little more tedious to achieve than
it would be for the open lifters and especially youth and junior lifters. The
reduction in reaction time, although somewhat relative, does damper the
ability of the older lifters to create separation, however trying is not doing so
the times need to be measured, so the lifter regardless of age will know what
their particular times-in-motion are between the front squat and clean & jerk
or between the back squat and clean & jerk. A breakdown of the squats will
help reveal if the lifter achieved some creation of separation.
Table 13-1
Incremental Increase Table M40, 81k—100 Snatch and 125k C&J
Snatch 20 40 50 60 70 75 80 85 90 95 100
C&J 20 50 70 80 90 100 105 110 115 120 125
Table 13-2
Date Back Squat Equivalent Back squat Equivalent C&J
Week 1
Day 1 113 113 x 4 x 2 (.9) = 143 123
Day 2
Day 3 138 138 x 5 x 5 (1.4) = 158 136

Day 4 150 155 x 3 x 1 (1.2) = 155 133
Week 2
Day 1 155 155 x 1 (1.0) = 155 133

Day 2
Day 3 155 155 x 2 (1.1) = 155 133

Day 4 138 138 x 4 x 3 (1.3) = 148 127
Week 3
Day 1 125 125 x 5 x 3 (1.0) = 155 133
Day 2
Day 3 138 138 x 7 x 2 (1.2) = 163 140

Day 4 125 125 x 4 x 3 (1.2) = 140 120
Week 4
Day 1 113 113 x 5 x 5 (.9) = 163 140
Day 2
Day 3 160 160 x 1 (1.0) = 160 138

Day 4 125 125 x 5 x 3 (1.0) = 155 133
Monthly
136 (109%) 154 132
Totals
Table 13-2: The equivalent squat for the month was 154k, and the
equivalent clean & jerk was 132k, which is 106% of meet PR clean & jerk
(125k). The lifter achieved separation of 6% in this month.
The 132k clean & jerk equivalent does not necessarily represent that the
lifter is capable of doing 132k clean & jerk. It allows those clean & jerks and
snatches in training to be trained at 2.5 seconds or faster in the overall time
from the platform to standing up. Progress in the competition lifts depend on
the consistency of precision and velocity, not always by how much weight
the lifter handles. This consistency includes the squats as well. As long as the
squats are trained at an average of one-second or faster in the ascension and
the lifter can maintain some separation between the clean & jerk meet PR and
the equivalent clean & jerk, those squats will progress the lifter. This type of
training will allow the lifter to recover faster from one session to the next and
thus allowing for the separation through precision and velocity to progress
the lifter. It takes patience and resolve to train under a system that is based
more on indicators than absolute amounts, but in order to solve the problem
of longevity and consistency in progression from age group to age group this
type of methodology is needed in order to achieve full potential year to year
and avoid possible overtraining or worse.
As explained in the Section on incremental increases, percentages should
not be used to determine working weights. The working weights must be
programmed using the incremental increases along with additional reps
within those increases when warranted. The lifter regardless of age or gender
should become skilled in discerning how each incremental weight feels to the
effort applied. When those efforts feel greater than those percentages, an
adjustment or reduction in the weight should occur during the training
session. It might only be one incremental increase from becoming too much
weight for that day, but without those feelings the lifter will cause too much
unnecessary overloading, leading to a certain level of non-beneficial fatigue
being carried over to subsequent sessions.
13-3
Snatch 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65
C&J 15 30 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
13-4
Date Back Squat Equivalent Back Squat Equivalent C&J
Week 1
Day 1 80% 65 x 4 x 2 (.9) = 95 82
Day 2
Day 3 100% 80 x 5 x 5 (1.4) = 100 86

Day 4 110% 90 x 3 x 1 (1.0) = 100 86
Week 2
Day 1 90% 70 x 1 (.70) = 100 86
Day 2
Day 3 112% 90 x 2 (.80) = 110 95

Day 4 100% 80 x 4 x 3 (1.1) = 100 86
Week 3
Day 1 90% 70 x 5 x 3 (1.0) = 100 86
Day 2
Day 3 100% 80 x 7 x 2 (1.2) = 105 90

Day 4 90% 70 x 5 x 3 (1.1) = 95 82
Week 4
Day 1 80% 65 x 5 x 5 (1.1) = 100 86
Day 2
Day 3 117% 95 x 2 (1.0) = 100 86

Day 4 100% 80 x 5 x 3 (1.1) = 105 90
Monthly
97% / 78k 87k / 108%
Totals
Table 13-4: The average squat was 97% of the clean & jerk, which
allowed for an 8% separation between the equivalent squat in one-second and
the actual clean & jerk PR of 80k.
When the lifter performs slower than one-second average squats for long
periods, those decelerated actions might not allow for equivalencies or the
creation of separation. It depends on how slow and how often those
decelerated actions are being used to produce what some call strength, but is
an equivalent one-second squat.
Example: The same W40 lifter squats 130k in 1.8 seconds consistently or
on average. 130k - (0.8 x 50) = 90k and 86% of 90k is 77k, not the 87k this
lifter was able to achieve doing faster squats with non-decelerated ascensions.
Even if the decelerated squats were equivalent to an 87k clean & jerk, the
lifter might produce too much unnecessary overloading, and this overloading
could have adverse effects on subsequent sessions. It might not affect the top-
ending weights handled in the snatch and clean & jerk, but it would have an
impact on the overall times. The overall times would have to be slower than
2.5 seconds to compensate for the decelerated squats.
Training is give-and-take, and when the lifter overtrains one lift or causes
too much overloading, it will eventually have an impact on the time-in-
motion of other lifts, and eventually, this can cause stagnation, or the lifter
could significantly reduce their ability to maintain a decent level of
performance from one age division to the next.
Equivalency Chart
The following chart shows how much weight the lifter should handle in
the squat at decelerated rates to be equivalent to a one-second back squat.
Table 13-5
Back Squat 1 second
1.5 seconds 2.0 seconds 3 seconds
70 95 120 170
80 105 130 180
90 115 140 190
100 125 150 200
110 135 160 210
120 145 170 220
130 155 180 230
140 165 190 240
150 175 200 250
160 185 210 260
170 195 220 270
180 205 230 280
190 215 240 290
200 225 250 300
210 235 260 310
Table 13-5: The variance between decelerated squats and one-second

squats can be extreme the slower those squats are decelerated during the
ascension. There is no benefit to any squat slower than one-second, as far as
those squats being able to progress the snatch and clean & jerk. Those slower
squats are not in sync with the times needed in the snatch and clean & jerk.
The monthly average of the time-in-motion will always include a certain
number of squats slower than one-second, so any benefit from those slower
squats will show up in the average.
The concept of squat strength needing to be absolute is preposterous.
Those coaches and athletes who use decelerated actions are treating the
muscular system as if it only contains slow twitch fibers. There are both fast
and slow twitch fibers and probably some in-between fibers that can go either
way, depending on how the lifter trains them. The number of lifters who have
massive squats above what they clean & jerk, such as 80% ratio or smaller,
don’t seem ever to wonder why they can squat so much, but can’t snatch or
clean & jerk anywhere near what those squats are advertised to deliver. If you
have read my books, you need not to wonder any longer. Those slow grinding
decelerated squats only train the slow twitch, but they also retard the ability
of the fast twitch to respond to changes in direction that the lifter should
execute with maximal speed.
Referring back to Table 13-5, it is clear that squatting 200k in 3 seconds
is equal to squatting 100k in one-second. The lifter should pose the question
as to why it is necessary to squat 200k in 3 seconds if the only benefit is a
100k back squat in one-second. The overloading of 100 additional kilos does
nothing but slow down the lifter during parts of the lift surrounding the
transitional phases, and causes the overall time to be slower than 3 seconds. It
takes longer to recover from those decelerated squats and puts subsequent
sessions at risk.
Two Types of Overloading
1. Non-Beneficial Overloading
This consists of the difference between non-decelerated actions and
decelerated actions. As the weight is increased the times in motion will begin
to decelerate or slow down. The amount of weight handled over that amount
that was not decelerated would be non-beneficial. This would also include all
lifts within the volume of training that are decelerated.
Example: A lifter does a 100k front squat in 1 second, but continues to
add more weight and eventually does 130k in 2 seconds. The result is 30k of
non-beneficial overloading. The equivalent front squat would be 80k, so the
net effect was a front squat that was 20k less than the 100k front squat.
2. Beneficial Overloading
Increases in volume as long as all the squat average 1 second or faster.
Also when the overall time in motion of the clean portion is 2.5 seconds or
faster. Any clean slower than 2.5 seconds would be considered non-beneficial
overloading.
Example: A lifter does 75k x 4 reps and 6 sets in the front squat and each
squat was 1 second or faster then those sets contain no overloading. The
minute the lifter feels their times are slowing down or starting to decelerate
they should stop the exercise and never try and grind out those last reps,
simply because they were written down in the program.
The weightlifter should always try and train within the boundaries of non-
decelerated actions in all the primaries in order to be able to achieve their full
potential for each age group.
Chapter 15
The AEC&J
The AEC&J (Average Equivalent Clean & jerk) forms the basis for all
training and programming. The AEC&J sets the proper limitations on training
which will allow the front squat to progress gradually toward the lifter’s full
potential that is possible to attain out of that lift. If the front squat cannot be
the lift emphasized then the back squat can be substituted.
Times-in-motion during the ascent of the front squat reveals to the lifter a
close approximation of how much they are currently able to clean & jerk. For
example, a lifter with a 210k front squat in one-second would be able to clean
& jerk 210k in average overall time-in-motion of 2.5 seconds. To train the
clean & jerk at 2.0 seconds the front squat would need to be; 210k x 110% =
231k in one-second or the clean & jerk could be reduced to 210k / 110% =
190k to accommodate the 210k front squat and allow for a 190k clean & jerk
in 2.0 seconds. The lifter would have to make sure they never exceed the
190k in a slower overall time on a monthly average for the front squat to
continue to progress whereby pulling the clean & jerk up with it as the front
squat improves to the 110% level. The front squat’s average velocity or time-
in-motion should be one-second or faster to ensure the lifter maintains the
integrity between the front squat and clean & jerk.
Since the ascent times in the front squat dictate how much the lifter can
clean & jerk, it should also dictate how much can be snatched, which would
be approximately 80% of the clean & jerk.
Attempting to train the clean and jerk and snatch using past gym or meet
PRs, especially those the lifter attained in a younger age division will cause
them to overload the muscular and adrenaline systems. Gym or meet PRs are
one-shot deals that require a certain amount of overloading in the first place.
Gym PRs in the snatch, clean & jerk and squats should not be used when
calculating the monthly average.
Overloading consists of the following;

1. Any squat slower than one-second.
2. A pull to the knees involuntarily slower than 0.33 seconds.
3. Standing up out of a snatch or clean slower than 1 second.
4. Any and all decelerated actions when doing auxiliaries or partials.
Even if a front or back squat, or when ascending out of a snatch or clean,

is not decelerated but is slower than one-second it will still be overloading
concerning the times necessary for achieving full potential through maximal
loads. Overloading has nothing to do with the volume or amount of weight,
only with the amount of deceleration of those weights and during the sets of
reps of all lifts executed in training.
Times-in-motion tells the swimmer or track runner how hard they are
training compared to their PRs. They alert the coach if the athlete is training
at too high a level of intensity for a particular workout or a specific point in
the season. The weightlifter must become aware of their times and how those
times are used to calculate correlations and formulate equivalencies.
I based the following table on a master lifter, male or female, with a 60k
snatch and 75k clean & jerk, which was established a month ago in
competition. The AEC&J for the previous month was 72k. Working weights
will be based on the 72k AEC&J and not the 75k clean & jerk meet PR.
AEC&J 72k x 80% = 58k snatch
The working weight percentages will be based on the 58k snatch and not
the 60k meet PR snatch.
Date Snatch Clean & Jerk Front Sq AEC&J
Week 1 47 / 81% 59 / 82%

2.37 sec. 55 x 4 / .94 76k
Averages 2.23
sec.
47k / 58k = 81% average level of intensity for the snatch

58k / 72k = 82% average level of intensity for the clean & jerk
Calculation of AEC&J:
55 x 4 = 70 @ .94 and 1.0 - .94 = .06 x 100 = 6k and 70k + 6k = 76k AEC&J
The AEC&J for this week was 76k, but the lifter should not use it until
they calculate the AEC&J for the month. There will be highs and lows of
around 10k plus or minus during the month concerning the equivalent clean
& jerk. Once the lifter has reached full potential, the AEC&J will become
stagnant and will only need to be maintained at wherever it stands, but will
still need to be monitored to make sure the AEC&J is maintained. Beginning
lifters should see the AEC&J increase more rapidly than it will take once they
begin to enter the different age groups and it will start to decline relative to
those age groups.
It is essential that the programming is based on the AEC&J and not the
lifter’s meet or gym PRs and is more critical when the AEC&J is less than the
lifter’s meet or gym clean & jerk PR. In this instance using the meet or gym
PR will cause overloading because the force production from the front squat
is not available for use at those percentages based on current PRs. Lifters who
are unaware of what their AEC&J is or how to calculate it will either be
overloading or under-loading and will be training in the dark.
Since the lifter is using the AEC&J, it is even more critical to hold the
average monthly levels of intensity in the snatch and clean & jerk to 70% and
no more than 80% depending on the age of the lifter. Training weights should
be selected off the AEC&J, as these average equivalencies are more accurate
than other methods.
What happens to the snatch and clean & jerk when the lifter pushes the
squats at extreme decelerated times, and they derive the percentages from the
meet PRs.
Date Snatch Clean & Jerk Front Sq AEC&J

Week 1 Averages 49 / 81%
62 / 82%
2.77 sec. 86 x 3 / 1.7 61k
2.83 sec.
Calculation of AEC&J:
86 x 3 = 96 @ 1.7 and 1.7 - 1.0 = .7 x 50 = 35k and 96k - 35k = 61k AEC&J
higher level of intensity, but the overall times-in-motion are slower than
2.5 seconds. The overall times are a product of the AEC&J indirectly and
directly. Handling more weight in the squat is all well and good as long as the
times are reflective of those times used in the snatch and clean & jerk (non-
decelerated). Slower squat times will and must produce slower overall times
or decelerated actions in the snatch and clean & jerk, and will harm the
muscle fibers ability to develop or maintain quick reaction times.
The athlete should know how the AEC&J works, so they will have the
incentive to work on increasing the front squat by using non-decelerated
actions. The best way to increase the AEC&J is by training the front squat at
between 75% and 85% of the AEC&J at maximal speed.
AEC&J - 75k
Front Squat Equivalencies AEC&J
25 x 1 @ .5 sec. 75
30 x 1 @ .55 sec. 75
35 x 1 @ .6 sec. 75
40 x 1 @ .65 sec. 75
45 x 1 @ .7 sec. 75
50 x 1 @ .75 sec. 75
55 x 1 @ .8 sec. 75
60 x 1 @ .85 sec. 75
65 x .9 sec. 75
70 x 1 @ .95 sec. 75
75 x 1 @ 1.0 sec. 75
The optimum area of training the front squat would be 55k to 65k or 73%
to 87% of the 75k AEC&J. These percentages would also correlate to the
average monthly levels of intensity for the snatch and clean & jerk; however,
there are no restrictions or limitations on the number of reps or amount of
weight as long as the average is one-second or faster over a month. Does this
mean the lifter is free to attempt an absolute amount of weight using
decelerated actions? It would be somewhat irrelevant to try a 1RM front or
back squat without regard for the time-in-motion as a one-shot deal because
shone shot deals have no bearing on the overall training throughout the
lifter’s career. The only one shot deals that matter are those executed in
competition, and unless the weightlifter is competing in powerlifting as well
as weightlifting, then there is no point in seeing how much weight can be
handled in the squats, ever. The lifter should switch the emphasis or
methodology to times-in-motion and the AEC&J.
A beginning master lifter can easily set up a training program by simply
timing out their best front squat in one-second. This method will bypass the
need to set PRs to determine how the primaries should be programmed. The
lifter will be able to concentrate on developing repeated precision, specific
times-in-motion and learn to stay away from decelerated actions, instead of
continually attempting gym PRs.
Example 1: In the following case we have a beginner in the M35 or W35
age division with a front squat of 74k in one-second. From this, we can
determine the probable snatch and clean & jerk, and from that, the amount of
weight the lifter should handle in the pulls.
4k front squat in 1 sec. is equal to a 74k clean & jerk in 2.5 seconds
or
74 / 110% = 67k clean & jerk in 2.0 seconds.
For beginners, the 2.0 seconds is more important than the 2.5 second
time, because these times need to be ingrained early on so the lifter will know
instinctively by feel when those times are slower than 2.0 seconds.
Using 67k as the clean & jerk potential in 2.0 seconds then;
67k x .8 = 54k potential snatch
The snatch pull will be 54k as long as the lifter can pull that much weight
to the knees in 0.33 seconds; otherwise, the lifter should lower the weight to
where they can achieve the 0.33 seconds.
The clean pull will be 67k using the same criteria for the snatch pull. The
limitation on the amount of weight in the pulls should always be 0.33 seconds
and never the amount of weight without regard for the time-in-motion.
Once the above information is known then the incremental increases can
be created and should look something like the following;
Incremental Increases: 21k total (54 and 67)

1
Snatch 20 24 28 32 36 39 42 45 48 50 52 54
Clean & Jerk 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 58 61 64 67
For female lifters the bar will start at 15k instead of 20k, so they will
need to make some adjustment to the incremental increases, such as the
following table indicates;
Snatch 15 20 25 30 34 38 42 45 48 50 52 54
Clean & Jerk 15 20 25 30 40 45 50 55 58 61 64 67
Knowing that the lifter has a snatch and clean potential of 54k and 67k
we can determine what the average monthly intensity should be. For
beginners, the intensity levels should be from 70% to 80% and average
around 75% monthly.
54k x 75% = *40k for the snatch

67k x .75 = *50k for the clean & jerk
* Rounded down
In this case, the lifter would use the 38k and 50k as indicated in the
incremental table so those incremental increases can become habitual until
the lifter increases the AEC&J at the end of a monthly cycle and they create a
new table. The number of incremental increases should stay about the same
throughout the lifter’s career, so it’s essential to establish that parameter early
on.
Date Snatch C&J Front Sq Equiv. C&J
Week 1
Day 1 36 / 2.23 45 / 2.20 45 x 5 @ 1.0 65k
50 + 3 @ 1.0
Day 2 36 / 2.17 65k
2.33
Day 3 39 / 2.2 50 / 2.3 45 x 5 @ .9 75k
Day 4 36 / 2.13 45 + 3 @ .85 2.17 75k
Week 1 37 / 68% 47.5 / 71% 45 / .95 sec. 70k

Averages 2.17 2.25
Even though after the first week the AEC&J is 70k and is less than the
74k test front squat, there is no reason to begin using the AEC&J (70k),
instead of the 74k, until the lifter has completed a full month of training. This
process is to make sure the equivalent clean & jerk stays solid or increases.
The overall times-in-motion in the snatch and clean & jerk are indicating that
the top-end weights were correctly chosen based on the front squat test at
74k. The top-end weights should start to get faster and trend towards 2.0
seconds as the AEC&J increases. However, anything 2.5 seconds or faster
should be acceptable as an average.
Clean plus extra front squats can also be used to calculate the equivalent
clean & jerk;
50k + 3 equals 4 fronts and using formula 1c;

Sq + [(R - 1) x 5k] = eSqx1
50k + (4 - 1) x 5k = 50k + 15k = 65k
Using the clean plus additional front squats can keep the lifter aware that
they should continually increase the AEC&J using specific times-in-motion.
The motivation will be there to move as fast as possible to increase the
AEC&J which will help progress the competition lifts but also to increase the
top-ending weights. It should also make the lifter aware of the close
connection between the clean and the front squat.
Week 1
Day 1 36 / 2.23 45 / 2.20 45 x 5 @ 1.0 65k
50 + 3 @ 1.0
Day 2 36 / 2.17 65k
2.33
Day 3 39 / 2.2 50 / 2.3 45 x 5 @ .9 75k
Day 4 36 / 2.13 45 + 3 @ .85 2.17 75k
Week 1 37 / 68% 47.5 / 71% 45 / .95 sec. 70k

Averages 2.17 2.25
Week 2
Day 1 36 / 2.17 50 / 2.33 50 x 4 @ .9 75k
50 + 2 @ .9
Day 2 39 / 2.2 70kk
2.3
Day 3 39 / 2.27 55 / 2.37 55 x 4 @ .9 80k
55 + 1 @ .8
Day 4 42 / 2.33 80k
2.4
Week 2 39 / 72% 53 / 78%

52.5 / .9 sec. 76k
Averages 2.24 2.35
2 Week 38 / 70% 50 / 75%

49 / .925 sec. 73k
Averages 2.2 2.3
The overall times-in-motion are starting to slow down, which could have
some effect on the progress of the front squat. Moving the clean & jerk back
to around 72% should help remedy this problem. The AEC&J is beginning to
increase over the original test front squat of 74k.
This example leaves out the auxiliary exercises, variations, and partial
lifts because as stated before only the primaries should be used to determine
the average monthly levels of intensity and other data. I left out the pulls, but
those should be 0.33 seconds to the knees regardless of the reps or sets or
volume. The number of days might be less depending on the age of the lifter,
and I left out the volume as that also must be determined by how well the
lifter can maintain repeated precision and specific times-in-motion without
any decelerated actions.
Week 1
Day 1 36 / 2.23 45 / 2.20 45 x 5 @ 1.0 65k
50 + 3 @ 1.0
Day 2 36 / 2.17 65k
2.33
Day 3 39 / 2.2 50 / 2.3 45 x 5 @ .9 75k
Day 4 36 / 2.13 45 + 3 @ .85 2.17 75k
Week 1 37 / 68% 47.5 / 71% 45 / .95 sec. 70k

Averages 2.17 2.25
Week 2
Day 1 36 / 2.17 50 / 2.33 50 x 4 @ .9 75k

50 + 2 @ .9
Day 2 39 / 2.2 70kk
2.3
Day 3 39 / 2.27 55 / 2.37 55 x 4 @ .9 80k
55 + 1 @ .8
Day 4 42 / 2.33 80k
2.4
Week 2 39 / 72% 53 / 78%

52.5 / .9 sec. 76k
Averages 2.24 2.35
2 Week 38 / 70% 50 / 75%

49 / .925 sec. 73k
Averages 2.2 2.3
Week 3
Day 1 39 / 2.07 45 / 2.10 50 x 5 @ .9 80k
58 + 3 @ 1.0
Day 2 42 / 2.17 68k
2.30
Day 3 42 / 2.2 50 / 2.17 60 x 4 @ .95 80k
Day 4 39 / 2.07 58 + 4 @ 1.0 2.27 73k
Week 3 40.5 / 75% 52.75 / 79% 55 / .925 sec. 72k

Averages 2.13 2.21
Averages 39 / 72% 51 / 76%

51 / .933 sec. 73k
Over 3 Wks 2.18 2.27
The fourth week will give more data, and the lifter can decide if they
should increase the top-end weights to coincide with the AEC&J. Also, the
lifter can test the clean & jerk with the 2.5-second time-in-motion as a
limitation on the amount of weight, i.e., the best clean & jerk with an overall
time of 2.5 seconds or faster. The lifter should hold a practice meet near the
end of each month, but mostly for testing within those limitations not
necessarily for setting a PRs.
The lifter should base the main thrust of the programming on the
maximal front squat achieved in one-second, but after that, they should base
the programming on the AEC&J. This method will average out the equivalent
clean & jerks so the lifter doesn't use the one-shot PRs when programming,
which could cause the lifter to be overloading if that big one-shot gym lift or
even meet lifts are more than the AEC&J. It is all the better for the lifter if
those PRs in meets are greater than the AEC&J, but those PRs should not be
used to determine working weights.
Week 1
Day 1 36 / 2.23 45 / 2.20 45 x 5 @ 1.0 65k
50 + 3 @ 1.0
Day 2 36 / 2.17 65k
2.33
Day 3 39 / 2.2 50 / 2.3 45 x 5 @ .9 75k
Day 4 36 / 2.13 45 + 3 @ .85 2.17 75k
Week 1 37 / 68% 47.5 / 71% 45 / .95 sec. 70k

Averages 2.17 2.25
Week 2
Day 1 36 / 2.17 50 / 2.33 50 x 4 @ .9 75k
50 + 2 @ .9
Day 2 39 / 2.2 70kk
2.3
Day 3 39 / 2.27 55 / 2.37 55 x 4 @ .9 80k
55 + 1 @ .8
Day 4 42 / 2.33 80k
2.4
Week 2 39 / 72% 53 / 78%

52.5 / .9 sec. 76k
Averages 2.24 2.35
2 Week 38 / 70% 50 / 75%

49 / .925 sec. 73k
Averages 2.2 2.3
Week 3
Day 1 39 / 2.07 45 / 2.10 50 x 5 @ .9 80k
58 + 3 @ 1.0
Day 2 42 / 2.17 68k
2.30
Day 3 42 / 2.2 50 / 2.17 60 x 4 @ .95 80k

Day 4 39 / 2.07 58 + 4 @ 1.0 2.27 73k
Week 3 40.5 / 75% 52.75 / 79% 55 / .925 sec. 72k

Averages 2.13 2.21
Averages 39 / 72% 51 / 76%

51 / .933 sec. 73k
Over 3 Wks 2.18 2.27
Week 4
Day 1 39 / 2.2 50 / 2.17 55 x 4 @ .9 80k
55 + 1 @ .8
Day 2 45 / 2.2 75k
2.4
Day 3 48 / 2.17 55 / 2.33 61 x 2 @ .8 86k
64 + 2 @ .9
Day 4 45 / 2.2 79k
2.37
Week 4 44 / 82% 56 / 84%

58 / .85 sec. 80k
Averages 2.19 2.32
Monthly 40 / 74% 52 / 78%

51.75 / .906 sec. 74k
Averages 2.18 2.28
Since the equivalent clean & jerk averages are only the same as the
original front squat test at 74k, it is still a vast improvement since the
monthly average is 74k. The lifter should base the programming on the 74k
over the next month. As long as the snatch and clean & jerk are gradually
increasing it is best to allow that progress to continue along with those
increases to the AEC&J.
Even though the lifter has not had a practice meet there has been snatch,
and clean & jerk PBs (personal bests) established at 48k in the snatch and
64k in the clean & jerk.
Correlation 2a:
Monthly PB Fsq to Monthly PB C&J
61 / 64 = 95%
This percentage should be greater than 100%, and after a few more
months this should occur. It is more critical in the early stages of a beginning
lifter that the snatch and clean & jerk increase and allow the front squat to
precede that progress, to make sure the lifter has perfected their technical
skill, balance, timing, and flexibility. The non-decelerated squats and pulls
will go a long way in aiding the lifter in improving those technical skills not
only in the snatch and clean & jerk but also in the squats and pulls.
Correlation 2b:
Average Equiv. C&J to Average Fsq
74 / 51.75 = 143%
This percentage should be a little more than 100% and eventually this gap
will be closed.
Correlation 2c:
Average Equiv. C&J to C&J Meet PR
74 / 64 = 115%
This is a good ratio.
Correlation 2d:
1RPB Fsq to C&J Meet PR
61 / 64 = 95%
This ratio needs to be 100% for cleans with an overall time of 2.5 seconds
and 110% for cleans at 2.0 seconds.
Correlation 2e:
Average Fsq / Average C&J
51.75 / 52 = 99.5%
This is a good ratio.
The ratios that are out of sync will over time come into line, but as stated
before, the main emphasis for beginning lifters should be on developing
repeated precision and specific times-in-motion. If this occurs, the ratios
should fall into line, and the lifter will be able to progress towards their full
potential without the usual amount of accumulation of stress or overloading
that is produced with erratic lifting and decelerated actions.
Example 2: One year later this lifter has increased the front squat in one-
second to 90k, the snatch PR is 72k, and the clean & jerk is 88k, and the lifter
performed both lifts in 2.5 seconds. The incremental increase table has been
kept up to date and is now showing the following amounts;
Snatch 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 72
Clean & Jerk 20 30 40 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 88
The AEC&J is 93k, and the lifter based the programming on the AEC&J
instead of the meet PRs. Again, the reason for this is meet PRs contain some
overloading and using those meet PRs to train under could cause some
overloading during training. The incremental increases are used to produce
some habitual actions when warming up towards the top-end weights that the
lifter based off the AEC&J.
If the AEC&J is greater than the meet PRs, then a decision must be made
as to which one to use for programming. If the lifter is still a young master
lifter, then it might be okay to continue to use the AEC&J since it does reflect
they are making progress. It won’t take long to know if the lifter made the
correct choice.
Week 1 56 / 78% 71 / 81% 80 / .9 sec. 90k

Averages 2.27 2.13
Week 2 57 / 79% 70 / 80% 75 / .77 98k

Averages 2.23 2.1
Week 3 59 / 82.5% 74 / 84% 90 / .95 95k

Averages 2.3 2.17
Week 4 59 / 82.5% 74 / 84% 80 / .95 85k

Averages 2.27 2.13
Monthly 58 / 80% 72 / 82%

81 / .89 sec. 92k
Averages 2.27 2.13
The PB front squat in one-second was 98k and the monthly PB clean &
jerk was 83k.
Correlation 2a:
98 / 83 = 118%
Correlation 2b:
92 / 81 = 114%
Correlation 2c:
92 / 88 = 105%
Correlation 2d:
1RPB Fsq @ 1 sec. to C&J Meet PR
90 / 88 = 102%
Correlation 2e:
81 / 72 = 113%
I would suggest the incremental and programming stay based on the 90k
AEC&J and not move it up until it reaches 95k or increments of 5k.
Example 3: Three years later this lifter has a snatch of 105k and clean &
jerk of 133k both at or faster than 2.5 seconds. The AEC&J is 135k. The
lifter should base the snatch and clean & jerk on the AEC&J;
135k x .80 = 108k snatch potential
Snatch 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 95 100 105 108
Clean & Jerk 20 40 60 70 80 90 100 110 115 120 130 135
Week 1
85 / 79% 111 / 82% 129 / .93 136k
Averages
Week 2
87 / 81% 113 / 84% 124 / .85 139k
Averages
Week 3 85 / 79% 110 / 81% 131 / .875 143k
Averages
Week 4
87 / 81% 112 / 83% 128 / .85 143k
Averages
Monthly 86 / 80% 112 / 83%

128 / .876 sec. 140k
Averages 2.17 2.23
This month’s PB front squat in one-second was 138k and the PB clean &
jerk was 135k.
Correlation 2a:
138 / 135 = 102%
Correlation 2b:
140 / 128 = 109%
Correlation 2c:
140 / 135 = 104%
Correlation 2d:
*1RPB Fsq @ 1 sec. to C&J Meet PR
138 / 133 = 104%
*Current PB for the month
Correlation 2e:
128 / 112 = 114%
Example 4: Four years later this same lifter has an AEC&J of 102k and
meet PRs of 81k snatch and 97k clean & jerk for a 178k total. It is difficult to
know how much progress a master lifter can continue to make, but once they
have reached their full potential as a beginner, regardless of the age division
they started with, the meet totals will begin to decrease as they age. This
process is generally the case; although, there may be anecdotal stories that
might suggest otherwise and there could be swings in progress over several
years.
Snatch 20 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 81
C&J 20 40 50 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 97
Week 1
66 / 81% 80 / 82% 85 / .86 sec. 99k
Averages
Week 2
63 / 78% 79 / 81% 78 / .66 112k
Averages
Week 3
67 / 83% 82 / 85% 83 / .75 108k
Averages
Week 4
66 / 81% 79 / 81% 90 / .89 101k
Averages
Monthly 66 / 81% 80 / 82% 84 / .79 105k

Averages 2.23 2.3
This month’s PB front squat in one-second was 110k and the PB clean &
jerk was 90k.
Correlation 2a:
110 / 90 = 122%
Correlation 2b:
AEC&J to Average Fsq
105 / 84 = 125%
Correlation 2c:
AEC&J to C&J Meet PR
105 / 97 = 108%
Correlation 2d:
110 / 97 = 113%
Correlation 2e:
84 / 80 = 105%
Example 5: A different lifter has a 92k snatch and 124k clean & jerk
meet PRs with a 1RM front squat in one-second of 130k and AEC&J of
120k. The training is based off the AEC&J of 120k and not the 124k meet
PR.
Snatch 20 30 40 50 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 96
C&J 20 50 60 70 80 90 95 100 105 110 115 120
Week 1
78 / 81% 98 / 82% 105 x 3 / 0.85 130
Averages
Week 2
75 / 78% 97 / 81% 110 x 2 / 1.0 115
Averages
Week 3
80 / 83% 102 / 85% 95 x 4 / 0.9 120
Averages
Week 4
78 / 81% 97 / 81% 103 x 2 / .83 125
Averages
Monthly 78 / 81% 98 / 82% 103 x 3 / 0.9 123

Averages 2.23 2.3
The monthly PB front squat in one-second was 128k and the monthly PB
clean & jerk was 115k.
Correlation 2a:
128 / 115 = 111%
Correlation 2b:
123 / 103 = 119%
Correlation 2c:
123 / 124 = 99%
Correlation 2d:
128 / 124 = 103%
Correlation 2e:
103 / 98 = 105%
The above hypotheticals are based on the lifter using repeated precision,
specific times-in-motion and non-decelerated actions at all times in the squats
and pulls. Decelerated maximal squats and pulls (DLs) will yield a
completely different result where the times-in-motion will be slower in the
snatch, clean & jerk, and the squats and pulls and the AEC&J will reflect an
equivalent that is skewed and not reflective of the actual relationship between
the front squat and clean & jerk, as illustrated in the following example.
Example 6: This lifter uses decelerated actions in the squats. The
previous 1RM front squat was 177k @ 1.9 sec.
Snatch 20 30 40 50 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 96
C&J 20 50 60 70 80 90 95 100 105 110 115 120
Week 1
78 / 81% 98 / 82% 150 x 5 / 2.0 120
Averages
Week 2
75 / 78% 97 / 81% 133 x 4 / 1.8 113
Averages
Week 3
80 / 83% 102 / 85% 125 x 4 / 1.6 120
Averages
Week 4
78 / 81% 97 / 81% 160 x 2 / 2.2 105
Averages
Monthly 78 / 81% 98 / 82%
142 x 4 / 1.86 114
Averages 2.77 2.83
The monthly PB front squat was 182k @ 2.2 sec. and the monthly PB
clean & jerk was 125k in 3.one-seconds overall time-in-motion.
Correlation 2a:
182 / 125 = 146%
Correlation 2b:
114 / 142 = 80%
Correlation 2c:
114 / 120 = 95%
Correlation 2d:
182 x 1 @ 2.2 sec. = 182 - 60 = 122k c&j in 1 sec. equivalent
122 / 120 = 102%
*Current PB for the month or equivalent
Correlation 2e:
142 / 98 = 145%
The above correlations are skewed too much to be of much value,

especially those correlations that are less than 100%. These correlations need
to be 100% to 120% or about a 20 percent deviation. In this case, the variance
is 80% to 146% or 66 percent.
Summary
The general inference is that progress will always be relative, regardless
of the age, gender or weight class of the lifter, if the lifter adheres to repeated
precision and the specific times-in-motion for training methodology.
Programming the amount of volume becomes based more on those
limitations instead of hoping the lifter can train longer and harder than they
actually can and then backing off once the lifter has become too fatigued or
injured to continue training using decelerated overloading actions.
It would be a huge mistake to assume that pushing for gym PRs in all
varieties of lifts and exercises along with pushing the squats and pulls,
without regard for precision and specific times, will develop a lifter’s full
potential. While the building of muscle mass and recovery is biological, the
lifter should base training on physics and mathematical determinatives, which
consider those biological factors. In other words, perfect technique, diet,
supplements, and recovery methods will not and cannot overcome incorrect,
ineffective or harmful training practices.
Athletes waste an immeasurable amount of time and money on
superficial elements and faddish exercises that yield minor benefits. The lifter
should center the vast majority of training on repeated precision, specific
times-in-motion and the direct avoidance of decelerated actions within the
primary lifts. All other exercises and variations outside those primaries,
including partials, must never become more important than those primaries in
any way shape or form. This principle would include outside activities like
jumping, jogging, running or other sporting endeavors. Any efforts expended
outside the primaries must never interfere in the training of those primaries.
Even among the primaries, the lifter should emphasize the clean & jerk and
front squat. These two lifts are the embodiment of the sport of weightlifting,
and the lifter should carefully cultivate through a gradual process of
advancement, and the lifter should never base it on constant maximal efforts
among the primaries or other lifts or activities.
The main goal of training is to prepare the athlete for competition, not
necessarily for setting gym PRs. Those type of PRs should come by way of
happenstance or programmed into the training, instead of going for those PRs
simply because the lifter feels "good" that day. The result of feeling good one
day is that the next day they might not feel so good. Training needs to be
spread out over long periods or between meets in a way that will be more
conducive to the lifter never experiencing bad days, missed lifts or excessive
minor aches and pains, or a significant injury that the lifter could have
avoided.
Participating in a sport like weightlifting for many decades will inevitably
take its toll on the muscles and joints. It is up to the lifter as to whether they
want to be a done shot deal themselves and put all their effort into big lifts in
one age group or spread that effort out over many age groups so they can
enjoy the sport longer.
Chapter 16
Weaknesses and Imbalances
Most imbalances are caused by decelerated actions, specifically during

the training of the squats and pulls. Some coaches believe otherwise and
ascribe imbalances to the squats having become more proficient than the
pulls (DLs) or vice versa. This assumption would be valid when the squats
and pulls are trained using decelerated actions. In this case, either the squats
will become the dominant lift or the pulls (DLs), when the lifter pushes both
to absolute maximum efforts, regardless of the time-in-motion. In most cases,
this will cause both lifts to become mediocre, but if one emerges as being
dominant then that will cause some imbalance between those two lifts, and
some imbalance will show up in the snatch and clean & jerk in the way of
slower overall times-in-motion. The fix for imbalances is simple; train the
squats and pulls using non-decelerated actions during the ascension.
Weaknesses in different areas of the body are difficult to determine, and
most of the time the solution does not fit the problem. Weaknesses are
predicated on, what might seem logical conclusions, but turn out to be
anything but logical. For instance, a fix for being slow in the 2nd pull is
usually ascribed to doing snatches or cleans off boxes or from the hang. Since
the velocity produced during the 2nd pull is finite, then the problem is not
increasing the speed but maintaining the velocity as the weight increases.
Again, problems associated with velocity can be traced back to slow
decelerated squats and pulls. Training the muscles to move slower during a
squat or pull, then they need to be moving during a snatch or clean & jerk,
will cause certain areas of the pull and standing up with the weight to be
executed using slower velocities.
Example 16-1: A lifter has a snatch of 65k and clean & jerk of 82k.
Table 16-1
Date Snatch C&J Front Sq Cl Pull
Monthly
50 / 77% / 2.77 66 / 80% / 2.93 114 / 1.7 sec. 136 / .5 sec.
Averages
When the lifter trains the squats and pulls are at decelerated velocities,
the result will be a slower 1st pull and standing up with the snatch or clean
will be slower than one-second. This action will result in the overall time-in-
motion of both lifts to be slower than 2.5 seconds. The greater the
deceleration then, the slower the overall times-in-motion will be, on average.
The lifter might perceive that they are not making any progress because the
squats or pulls are not “strong” enough, i.e., they need to either increase the
front squat or the clean pull (DL). Since they are not timing out their lifts,
they will not know the overall time-in-motion of those snatches and cleans
slower than 2.5 seconds, and the cause is the slower squats and pulls due to
the amount of weight is considerably more than their clean & jerk PR.
The main problem with decelerated squats and pulls is that they cause the
lifter to progress slower or for stagnation to set in before they attain full
potential. Another problem is deceleration can cause aches and pains and
even minor or major injuries because they weaken joints and ligaments when
trained in conjunction with the snatch and clean & jerk which contain impact
forces that can be personified by decelerated actions.
Table 16-2
Date Snatch C&J Front Sq Cl Pull
Monthly
50 / 77% / 2.23 66 / 80% / 2.37 77 / .9 sec. 87 / .33 sec.
Averages
When the squats and pulls are trained using non-decelerated actions and
those actions are in sync with the times of the snatch and clean & jerk the
overall times-in-motion will become faster and the lifter can progress those
primaries through the particular times-in-motion.
Note: For master lifters, progress will be relative to each age division, but
the non-decelerated squats and pulls will allow the master lifter to achieve
their full potential in each age division, as well as allowing for longevity in
the sport by lessening the possibility of injuries.
Whatever perceived weaknesses the lifter might have felt, those
weaknesses were the result of decelerated squats and pulls not that the squats
were stronger than the pulls or vice versa. Any perceived weakness or
imbalance can best be “fixed” through non-decelerated actions. The lifter
cannot fix a slow 1st pull by doing heavy decelerated deadlifts. The lifter
cannot fix a perceived slow 2nd pull by lifting off boxes or from the hang.
The lifter cannot fix a perceived weak jerk by doing heavy jerks off boxes or
out of a rack. All of these perceived problems are the result of decelerated
squats and pulls. The front squat and clean & jerk primarily and the pulls
secondarily contain the functional motions the lifter needs to snatch and clean
& jerk maximal efforts and reach full potential. The snatch and clean & jerk
cannot progress themselves nor can partial lifts help in that progression. The
lifter should develop the front squat in one-second to 110% of clean & jerk
PR to produce a 2.5 second or faster overall time-in-motion that will keep the
lifter progressing towards their full potential regardless of age division or
gender. The 110% of the PR front squat in one-second contains the jerk drive
velocity or the 0.5-second time-in-motion for the drive to lock-out.
I hear some coaches say; “squat every day” and I agree that you can as
long as those ascension times are non-decelerated. Otherwise, squatting every
day would be non-beneficial and antagonistic for the weightlifter.
Decelerated squats and pulls create non-beneficial overloading, whereas non-
decelerated volume creates beneficial overloading. There is a marked
difference between decelerated volume and non-decelerated volume as far as
how that overloading affects the efficient growth of the muscles. The
weightlifter should allow the muscle to simultaneously grow along with those
gains in performance, not before.
Most lifters believe the squats and pulls must supersede gains in
performance, and this might be true when decelerated actions are being used
to promote muscle mass. That type of muscle mass will only be useful where
the squats are equivalent to one-second and the pulls to 0.33 seconds to the
knees. The additional weight over and above those times will be unnecessary
overloading, and the muscle growth associated with that overloading will be
less effective and be more in line with powerlifting or bodybuilding, not
weightlifting.
The idea that a lifter can develop weaknesses in one area of the body
cannot occur in the snatch or clean & jerk, because those lifts are one motion
from liftoff to lock-out or receiving the bar on the shoulders in the clean.
Even the clean & jerk should be considered one motion from liftoff to lock-
out. The lifter can only create weaknesses if those lifts are trained using
separate parts, called partial lifts. These partial lifts that are purported to fix
weaknesses might actually be causing them. The motor patterns during partial
lifts will override the full movement’s motor patterns, in other words it is
easier to learn a partial motion than it is the full movement and those partials
will always be more precise than the full movement. Partials will never be
executed like they will when the lifter performs the full movement. The
transitional phases leading into the partials are eliminated and it is the
transitional phases that the lifter must learn to control and become proficient
at, in order to train using repeated precision.
Ascribing fixes to perceived problems, whether real or imagined, is like
trying to fix a dragster after the engine blows up during the race. You can’t
fix it; you have to replace it. If a lifter develops technical problems, they
should halt all training and fix those problems before continuing, regardless
of how long it takes. Attempting to train using erratic or incorrect technique
will not and cannot progress the lifter to anything other than mediocrity or
injury.
Again, repeated precision and specific times-in-motion are self-
correcting. It is always erratic lifting and slower velocities that cause
problems that are perceived to be weaknesses. Weaknesses are only a reality
when the lifter performs decelerated actions regularly as a matter of training
protocol. Athletic ability does play a role in how proficient a lifter is, but
even the most unskilled lifter can be made to be more proficient by using
non-decelerated actions in the squats and pulls. The lifter must force, or
slower times-in-motion will always seek that level that is easier to control but
is less effective in the long run.
Misconception of Partials
The coach or lifter sometimes ascribes snatching off boxes with straps as
a fixer-upper for a slower 2nd pull or 3rd pull. But in timing many of the top
lifters in the world, those times are not faster off boxes, they are the same as
off the platform. The pull from the box to full extension is twice as long as
the time it takes during a snatch off the platform. This action is because the
lifter transferred the elimination of the 1st pull into the 2nd pull off the boxes.
If it takes 0.67 seconds to do a snatch to full extension from the platform, it
will take 0.33 seconds from boxes, where the lifter stations the bar above the
knee, the most common position. The usual time for the 2nd pull is 0.17
seconds or half what it takes to pull to the knees when lifting off the platform.
There is nothing gained from lifting off boxes, except the lifter can put about
10k more weight overhead off the boxes, but usually only if they use straps.
Without straps the lifter will be able to snatch what they can snatch off the
platform without straps or less, depending on how well the lifter’s grip can
hold up to those forces which are greater from the boxes than off the
platform. It would be more beneficial for lifters not to use straps when lifting
off boxes to help increase grip strength.
Handling more weight than the lifter’s meet PRs by doing snatches off
boxes, hang snatch or clean, snatch squats, cleans without a jerk, or jerks out
of a rack, cannot and will not progress the lifter. That progress must go
through the one-second front squat with 110% of PR clean & jerk (back squat
if unable to emphasize the fronts) and clean & jerk at the overall time of 2
seconds. The lifter should focus training on one-second squat and the 2-
second overall time in the clean. All other lifts and exercises must be subsets
of these parameters and trained at a lesser level of intensity or frequency,
thereby allowing these lifts and exercises to become beneficial to the overall
training and not become the focal point of training where they become events
and distract the lifter from their objective. That objective is to ready the lifter
for the competition platform, not for the 1st snatch but the last clean & jerk.
Chapter 17
Writing a Program
Writing a program should be more like writing a symphony or novel than

predicting the weather. Between competitions, the training should have a
beginning, middle and end without any sour notes or misspelled words. The
only way to accomplish this is to establish limitations on that training. Those
limitations are meant to level out the workouts throughout the training
between meets so there are no workouts that will disrupt subsequent
workouts and there is a gradual buildup from the beginning to the final
climax and that climax must be reached in competition and not in the gym.
Boundaries Placed on Training
1. Repeated Precision
Regardless of how proficient or imperfect a lifter’s technique might be at the
current point in time, they should strive to do it the same way every lift
without any deviations to their particular bar path.
2. Specific Times-in-motion
Built within the lifter’s proficiency and precision are specific times-in-motion
that should become part of that technique and adhere to over and above the
amount of weight.
There are 4-time limitations for the clean and the jerk.
1. 0.33 seconds to the knees
2. 2.5 seconds or faster from the platform to standing-up
3. 0.5 seconds from the lowest trajectory point in the dip to locking out
the weight.
4. A consistent time for the clean & jerk from the platform to locking out
the jerk.
There are two-time limitations on the squats.

1. The full front or back squat should be trained at one-second or faster for
every rep in every set.
2. All squats from parallel should be trained at 0.67 seconds or faster for each
rep in every set.
There are two-time restrictions on the snatch and clean pulls.

1. The pull to the knees should be 0.33 regardless of the weight, number of
sets or reps.
2. The pull to the midsection should be the same time as it takes to pull
the weight to full extension. If the lifter consistently can pull the weight in
the clean in 0.67 seconds, then the pull to the midsection should also be
0.67 seconds. Full extension pulls decelerate too much at the end of the
pull to measure those with any consistency or accuracy that will yield a
viable correlation.
Note: the snatch can follow the first two protocols as the clean & jerk,
but the snatch is dependent more on the 3rd pull time-in-motion than standing
up from the full squat position. The snatch is more timing and balance intense
than the clean & jerk, and the lifter might have to pause in the full squat
position in the snatch more often than when doing a clean. If the lifter misses
the timed-rebound in the clean, then they will have to do a double bounce or
pause and then stand up. Other causes of a missed single timed-rebound can
usually be attributed to the squats and pulls being trained using decelerated
actions. Decelerated actions can dampen the lifter’s reaction time for a
quicker change in direction.
The above limitations or restrictions cannot be written down in the
program until after the fact, but the lifter should design the program in a way
that those limitations will be achievable. Pie in the sky workouts might make
the lifter feel good if achieved, but in the long run, it will not allow the lifter
to train using repeated precision and specific times-in-motion, and in most
cases that will cause non-beneficial overloading. Every snatch or clean that is
erratic is creating a buildup of overloading on the muscles that the lifter
doesn't need to fully develop and not using those they are required to
develop. These imperfections might be microscopic, but over time they
accumulate and will have a significant impact on the ability of the lifter to
achieve their full potential in each age group.
Missing Lifts
The lifter misses most lifts because there is not enough momentum placed
into the barbell for it to be locked-out securely. Lifts are rarely lost due
directly to a technical issue, directly because the technical issue is caused by
the incorrect accelerated velocity at certain points during the lift or changes
in direction. As the lifter progresses through the incremental increase, they
should gradually achieve maximal velocity from the empty bar to about 80%
at which point they should move each increase as if it was 100% effort. This
method will ingrain the 100% efforts, and when the need arises for a 100%
effort, it will be there. In competition when the 1st attempt is 90%, and the
lifter ingrained only 85% in the warmup area then the chance of a miss is
increased.
The lifter should never tolerate missing lifts in training for any reason
whatsoever. If it does occur, it should be scarce and due mainly and only
because the lifter was capable of placing the right momentum into the weight,
but didn’t. Attempting PR after PR and missing over and over does nothing
but teach the lifter how to miss. The coach or lifter should not program
missed lifts or lifts that the lifter will probably miss into the training, but they
should write the programming to avoid misses at least those misses that occur
because it was too much weight to handle in that particular session.
Designing a Program
The program is not just about putting certain lifts and numbers down and
then seeing if the lifter can achieve those numbers or worse the lifter thinking
they must make those numbers regardless. The working weights must be
calculated at least a month in advance and should average approximately
80% in both the snatch and clean & jerk or an average monthly level of
intensity that will allow the lifter to adhere to repeated precision and specific
times-in-motion throughout the cycles between meets.
The lifter in this example is a W35, 63k lifter and her best snatch is 67k
and clean & jerk is 85k. Her AEC&J is 83k achieved in the previous month.
As long as the AEC&J is greater than clean & jerk PR the lifter should
continue to progress, if it is less then it could mean the lifter has reached their
full potential. If the clean & jerk is greater than the AEC&J they might be
handling too much weight in the squat or pulls and the average times are
slower than one-second in the squat and slower than 0.33 to the knees in the
pulls.
The first thing to do is determine what her average level of intensity is
between 70% and 90% for each lift.
Snatch
70% x 67k = 47k
90% x 67k = 60k
Clean & Jerk

70% x 85k = 60k
90% x 85k = 77k
The lifter should apply these percentages to the lifter’s AEC&J and not
their meet PRs, but the testing of certain times-in-motion they should base on
those meet PRs.
The next step would be to make sure this lifter is capable of achieving
these working weights with her particular ability to maintain precision with
her current technical proficiency and maintain the specific times-in-motion
she is capable of performing with 100% of PR clean & jerk and snatch.
If she is unable to handle 100% of clean & jerk PR in the front squat in
one-second, then there is no point in programming more weight than she can
do in one-second. In this case, more volume and less intensity with those
weights she can do those times with would be more advantageous than less
volume and higher intensities. Merely increasing the intensity alone is never
the only solution. The solutions must be manipulations between volume and
intensity, and the lifter will need to manipulate the times-in-motion as far as
faster times requiring less weight handled.
In this example, she is able to average of 0.33 seconds with 100% of
clean & jerk PR. These are the main parameters the lifter should watch. If the
average time begins to get faster with 100% of clean & jerk PR, then the
AEC&J must also be increasing. The squats and pulls must be linked
together, so the lifter can linearly progress both at the same time. If the pulls
are increasing and the AEC&J is not or is decreasing, then there could be a
problem with the volume and intensity with one over the other.
As long as the AEC&J is increasing both the clean & jerk and pulls
should increase along with it as well as the snatch. The AEC&J produced
through the front squat in one-second is the prime mover of that training;
however, all the primaries must increase at the same time for the training or
programming to be considered effective.
It only takes a few weeks of training and measuring a lifter’s times-in-
motion with up to 100% of PR to determine where that lifter stands
concerning those parameters mentioned above. From that data, the lifter can
design the program to where those limitations or restrictions can be
effectively manipulated for the AEC&J to progress or maintained in a relative
amount depending on the age of the lifter and whether they are still
progressing their lifts by absolute amounts or by the Meltzer-Sinclair
coefficients.
The lifter should train the primary lifts frequently, and it is only the
primaries where they should measure times-in-motion. The coach or lifter
should generally schedule the lifts in the following order;
1. Snatch
2. Clean & Jerk
3. Squat or Pull
The lifter can substitute partial lifts or variations of the snatch or clean &
jerk for the full movement but at the risk of disrupting the motor pathways of
those full movements if they train those variations and partials at the same
level of intensity as the competition lifts. Remember doing something
different will not and cannot benefit what we do. If a guitar player learns how
to play only with one hand, they will get good at playing the guitar with one
hand, but they will never become proficient with two hands. Partial lifts and
variations create some residual benefit in the way of increasing the mobility
of the lifter, but only if the lifter needs work on mobility. Mobility, for
example, is the ability of the lifter to be able to do a power snatch and then
full squat snatch without any disruption in precision or overall times-in-
motion. Mobility is a synonym for athletic ability.
The lifter can program partials and auxiliary exercises after they complete
the primaries. The lifter can also use partials during the warmups with the
lighter incremental increases. The lifter should never train the variations and
partials as events of equal status with the primaries because those partials are
not the lifter’s events and they contain motions that are outside the rules of
the sport. A good example is a barbell must be moved from the platform to
the receiving position in one continuous motion, so lifting the bar to the
knees or mid-thigh and then doing a snatch or clean (called a hang snatch or
clean) is not allowed per the rules of the sport. The lifter eliminates the
transitional phases at liftoff and to the knees or mid-thigh which can make the
lift more effective and the 2nd pull more efficient. If the lifter trains the
partial at the same level of intensity as the full movements, it will, and it must
cause some mediocrity to creep into both lifts. Becoming proficient at one
will cause some decrease in proficiency in the other. That is why the lifter
should train the partials must at an average level of intensity which is less
than the full movements. This same logic will apply to cleans without jerks
and jerks without cleans. Having a big jerk out of the rack has no bearing on
how much can be clean & jerked. How much can be cleaned also has no
bearing on how much can be clean & jerked. All the roads to success in any
sport are in the fundamental structure of those events or skills the athlete
uses, and those skills cannot be mastered by doing something else.
The conditioning and fitness of the muscular system as a whole can
benefit from partials and auxiliary exercises, but only by handling weights of
much less intensity than the primaries. The weightlifter only has two events,
the snatch, and clean & jerk. The squats pulls, partials and auxiliary exercises
are not events, and they should never be trained as an event where the lifter
handles maximal weights without any regard for velocity or precision. The
partials, variations and auxiliary exercises must feed into the primaries in a
way that will allow the lifter to be able to maintain repeated precision,
specific times-in-motion, and avoidance of decelerated actions. Training too
many lifts as events where the lifter establishes PRs will render all those lifts
mediocre to each other. Too many events would be more than two: the snatch
and clean & jerk.
Breakdown of the Primaries
Snatch
Snatch Primary 70% to 90%
or Snatch Variations 60% to 80%
or Snatch Partials 60% to 80%
and Auxiliary Exercise Rhythmic Motions (somewhat effortless)
Clean & Jerk

Clean & Jerk Primary 70% to 90%
or Clean & Jerk Variations 60% to 80%
or Clean & Jerk Partials 60% to 80%
and Auxiliary Exercises Rhythmic Motions (somewhat effortless)
Squats Assistance
Front Squat Percentage of C&J @ 1 sec.
and Auxiliary Exercises Rhythmic Motions
Back Squat Percentage of C&J @ 1 sec.
Pulls Assistance
Snatch Pull Percentage of Snatch @ 0.33 seconds
or Snatch Pull Variation Percentage of Snatch @ 0.33 seconds
Clean Pull Percentage of C&J @ 0.33 seconds
or Clean Pull Variation Percentage of C&J @ 0.33 seconds
Aside from any activity outside the gym and pre-warmup protocols, such
as various forms of stretching or jogging, the above list will form the basis of
programming. The frequency, intensity, and volume of each particular
discipline will either create a sweet symphony or a sour note. Anyone who
claims they can write a program that will add 10k to your lift in just three
weeks is either lying or ignorant of how athletes go about training. All a
weightlifter can do is prepare themselves for the next competition in a way
that will give them the best chance of doing their best. Pie in the sky squat
routines and magical exercises will do nothing but disrupt the overall training
and the pursuit of increasing the AEC&J, which is a slow and gradual
process.
From the above list, there are several programming variations we can
examine (sets x reps);
Date Snatch C&J Front Sq Pull
Day 1 75% 5 x 2 75% + 3 + 1 90% x 5 x 1
Day 2 75% 5 x 1 75% 4 x 2 Sn Pull 5 x 3
Day 3 80% 1 x 2 80% + 2 + 1 x 3 95% x 3 x 2
Day 4 85% 1 x 3 Cl Pull 4 x 2
Averages 78.75% 76.66% 92.5%
The lifter can order only the primaries and manipulate those lifts as far as
frequency, volume and times-in-motion are concerned. The lifter should add
the times to the spreadsheet after the fact, and this is okay because it will be
the averages at the end of each week and the end of each month that matters.
I have shown percentages of AEC&J and the sets and reps in that order. The
pulls can be based on the AEC&J or the meet PRs but should be 0.33 seconds
to the knee or 0.67 seconds to the midsection. If the lifter has an average pull
of 0.73 seconds to full extension, then the pull to the midsection will be 0.73
seconds also. Increasing the speed of the pull to the midsection will also
increase the speed of the pull to full extension, as long as the same relative
amount also increases the front squat AEC&J.
At the end of each day’s work out the programming can include specific
auxiliary exercises and partials, as long as the lifter holds the partials to a
similar effort as the auxiliary exercises, which would be a smooth rhythmic
motion with somewhat effortless weights. It is always important to at least
include auxiliary exercises or some light bodybuilding exercises to warm
down the lifter.
Date Snatch C&J Front Sq Pull
Day 1 75% 5 x 2 90% x 5 x 1
Day 2 75% 4 x 2 Sn Pull 5 x 3
Day 3 80% 1 x 2 95% x 3 x 2

Day 4 80% + 3 + 1 Cl Pull 4 x 2
Averages 78.75% 76.66% 92.5%
The above programming alternates the snatch full movement with the
clean & jerk full movement. The rest would be the same as the previous
programming. The 80% + 3 + 1 means three extra front squats follow the
clean before the jerk. An average equivalent clean & jerk can be calculated
from this exercise and should be noted the same as the front squat’s
equivalent clean & jerk. When doing cleans plus fronts it is best not to
schedule the squats on that same day, otherwise, take the greatest result from
either the clean plus fronts or squat for the average equivalent clean & jerk
for that day.
For the older master lifters over M60 or W50 alternating the snatch and
clean & jerk might be the best solution when dealing with those full
movements due to the number of impact forces. Remember partials or
variations will not reduce the number of impact forces because all those lifts
achieve is eliminating the 1st pull which contains no impact forces. The lifter
produces Impact forces when receiving the barbell in the snatch, clean and
the jerk. Also, they can generate impact forces if the lifter uses a crash dive in
the squat position in the snatch and clean, along with returning the barbell to
the shoulders when doing additional reps in the jerk. The lifter personifies
impact forces when they perform lifts using erratic movements.
For younger master lifters between M35 to M55 and W35 and W45 who
train more than four days per week, I would suggest doing some variations or
partials on those other days, but again at about 80% and even less if the lifter
programs reps. Anyone thinking that doing hang snatches and cleans or
snatch and cleans off boxes will mitigate the effects of lifting off the platform
is misunderstanding what those lifts represent. Leaving out the 1st pull will
not and cannot make the lifter perform better when the 1st pull is integrated
back into the lift. As mentioned before, by thinking a lifter can fix a problem
with the full movement by doing partials is making an illogical assumption
that it was the full movement that caused the problem and more specifically
the 1st pull. Since the 1st pull is almost benign compared to the 2nd and 3rd
pull, it seems implausible that it could have any effect on a lifter’s
proficiency. Even if the 1st pull created technical issues, how is leaving it out
going to help the situation? Problems with technique can almost always be
traced back to the slow decelerated squats and pulls and not necessarily a
problem with proficiency per se. Decelerated squats and pulls disrupt the
lifter’s ability to control those transitional phases with the right momentum,
during the changes in direction. The lifter can still drag the weight off the
platform and complete a snatch or clean and grind out of the clean and still
complete the jerk, but the lifter will be doing it with much less weight than
they could have been handling had those squats and pulls been trained
correctly with non-decelerated actions.
Another aspect of training the lifter should consider, is that pushing
through the mundanity of training is more important than pushing through a
system where the lifter contests multiple PRs, and the lifter predicates
programming on long and hard training. Most athletes have no other way to
progress their event except by training their event in a somewhat mundane
and repetitions execution, such as competitive swimmers, track middle
distance runners, marathon runners and speed skaters. Team sports have a
more diverse set of skills to keep them from becoming mundane. Individual
sports, like those mentioned above, can only be progressed through the
mundanity of the event, but knowing that mundanity of training will create a
better competitive performance should be enough for the athlete to continue.
It might not be as much fun for the lifter to go into the gym and not
frequently be attempting some PR in some such lift or another, but a more
programmed system that is somewhat mundane will yield a higher return in
the long run. One of my favorite sayings is that it is never how much weight
is lifted, but how the weight is lifted that matters. I should have said it is not
how much weight is lifted but how many times the weight is lifted. The best
result will always be with those lifts in the 80% to 85% range with single or
doubles, where the lifter can maintain repeated precision and specific times-
in-motion.
Chapter 18
Peaking and Tapering
Programming is somewhat more of a concern with the overall training

between meets as opposed to the final preparation or peaking and tapering
phases before those meets. It would be wrong to believe that all a lifter has to
do is taper a week before a competition regardless of how intense the training
was before the tapering begins. If the lifter tests themselves a week out from
a meet they will be almost assured of doing the same as they did that week
out or less, in most cases, it will be less. It takes time for the muscular and
adrenaline systems to recover from maximal weights, those weights 95% or
greater and for older master lifters it could be 90% or greater.
Peaking is different from training, in that the lifter reduces volume, so
instead of an average intensity of 80%, the average is 85%. Where in training
the highest percentages should be 90%, during peaking it can be as high as
95% or possibly higher as long as those lifts are achieved at least a month out
from the competition.
Note: Many lifters attempt to set PRs a month out from competition and
some even a week out. These attempts can do little else but harm the lifter or
at the least tells them exactly how much they can lift, but in many cases, they
don't perform up to those numbers.
The lifter should reduce the intensity in the squats and pulls a small
amount, so there is more emphasis on velocity. All the training achieved
before the peaking phase should be poured into that peaking phase and
gradually buildup from the training phase to the peaking, ending with a
tapering phase of about two weeks.
The average monthly percentages during the training phase should be
lower than in the peaking phase to accommodate the additional volume by
way of the extra reps and sets programmed during that phase. The peaking
phase will see a reduction in the volume utilizing a reduction in the number
of reps per set and even in the number of sets.
Months Out Average Intensity
6 50% to 70%
5 70% to 90%
4 70% to 90%
3 70% to 90%
2 75% to 95%
1 75% to 90%
A month out from the competition there should be no PRs in the snatch,
or clean & jerk attempted. Those should have occurred during the 3rd and
2nd months out. The month before the lifts should be held to 90% so the lifter
can recover somewhat from the higher intensity training during the 2nd
month out.
Weeks Out Highest Intensity
4 90%
3 85% to 90%
2 85%
1 75% to 80%
A gradual reduction in the level of intensity for the snatch and clean &
jerk should be programmed a month out. Two weeks out less will always be
better. It is too late to increase performance by training too long or hard or
intense this close to a meet. If the meet is not a major competition, then the
lifter can train through that meet. Training through a meet does not mean the
lifter is free to handle maximal weights; it means a set percentage should be
settled on for that meet, such as 90%. This method is what can allow the lifter
to train through the competition. If they go to the meet and attempt maximum
weights, then they will no longer be training through the meet.
About a month out from the meet, the lifter should halt all partial lifts and
variations so the snatch and clean & jerk can be honed-in to exacting degrees.
The lifter’s full concentration should focus on the primaries exclusively.
Auxiliary exercises should be maintained at their same levels or less if
necessary, but partials and variations can disrupt the motor pathways and
honing process for the competition lifts.
Tapering
Tapering should occur in the last two weeks from the competition with a
gradual reduction in both volume and intensity. There should be no lifts
greater than 90% during the 2nd week out, and no lifts greater than 85% the
last week out or the week before the meet. From there on there should be no
lifts greater than 80%, and the last workout before the competition should be
75% or less.
During the last two weeks, the lifter should hold the squats to singles,
doubles or triples with no more than 100% of the clean & jerk in the front
squat in one-second or faster and no more than 116% of the clean & jerk in
the back squat in one-second or faster. Pulls should be held to about 90% of
the snatch or clean & jerk or eliminated to gain some additional performance.
The effects of tapering should be for the muscular and adrenaline systems
to recover and for most of the minor aches and pains to subside for the lifter
to compete at their full capability. For major competitions, tapering is
probably the most critical aspect of the peaking process, and if done correctly
can yield up to or even greater than 100% efforts.
Peaking the Squats and Pulls
Since the squats and pulls are assistance lifts, there is no reason to make
any changes to the training of those lifts during the peaking phase. Just
singles and doubles at 100% of the clean & jerk in the one-second front squat
and around 116% of the clean & jerk in the one-second back squat (0.67
seconds from parallel).
Attempting to increase the squats or pulls right before competition by
going for PRs, time wise or weight wise in some effort to make a last-minute
ditch effort to get “stronger” will only make the lifter less productive during
the competition. Consistency is an essential aspect of peaking, and the lifter
should try and stay within those lifts that are the most consistent both time
wise and weight wise.
The pulls can stay the same since the main focus for pulls is the 0.33
second time to the knees. The pulls can be trained at a little less than 100% of
PR during the peaking phase and omitted during the tapering phase. I would
suggest doing just the pulls to full extension during the peaking phase and in
sets of singles or doubles and not more than two sets with the top-end weight.
During the peaking and tapering phase, the lifter will always be manipulating
the volume and intensity. It will take some experience and experimentation to
find the right mix between intensity and volume for the peaking and tapering
phase, to find the most effective way to handle this particular phase of
training.
The idea that progress or getting “stronger” can only be attained by
handling excessive weights using decelerated actions is unfounded since even
those decelerated weights must be interpolated back to what the lifter did in
one-second or 0.33 seconds in the pulls. Heavier slower squats and pulls are
equivalent in force production and not greater just because it’s more weight
and are indeed not more beneficial. Decelerated actions generate non-
beneficial overloading and greater volume using non-decelerated movements
create beneficial overloading.
Summary
The art of programming is little more than a guessing game due to all the
variables between the individual lifters, regarding both age and weight class
differences. I have tried to reduce the guesswork by using a specific
methodology, such as repeated precision, specific times-in-motion, and non-
decelerated actions. These restrictions help set the parameters between the
monthly levels of intensity and the volume. These restrictions make the
programming generally the same for everyone with the only exceptions being
the selection of auxiliary exercises and partial lifts. I have expressed my
opinion about those lifts, and it will be up to each lifter how they chose to go
about including them in the programming.
Training has not changed much since the 1960s or even the 1950s. Lifters
did hang snatches and cleans and snatches and cleans off boxes and the lifter
does just about everything today as in the past. There is no such thing as old
school training. Weightlifting equipment better than it was in the past and the
exchange of information and video is more abundant. The training protocols
also have not changed that much. The primaries still make up the vast
majority of training with the auxiliary and partials secondary. The lifter has
refined the technique somewhat, but there is no way to know for sure what if
any effect that has or has had on performance, unfortunately, the drug
situation was the major cause of much of the big lifts made since the 1970s
till the present time. The testing has gotten better, but there is a long way to
go before it is entirely under control. Certain organizations tend to look the
other way for the sport to maintain a certain amount of spectator appeal
where the big lifts are concerned. It has been easier to see these effects in the
throws in track & field. Many of the world records set back in the 80s before
testing are still standing today. That is a sure sign that the testing has been
working reasonably well; however, in weightlifting, the world records have
continued to increase over and above those of the 80s and 90s before the
world initiated serious testing. Drug usage places a big question mark on
many performances that exceeded those records set when testing was lax.
Master World and National records are exceedingly harder to break since
more testing has occurred from almost none. It is probably time for the IWF
to initiate new weight classes again and mothball those World and National
records. Time will tell.
Chapter 19
Equivalency of Performance
I am using the Sinclair-Meltzer formulas to determine equivalencies of

performance between different age groups.
The following hypothetical explains how the master lifter can equate their
performance when the amount of weight lifted is decreasing due to age.
Sinclair-Meltzer
Age / weight / Date Total ranking
Coefficient
M35
74.2.0k / 1985 275k 363.725 11
74.4k / 1986 263k 352.040 17
74.8k / 1987 265k 357.589 13
75.0k / 1988 255k 348.162 20
79.8k / 1989 243k 351.251 18
M40
80.2k / 1990 257k 341.878 26
82.0k / 1991 240k 324.644 33
83.0k / 1992 245k 325.425 32
82.5k / 1993 239k 321.882 34
82.0k / 1994 247k 337.566 28
M45
84.4k / 1995 252k 342.133 25
83.8k / 1996 238k 327.690 31
79.3k / 1997 235k 338.158 27
77.0k / 1998 234k 345.697 23
79.2k / 1999 248k 362.136 12
M50
80.5k / 2000 230k 334.913 29
83.5k / 2001 233k 344.171 24
84.2k / 2002 240k 357.499 15
84.8k / 2003 231k 348.794 19
84.9k / 2004 225k 346.361 22
M55
87.2k / 2005 232k 366.884 10
89.7k / 2006 238k 380.740 5
91.3k / 2007 240k 389.946 2
93.3k / 2008 235k 386.737 3
94.0k / 2009 195k 328.381 30
M60
90.2k / 2010 220k 384.561 4
92.2k / 2011 215k 379.363 6
87.9k / 2012 190k 347.641 21
84.8k / 2013 188k 356.288 16
83.8k / 2014 195k 377.393 7
M65
84.7k / 2015 185k 368.305 9
82.7k / 2016 180k 370.567 8
79.9k / 2017 184k 391.462 1
The above table shows this lifter achieved his best coefficient when he
was M67, but also the lowest total at 184k. It becomes seminally more
critical to measure success by these formulas than to try and use the raw
numbers, just because the raw numbers are going to decrease with age
regardless.
The lifter should determine deviations in the coefficient by the age,
weight and the ratios related to the age and weight. In most cases, the
coefficient will increase with age as long as the lifter incurs no major injuries
or illnesses that could set them back from year to year. In most cases, these
coefficients will increase gradually with age, because the formula is weighted
to favor the very old or in some cases the very young. Most outstanding lifter
awards go to the older master lifters.
Chapter 20
Conclusion
Regardless of whether anyone thinks the sport of weightlifting is a

strength sport or speed sport, the snatch and clean and the jerk take a specific
time-in-motion to complete, and the lifter must maintain those times from
about 80% to 100% of effort. If the lifter doesn't perform these times, they
can miss a lift. In my opinion, this makes the sport of weightlifting a speed
sport. The fact that the implement used increases in mass or resistance makes
no matter because those elements of velocity must stay intact. Slower overall
times (from the platform to standing up) result in the lifter not being able to
lift to their full capabilities if those times are not as fast as the lifter can
achieve.
If the sport of weightlifting is a speed sport, then it should follow that the
lifter should train the assistance lifts as if they were also a speed sport. If the
athlete views the assistance lifts as slow lifts then slow is precisely how the
lifter will be training, and the snatch and clean & jerk will reflect those
slower squats and pulls. The slow-grinding squats and pulls will affect the
velocity of the 1st pull and standing up with the weight out of the clean
primarily. It will also affect the depth of the dip in the jerk and the amount of
velocity the lifter can produce during the jerk drive. Regardless of how much
anyone thinks slower decelerated squats with maximal weights help the lifter,
this is a grave misunderstanding of the laws of physics. All slower squats
must be interpolated back to what that squat would be equivalent to in terms
of the snatch and clean times-in-motion which is one-second. The major
difference between a 1RM back squat of 150k @ 2 seconds and a one-second
squat is 50k of non-beneficial overloading with the 150k squat and the
probability that the overall time in the clean will be slower and the drive in
the dip will be less effective.
The lifter should not consider the squats and pulls as lifts that are
independent of the snatch and clean & jerk, and all that matters is how much
weight the lifter handles without regard for the specific times-in-motion. The
snatch and clean are made up of squats and pulls so they are inextricably
linked together and should never be considered separate lifts to be trained or
pushed separately. Besides being linked together by velocity requirements,
the lifter should also link by technical proficiency. This action means the
competition lifts and assistance lifts must be in sync and equilibrium at all
times and trained so they can stay in sync and equilibrium. This method
implies the lifter should adhere to repeated precision and specific times-in-
motion for the primaries to remain in sync. It also means that the lifter should
train all other lifts outside the primaries at a lower level of intensity and
volume than the primaries, so those other lifts and exercises do not interfere
in the training of those primaries.
The importance to all lifters, youth, junior, senior or master, of repeated
precision and specific times-in-motion is that the recovery will be fast enough
for the lifter to gain back performance from previous workouts as quickly as
is possible. Using specific times, especially in the squats and pulls, will allow
the muscular and adrenaline systems to recuperate faster than when using
decelerated actions. This method means that the lifter should not halt
progress until the lifter achieved full potential relative to their age and weight
class. Specific times also keep the lifter from overloading their muscular
system and adrenaline system any more than is necessary and reduce the
stress levels on the tendons and ligaments of the joints.
The athlete should understand that in all sports there needs to be both a
methodology of training and programming. The training methodology
includes those elements that are abstract and cannot be written down until
after the fact, such as precision or those errors in precision and the times-in-
motion. Without training methodologies, the programming can be rendered
less effective if not outright meaningless or possibly harmful. Without those
restrictions contained in the training methodology, the programming can
become wildly out of equilibrium, and there will be no holds barred on the
amount of weight, which will eventually begin to create erratic lifting and
slower times-in-motion.
Programming should represent what the lifter is capable of doing without
any misses or erratic lifting, not weights that might seem to be the ones that
will push the lifter to success. Writing something down on paper doesn’t
make it so. Programs should be guides and not taken literally. If the lifter’s
AEC&J is increasing gradually and they adhere to repeated precision and
times-in-motion to within a relative range of acceptability, then the
programming is correct and should be continued. Any program that causes
the lifter to incur minor aches, pains, and injuries and does not allow for
repeated precision and specific times to be adhered to consistently should be
adjusted so it will meet those criteria.
The sport of weightlifting can bring a great deal of enjoyment, but it can
also cause some frustrations and injuries if the sport is not respected and the
lifter does not respect their body and physical well-being. Sacrificing some
instant glory for one’s well-being is a bit foolhardy. The athlete incurs most
injuries because they tried to do more than they conditioned themselves to do.
I know because I have incurred most of my injuries for that very reason. The
lifter should train for the moment in competition instead of lifting for the
moment in training. The more lifts and exercises the lifter trains as events,
where they set PRs like stars in the sky, will eventually breakdown the lifter’s
muscular system. This method will cause the snatch and clean & jerk to
become mediocre or merely fade away in importance among the laundry list
of exercises and events created to make the lifter feel like they are
accomplishing something.
If the training and programming methodologies are adhered to by the
master lifter, then they should enjoy a long and relative injury free career.
Reaching one’s full potential depends on several factors, but one of those
factors lies in the area of the training methodology. It is never how much
weight the lifter lifts, but how they lift the weight is what matters.
Appendix A
Programming Hints
Specifics—M35, 69k
Snatch PR 83k
Clean & Jerk PR 105k
The first thing to do is create a table of incremental increases.
Incremental Increases: 188k tota l (83k d 105k)

an
Snatch 20 30 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 83
C&J 20 40 50 60 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105
The incremental should start at 10k with the lighter weights and switch to
5k as the weight increases.
The next step would be to find out what the lifter’s equivalent clean &
jerk is. This step might require the lifter to test the front squat and measure
the time-in-motion of that squat. Let’s assume this lifter does 100k in 1.3
seconds, and his 105k clean & jerk is slower than 2.5 seconds. In this
instance the equivalent clean & jerk would be as follows;
1.3 - 1 = .3 x 50 = 15k
and
100k - 15k = 85k equivalent clean & jerk
The clean portion would be executed slower than 2.5 seconds because the
equivalent clean & jerk is less than 105k. The lifter should bring the times-in-
motion into sync; therefore, this lifter should use the 85k to base the training
percentages on, instead of the 105k, until the equivalent clean & jerk is in
line with the 105k PR. The coach or lifter should create a new Incremental
table for the AEC&J of 85k.
The snatch will be 85k x .8 = 68k

Incremental Increases: 153k l (68k d 85k)
tota an
Snatch 20 25 30 35 40 44 48 52 58 62 65 68
C&J 20 30 40 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 83 85
This action is temporary until the lifter performs the 105k equivalent
clean & jerk along with the overall times-in-motion of the clean and jerks
being 2.5 seconds or faster on average. Also, the clean pull needs to increase
to 105k in 0.33 seconds, if it is not already. If the pulls are in equilibrium
with the clean & jerk PR, then only a minor reduction is necessary. The
major change in the training will be a reduction in the level of intensity in the
snatch and clean & jerk to allow the front squat to increase from 85k @ one-
second to 105k @ one-second. If this is not achievable, then the lifter could
have become stagnant, and the only way to increase the performance would
be to grind out the lifts until they incur an injury, which is not a good
solution. The lifter should continue to enforce the methodology of training
for the well-being of the lifter.
Programming: Example 1a
Day 1
Snatch 25 x 3, 30 x 2, 35 x 2, 40 x 1, 44 x 1, 48 x 1
52 x 5 x 3
Front Sq 50 x 3, 55 x 3, 60 x 2, 65 x 2, 70 x 6 x 4
Sn Pull (midsection) 70 x 3, 75 x 3, 80 x 3, 85 x 4 x 2
Various Auxiliary and Bodybuilding Exercises
Day 2
Clean + 3 + 1 40, 50, 60, 65 x 3 sets
Cl Pull full ext. 70 x 3, 75 x 3, 80 x 3, 85 x 5 x 3
Day 3
See Section 7 for details
Day 4
Snatch 25 x 3, 30 x 2, 35 x 2, 40 x 1, 44 x 1, 48 x 1
52 x 1, 58 x 5 x 2
Front Sq 40 x 3, 50 x 3, 55 x 3, 60 x 2, 65 x 3 x 6
Sn Pull (Full Ext.) 65 x 3, 70 x 3, 75 x 3, 80 x 4 x 2
Day 5
Clean + 2 + 1 40, 50, 60, 70, 75, 80 x 5 sets
Cl Pull full ext. 80 x 3, 85 x 3, 90 x 3, 95 x 3
Sample Training Log 1a

Equiv.
Day Snatch C&J Front Sq Cl Pull Sn Pull
C&J
52 / 5 x 3 70 x 6 x 4 70 x 4 x 2
1 85k
2.47 sec. 1st set 1 sec. 0.27 sec.
65 + 3 + 1
2 .9 sec. 90k 85 x 5 x 3
2.37 sec.
3 Various Auxiliary and Bodybuilding Exercises using light weight
58 / 5 x 2 65 x 3 x 6 80 x 4 x 2
4 90k
80 + 2 + 1
5 .95 sec. 95k 95 x 4 x 3
2.57 sec.
72.5 / 85% 67.5 x 5 75k

AVE. 55 / 81% 90k 90k
2.47 sec. 1 sec. 0.28.5 sec.
The overall times-in-motion in the snatch and clean are faster in this
example and the equivalent clean & jerk is increasing. This action would take
several weeks if not months before the equivalent clean & jerk of 85k is up to
105k, and the lifter performed the 105k clean in 2.5 seconds or faster. It will
be well worth the effort since the lifter will be able to continue to progress,
where before he was becoming stagnant.
During this process of bringing the equivalent clean & jerk in sync with
the clean and jerk PR, the lifter will spend more time doing cleans plus
additional front squats and more volume in the front squat with weights that
can be achieved in one-second or faster regardless of the sets or reps.
Programming: Example 2a
Day 1
Snatch 30 x 3, 40 x 3, 50 x 2, 55 x 2, 60 x 2, 65 x 5 x 3
Front Sq 60 x 3, 70 x 3, 80 x 2, 90 x 2 100 x 6 x 4
Day 2
Clean + 3 + 1 40, 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 85
Cl Pull full ext. 85 x 3, 90 x 3, 95 x 3, 100 5 x 3
Day 3
Day 4
Snatch 40 x 3, 50 x 2, 55 x 2, 60 x 2, 65 x 1, 70 x 5 x 2
Front Sq 60 x 3, 70 x 3, 80 x 2, 85 x 3 x 6
Sn Pull (Full Ext.) 65 x 3, 70 x 3, 75 x 3, 80 x 4 x 2
Day 5
Clean + 2 + 1 40, 50, 60, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90 x 2 sets
Cl Pull full ext. 85 x 3, 90 x 3, 95 x 3, 100 x 2, 105 x 4 x 2
I prefer to alternate the snatch and clean & jerk to maximize intensity
over frequency. If the lifter trains both lifts the same day, including any
variations or partials, the tendency will be a lesser average monthly intensity
level for both lifts and usually the clean & jerk is affected more than the
snatch.
The times-in-motion will have to be entered, after the fact, as was shown
in the sample training log. This method can be done after training and should
not have any effect on that training as the lifter will be aware of those times
and how those times related to the feel of the lifts. Eventually, the lifter will
be able to ingrain those times to where they will know how fast they are
moving or how slow and will be able to adjust the working weights as
needed.
The lifter can vary the programming by using snatch variations or
partials, being mindful of placing the right emphasis on those variations and
partials, instead of always doing the full movement. I recommend the full
movement be trained the vast majority of the time to maintain those complex
motor pathways needed for competition and the 90% or greater lifts in
training.
The incremental increases need not be written down in the program as
long as the lifter has established a set routine with those incremental
increases up to the working or top-end weight. The right number of reps with
each incremental should also be determined depending on how many sets and
reps the lifer programs for those top-ending weights.
Training Log: Program 2a
In this sample, the same lifter’s equivalent clean & jerk was 110k instead
of 85k. The lifter, if at all possible, should use the AEC&J if it is less than the
lifter’s clean & jerk meet Pr.
Incremental Increases: 188k total (83k and 105k)
Snatch 20 30 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 83
C&J 20 40 50 60 70 75 80 85 90 95 100 105
Equiv.
C&J
65 / 5 x 3 100 x 6 x 4 85 x 4 x 2
1 115k
85 + 3 + 1
100 x 5 x 3
2 .9 sec. 110k
0.33
2.37 sec.
70 / 5 x 2 85 x 3 x 6 80 x 4 x 2
4 110k
90 + 2 + 1 (2)
105 x 4 x 2
5 .80 sec. 120k
0.30
2.57 sec.
67.5 / 81% 87.5 / 83%

AVE. 92.5 @ 1 sec. 114k 102.5 / 0.315 82.5 / 0.285
2.53 2.47
The lifter was able to increase the average equivalent weekly clean & jerk
******ebook converter DEMO Watermarks*******

to 114k, but the meet PRs should always be used to determine working
weights unless the average equivalent clean & jerk (AEC&J) is less than the
clean & jerk meet PR. The main elements to watch are the equivalent clean &
jerk and the overall times-in-motion of the clean, as well as the effort that the
lifter needs for the jerks. As long as the lifter’s front squat @ one-second is at
least 105% greater than their meet PR clean & jerk they should have no
trouble handling those PR lifts with an overall time of 2 seconds. Whatever
the lifter’s AEC&J happens to be will be an assured clean & jerk with that
AEC&J and possibly 5k to 10k more depending on the proficiency and age of
the lifter.
Programming: Example 1b
Specifics—W35, 63k
Snatch PR 75k
Clean & Jerk PR 93k
AEC&J 96k

tota an
Snatch 15 25 35 40 45 50 55 60 64 68 72 75
C&J 15 35 45 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 93
75k x 70% = 53k

75k x 90% = 68k
The snatch working weights will fall between 53k and 68k. The 68k the
lifter should reserve for practice meets held during the training phase between
meets. Approx. 85% should be the limit on training weights, to help ensure
that the lifter can perform the multiple reps or sets with repeated precision
and specific times-in-motion.
93k x 70% = 65k

93k x 85% = 79k
Day 1
Power Snatch 25 x 3, 35 x 3, 40 x 2, 45 x 2, 50 x 2, 55 x 3 x 1
Front Sq 35 x 3, 55 x 3, 65 x 2, 75 x 2, 80 x 3 x 3
******ebook converter DEMO Watermarks*******
Sn Pull (midsection) 60 x 3, 68 x 3, 72 x 5 x 2
Day 2
Clean & Jerk x 3 35 x 3, 45 x 2, 55 x 2, 60 x 1, 65 x 1, 70 x 3 x 3
Day 3
Day 4
Snatch 25 x 3, 35 x 3, 40 x 2, 45 x 2, 50 x 2, 55 x 2
60 x 5 x 2
Front Sq 35 x 3, 55 x 3, 65 x 2, 75 x 4 x 4
Sn Pull (midsection) 60 x 3, 68 x 3, 72 x 5 x 2
Day 5
Clean + 2 + 1 35, 45, 55, 60, 65, 75 x 3 sets
Training Log 1b
Equiv.
C&J
Sn off Box
80 x 3 x 3 75 x 5 x 2
1 above knee 90k
1st set 1 sec. 0.30 sec.
55 / 3 x 1
70 x 3 x 3
90 x 4 x 2
2 .93 sec. 97k
0.33
2.07 sec.
60 / 5 x 2 75 x 4 x 4 72 x 5 x 2
4 97k
2.03 sec. 1st set .93 sec. 0.30 sec.
75 + 2 + 1 (3)
90 x 4 x 2
5 .80 sec. 105k
0.30
2.13 sec.
60 / 80% 72.5 / 78% 73.5

2.03 sec. 2.1 sec. 0.30 sec.
Snatch or clean off boxes should not be used when calculating the weekly
or monthly averages for the snatch. The lifter should use only the primary full
movements for the monthly report. It is perfectly okay to measure the times
off boxes as a reference for subsequent sessions or to check the correlation
between those snatches off the boxes with the snatches off the platform. The
most significant difference between the two is lifting off boxes with straps
will allow about 10k more to be put overhead than off the platform with
straps. The lifter should understand that the 10k difference would be non-
beneficial overloading. There is a difference in doing something because it
makes sense to do it, and doing it because the lifter can achieve "more"
weight. That more weight has a price tag.
Again, the only difference in training due to age should be the volume
and number of days of training. The intensity or amount of weight is relative
to age. The greater the volume then the level of intensity will become
decreased and vice versa. The battle between volume and intensity is ongoing
and is why the athlete should place restrictions on the lifts, such as repeated
precision and specific times-in-motion, as well as average monthly levels of
intensity. Otherwise, stagnation will always be the winner. Volume and
intensity should be leveled out and become equal partners, one never
becoming more dominant than the other.
Programming: Example 1c
Specifics—M65, 85k
Snatch PR 70k
Clean & Jerk PR 87k
AEC&J 83k

tota an
Snatch 20 25 30 35 40 45 49 53 57 60 63 66
C&J 20 30 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 83
Correlation of the snatch to 83k AEC&J: 83k x 80% = 66k

66k x 70% = 46k or 45k from the incremental table
83k x 85% = 70k from the incremental table
Week One
Day 1 (Monday or Tuesday)

Snatch 25 x 3, 30 x 2, 35 x 2, 40 x 2, 45 x 1, 49 x 5 x 1
Front Sq 40 x 3, 50 x 2, 60 x 1, 70 x 1, 80 x 4 x 3
Day 2 (Wednesday or Thursday)

Clean & Jerk 30 x 3, 40 x 2, 50 x 1, 60 x 1, 65 x 1, 70 x 3 x 2
Cl Pull full ext. 65 x 2, 70 x 2, 80 x 4 x 2
Day 3 (Saturday or Sunday)

Hang Snatch (above knee) 25 x 3, 30 x 2, 35 x 2, 40 x 2, 45 x 3 x 2
Front Sq 40 x 3, 50 x 2, 60 x 1, 70 x 1, 85 x 2
Week Two
Day 4 (Monday or Tuesday)

Clean + 2 + 1 30, 40, 50, 60, 65 x 3 sets
Day 5 (Wednesday or Thursday)

Snatch 30 x 2, 40 x 2, 45 x 2, 49 x 1, 53 x 3, 57 x 4 x 1
Front Sq 40 x 3, 50 x 2, 60 x 1, 70 x 1, 85 x 2
Day 6 (Saturday or Sunday)

Clean & Jerk 30 x 3, 40 x 2, 50 x 1, 60 x 1, 65 x 1, 70 x 1
Sn Pull full ext. 60 x 2, 65 x 5 x 2
The master lifter can reduce volume by reducing the number of days
training the primaries. Other days can be spent doing very light auxiliary
exercises and partials with the empty bar up to 50% of effort or PR.
This method would help with flexibility and conditioning concerning the
auxiliary and bodybuilding type exercises. Three days a week training the
primaries should be sufficient for master lifters M65 and older and W55 and
older.
Since there are two competition lifts and two assistance lifts, it will take
four days to transition through those lifts if they alternated as shown in this
example.
Training Log 1b
Equiv.
C&J
Wk1
Snatch
80 x 4 x 3 63 x 5 x 4
1 49 x 5 x 1 90k
1st set 1 sec. 0.30 sec.
2.17
70 x 3 x 2 80 x 4 x 2
2 .80 sec. 95k 0.33
2.07 sec.
Hang Sn 85 x 2
3 97k
45 x 3 x 2 1st set .93 sec.
Wk2
65 + 2 + 1 (3) 85 x 3 x 3
4 .80 sec. 95k 0.27
2.13 sec.
Snatch
85 x 3 x 2
5 57 x 4 x 1 103k
.87 sec.
2.2
75 x 3 x 2 65 x 5 x 2
6 .83 sec. 102k 0.30
2.13 sec.
82.5
Ave. 53 / 80% 70 / 84% 83 / .93 97k 64 / 0.30
0.30
Since the primaries are the main lifts, and only trained three days per
week, the lifter should calculate the average every two weeks and every
month. The monthly ending reports being the most important for writing the
following month(s) program(s).
If the lifter uses a timed-rebound in both lifts with a single rebound out of
the bottom position, then the additional time caused by pausing or using a
double bounce should be counted in the overall time-in-motion, in the clean
& jerk and can be subtracted out in the snatch. If the lifter always uses a
pause style in both lifts, then that should be the way the athlete executes the
lift, and any timed-rebound they should not count when calculating the
average time per month.
Lifters who use the pause technique in the bottom of the lift should train
the front squat the same way, being mindful that the times-in-motion must be
one-second or faster regardless if the lifter pauses or not. I advise against
using a pause technique for the clean. The timed-rebound is more athletic and
more effective. I also recommend against doing pause squats as a general
rule, because the times-in-motion will be slower and there is no reason for
any athlete to train using a voluntarily slower motion.
Strength Cycles and Squat Routines
Strength cycles usually imply that it is possible to spend more time
emphasizing the squats and pulls in some vain attempt to get stronger by
pushing those squats and pulls using decelerated actions and absolute
amounts of weight. The lifter should not base the squats and pulls off the
absolute amount of weight achieved in each of those lifts. Since the lifter
performed the 1RM, in both the squats and pulls (DLs), using decelerated
actions, then the percentages will contain decelerated movements as well,
where those percentages fall in the 75% to 100% range. Strength cycles are
born out of powerlifting systems, but in powerlifting, the squat and deadlift
are the events and are not assistance lifts for those events. Commingling these
systems and programs with weightlifting has created a slow and nearly
stagnant rise of weightlifting in the US. Since the squats and pulls are not the
weightlifter’s events, it becomes nonsensical to try and push those lifts or
think of those lifts as separate events that the lifter needs to emphasize. No
have to interpolate those slower squats and deadlifts back to a one-second
squat or 0.33 pull to the knees, which will always equate back to what the
lifter can snatch or clean & jerk because it must. The solution is to progress
the squats and pulls using non-decelerated actions, which allows the clean &
jerk to progress along with the squats and pulls, and the snatch will follow the
progress of the clean & jerk.
Squat routines would only be viable if the lifter performed every squat in
each set and rep in one-second or less, and they achieved the resulting goal in
one-second. This method would come under the heading of increased volume
which only makes sense if the routine does not interfere in the training of the
snatch and clean & jerk. As long as the lifter linearly progresses both the lifts
and assistance lifts and they adhere to repeated precision and specific times-
in-motion the training would achieve its primary goal of both improving the
lifter and getting the lifter ready for competition. If the stated purpose of
training switches over to merely pushing the squats and pulls using
decelerated actions, advancing only the number, then the training has been
switched to the sport of powerlifting.
Table of absolute squats vs. 1 sec. squats

Equivalent Equivalent C&J Overall Time of 2.5 seconds
Back Sq x 5 @ 1.8 sec. average
Back Sq x 1 @ 1 second
50 30 30 x .86 = 26
60 40 34
70 50 43
80 60 52
90 70 60
100 80 69
110 90 77
120 100 86
130 110 95
140 120 103
150 130 112
160 140 120
170 150 129
180 160 138
A back squat of 180k x 5 achieved in an average time of 1.8 seconds

A back squat of 180k x 5 achieved in an average time of 1.8 seconds
would only be equal to a clean & jerk of 138k. The other factor the lifter
should consider is the decelerated squats will take longer to recover from and
could produce a negative impact on subsequent workouts. The non-
decelerated squats also create less stress to the muscular and adrenaline
systems, and when the lifter adds volume, it will produce beneficial
overloading.
The lifter should consider the ability to move the weights at times-in-
motion of one-second or faster when writing a program to avoid non-
beneficial overloading and making sure the subsequent sessions are going to
be effective. The muscles will respond to the faster times-in-motion, and the
process of hypertrophy will be directed more towards the sport of
weightlifting instead of powerlifting or bodybuilding.
Appendix B
Conditioning Phase (pre-training or competing)
Before the actual rigors of training is commenced, after a lengthy time out
between meets or several years after having competed as an open lifter, the
lifter should commence with some training which will condition the muscular
system. The conditioning will allow the muscles to be made ready to accept
heavier loadings. Conditioning can include the following;
Walking or Jogging
Gradually build up to some fast walking and then jogging to get the whole
body working again, especially after several years of inactivity or long
layoffs of two months or longer between meets. Most older master lifters
should just stick to walking or fast walking and leave the jogging to the
younger lifters, depending on the bodyweight of the lifter and the condition
of their joints, i.e., hips, knees and ankles.
Wind Sprints
For master lifters age 45 or younger, some wind sprints of about 40 meters
can benefit the reaction time of the lifter.
Calisthenics
In addition to the various stretches, some of the more common calisthenic
exercises include;
Lunges
Performed by bringing one leg forward and almost kneeling on the back leg.
Once the front leg creates a perfect 90-degree angle, stand up and alternate
legs, keeping the back straight and chest out.
Jumping Jacks (Star Jumps/Stride Jumps)

Performed by jumping to a position with the legs spread wide and the hands
touching overhead and then returning to a position with the feet together and
the arms at the sides. Sometimes known as jumping jacks and stride jumps or
side-straddle hops in the US military.
Squat jumps (Toyotas/Box Jumps)

Performed by entering a squatting position, then using a plyometric jumping
movement to jump as high as possible.
Sit-ups
Performed by lying down with the back on the floor, knees bent, and bottoms
of feet against the floor. The shoulders are then lifted off the floor by
tightening abdominal muscles and bringing the chest closer to the knees. The
final movement is to lower the back to the floor with a smooth movement.
This trains the abdominal muscles.
Crunches
Like the sit-up, except instead of bringing the whole torso area closer to the
knees, only a concentrated but shorter movement of the abdominals is
performed. Shoulder blades are lifted off the floor, and abdominals tightened.
Push-up
Performed face down on the floor, palms against floor under the shoulders,
toes curled upwards against the floor. The arms are used to lift the body while
maintaining a straight line from head to heel. The arms of the subject should
go from fully extended in the high position to nearly fully flexed in the low
position, while the subject makes sure to avoid resting on the floor. Resting is
only done in the high position of the exercise. Chest, shoulders, and triceps
are trained with this exercise. By furthering the range of motion, what is often
called a push up, by pushing the shoulders downwards at the top the serrates
anterior comes further into play.
Pull-ups
An overhead bar (sometimes called a chin-up bar) is grasped using a
shoulder-width grip. The subject lifts their body up, chin level with the bar,
and keeping the back straight throughout. The bar remains in front of the
subject at all times. The subject then slowly returns to starting position in a
slow controlled manner. This primarily trains the lats or upper back muscles,
as well as the forearms. An underhand grip variation or chin-up trains both
the back and biceps.
Chin-up
Much like the pull-up, except that the hand placement is reversed. The hands
are facing the person as he pulls his body up using the chin-up bar. Unlike
chin-up counterpart the pull-up, the chin-up focuses on the bicep muscles
rather than the Latissimus dorsi muscle.
Squats
Standing with feet shoulder width apart, the subject squats down as far as
possible, bringing the arms forward parallel to the floor. The subject then
returns to standing position. Squats train the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves,
and gluteal.
Calf-raises
Standing on a platform with an edge where the heels can hang (e.g., a curb),
lift the body on the balls of the feet. The subject then slowly returns to
starting position. This trains the gastrocnemius and to a lesser degree the
soleus. A seated calf-raise trains the soleus.
Dips
Done between parallel bars or facing either direction of trapezoid bars found
in some gyms. Feet are crossed with either foot in front and the body is
lowered until the elbows are in line with the shoulders. The subject then
pushes up until the arms are fully extended, but without locking the elbows.
Dips focus primarily on the chest, triceps, and deltoids, especially the anterior
portion.
Hyperextensions
Performed in a prone position on the ground, the individual raises the legs,
arms and upper body off the ground.
Leg raises
Lying on the back, hands in fists under buttocks, move feet up and down.
Plank
This is the name for holding the 'top' position of a push-up for extended
periods of time. The primary muscle involved in this exercise is the rectus
abdominis.
Sport Specific for Weightlifting
Generally, most of these types of exercises have become sport specific,

depending on the athlete’s needs at any particular time. These exercises have
given-way to the training of the snatch and clean & jerk by using the barbell
instead of just the body, as described in the following list;
1. Lunges: Split Jerks

2. Jumping Jacks (Star Jumps/Stride Jumps): Moving the feet outward during
a snatch or clean in order to receive the weight.
3. Squat jumps (Toyotas/Box Jumps): Pulls
4. Push-up: Overhead Stability for the snatch and jerk
5. Pull-ups: The shoulder girdle for supporting the snatch and jerk overhead
6. Squats: For the pull, jerk and recovery after receiving the snatch and clean
7. Calf-raises: Pulls
8. Hyperextensions: Pulls
Stretching Regimen
It is important to become as flexible as is possible, but do not overdue it,
because over-stretching can cause the opposite effect.
Moderate Bodybuilding Exercises
Bodybuilding exercises isolate the muscles and can help begin the process of
increasing both size and efficiency within the muscular system. Again, the
bodybuilding does not need to be overdone, but just a medium weight
executed using 5 sets of 5 or 10, as long as the motion can be rhythmic and
somewhat effortless.
Bicep Curls
Triceps Curls
Upright Rows
Bent Over Rows
Calf Raises
Seated Presses
Etc.
Auxiliary Exercises and Partials
These have been discussed in some detail in earlier sections throughout
this book. The main thing during a conditioning phase is to make sure these
exercises are executed using rhythmic motions with somewhat effortless
weights. 5 sets of 3 to 5 should be sufficient for conditioning purposes.
Moderate Training of the Primaries
The main purpose of doing the primaries during the conditioning phase
would be to work on repeated precision and specific times-in-motion and
keeping the average level of intensity under 65%. 5 sets of 5 should be
sufficient for conditioning purposes. For newbies to the sport the
conditioning phase should last about 6 months and for returnees it will
depend on age and the conditioning needed. I would suggest not doing any
snatches or clean & jerks until after two months of conditioning, especially
for newbies and older returnees. The joints and muscles need to be prepared
for those impact forces contained in the snatch and clean & jerk, as the
weight begins to be increased once the conditioning has been adequately
completed.
Summary
The length of the conditioning phase will depend on the age of the lifter
and/or how long they have taken time off from competition, also whether
they are new to the sport or a returnee. At any rate my advice to anyone
beginning anew or returning is to come back very gradually regardless of
whatever the particular method is used to begin training. It is rather fool
hardy for a lifter age 35 to jump into the game full throttle and begin setting
PRs left and right, because eventually the wheels will fall off. If the 35-year-
old simply wants to make one big splash and then retire then by all means
train like there is no tomorrow. But if that 35-year-old wants to see more
tomorrows then I suggest a much slower and sane approach to this sport.

Masters Weightlifting Comprehensive Training Guide M35 Plus To W35 Plus - Nodrm

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Masters Weightlifting Comprehensive Training Guide M35 Plus To W35 Plus - Nodrm

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Comprehensive Training Guide

Covers all Age Groups from 35 to 80+

Note of Rights: All rights reserved. No part of this book my be reproduced

Notice of Liability: The information in this book is distributed on an “as is”

About the Author

Men’s Age Groups Women’s Age Groups

* Not included in the Olympics

Things that will change with age;

Some things that do not change;

Open World Master World

M35 - 39, 56k 307 202.5 66.0%

M35 - 39, 62k 333 262 78.7%

M35 - 39, 69k 359 280 78.0%

M35 - 39, 77k 380 315 82.9%

M35 - 39, 85k 396 320 80.8%

M35 - 39, 94k 412 332.5 80.7%

M35 - 39, 105k 437 359 82.2%

M35 - 39, 105+k 473 375 79.3%

Average Percentage 78.6%

M40 - 44, 56k 307 218 71.0%

M40 - 44, 62k 333 260 78.1%

M40 - 44, 69k 359 257 71.6%

M40 - 44, 77k 380 288 75.8%

M40 - 44, 85k 396 302 76.3%

M40 - 44, 94k 412 309 75.0%

M40 - 44, 105k 437 342 78.3%

M40 - 44, 105k+ 473 358 75.7%

Average Percentage 75.2%

M45 - 49, 56k 307 198 64.5%

M45 - 49, 69k 359 250 69.6%

M45 - 49, 77k 380 263 69.2%

M45 - 49, 85k 396 270 68.2%

M45 - 49, 94k 412 290 68.2%

M45 - 49, 105k 437 307 70.3%

M45 - 49, 105k+ 473 320 67.7%

Average Percentage 67.6%

M50 - 54, 56k 307 177 57.7%

M50 - 54, 62k 333 197.5 59.3%

M50 - 54, 69k 359 230 64.1%

M50 - 54, 77k 380 254 66.8%

M50 - 54, 85k 396 260 65.7%

M50 - 54, 94k 412 305 74.0%

M50 - 54, 105k 437 300 68.6%

M50 - 54, 105k+ 473 310 65.5%

Average Percentage 65.2%

M55 - 59, 56 307 167 54.4%

M55 - 59, 62 333 186 55.9%

M55 - 59, 69 359 215 59.9%

M55 - 59, 77 380 227.5 59.9%

M55 - 59, 85 396 241 60.9%

M55 - 59, 94 412 275 66.7%

M55 - 59, 105 437 270 61.8%

M55 - 59, 105k+ 473 257 54.3%

Average Percentage 59.2%

M60 - 64, 56k 307 167 54.4%

M60 - 64, 62k 333 176 52.9%

M60 - 64, 69k 359 201 56.0%

M60 - 64, 77k 380 210 55.3%

M60 - 64, 85k 396 225 56.8%

M60 - 64, 94k 412 240 58.3%

Average Percentage 55.7%

M65 - 69, 56k 307 141 45.6%

M65 - 69, 56k 333 160 48.0%