Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches

by Greg Everett

Since shortly after its original release in 2008, Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches has been the most popular book on the sport of weightlifting in the world and has become the standard text for learning and teaching the snatch and clean & jerk.

This all new third edition has been expanded over 150 pages with revised and improved chapters, new chapters, improved organization, more tables and diagrams, over 600 photographs, improved readability, and improved reference functionality with an index, glossary and expanded table of contents.

The book presents a complete progression for athletes and coaches starting with foundational elements such as breath control and trunk stabilization, squatting, balance and weight distribution, warming-up, individual variation; working to complete learning and teaching progressions for the snatch, clean and jerk; covering training program design extensively, including assessment for recruiting and new lifters, and 16 sample training programs; technical error correction, supplemental exercises, nutrition, bodyweight manipulation, and mobility; and a thorough section on competition to prepare both lifters and coaches.

“Simply the best book available on Olympic weightlifting.” -Don Weideman, Vice President, Pacific Weightlifting Association

“Without a doubt the best book on the market today about Olympic-style weightlifting.” -Mike Burgener, USA Weightlifting senior international coach

“Outstanding, Accurate, and Concise! A must read for athletes and coaches involved in the movements.” -Daniel Camargo, USA Weightlifting International Coach

“Everett's Olympic Weightlifting text is one of the best instructional books for the sport to be published in years. This is a must have for every weightlifting/strength and conditioning coach's library shelf.” Bob Takano, Member USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame

“Everett's book is one of the most accessible and comprehensive weightlifting sources available for the coach and athlete today. I highly recommend this book for every serious strength coach or weightlifting practitioner.” -John Thrush, Head Coach Calpians Weightlifting

Table of Contents

Foundations
Understanding the Lifts
Learning & Teaching the Lifts
Individual Variation
Facility & Equipment
Warming Up
Breathing & Trunk Rigidity
The Squat
Foot Positions & Transition
The Hook Grip
The Double Knee Bend
Starting Position Principles

The Snatch
Introduction to the Snatch
The Receiving Position
Learning the Snatch
Pulling from the Floor
Understanding the Snatch

The Clean
Introduction to the Clean
The Receiving Position
Learning the Clean
Pulling from the Floor
Understanding the Clean

The Jerk
Introduction to the Jerk
The Receiving Position
Learning the Jerk
Understanding the Jerk
The Clean & Jerk

Error Correction
Introduction to Error Correction
Universal Errors
Snatch Errors
Clean Errors
Jerk Errors

Program Design & Training
Introduction to Program Design
Assessment
Training Variables
Jump Training
Assistance Work
The Bulgarian Method
Specific Populations
The Program Design Process
Restoration & Recovery
Training Practices
Sample Training Programs

Supplemental Exerci

Genres: Fitness, Nonfiction, Health, Reference, Sports, Bodies

Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2008

About the author

Greg Everett is author of Tough, Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches, and several other books, writer/director/producer of American Weightlifting: The Documentary, and coach of a USA Weightlifting national championship team.

Reviews

[Yevgeniy Brikman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains a ton of information, including just about everything you need to learn the olympic lifts. However, while it's all there, the organization and writing style make it difficult to parse through and find exactly what you need. I guess I'm comparing this book to the gold standard - Rippetoe & Kilgore's "Starting Strength" - but I found it hard to separate the "need to know" from the other stuff. Starting Strength seemed to lay out information in a simple, straight forward fashion where you could mentally outline a series of steps to follow to succeed at a lift. While all the steps for olympic weightlifting are definitely in this book, they are muddled with all sorts of other discussions and don't stick in your mind as distinctly. Further contributing to this is Everett's writing style, which can be very mechanical and dry. I often found myself re-reading the same sentence multiple times either due to boredom or just tangled phrasing. I think this book will work very well as a reference manual - as something I'd go back and check when I'm curious about some specific detail of a lift - but I don't think it's a great choice for learning the lifts from scratch.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very readable guide to olympic weightlifting. The textbook size is at first intimidating, but the writing style, diagrams, and organized sections make it digestible, even to a total weightlifting beginner.

I have only recently become interested in this hobby/sport and was relieved to see a breakdown of fully described and pictorial progressions into the actual moves. The book shows you how to work toward the actual technical lifts so that you can safely get the coordination down without jumping straight into killing yourself with a bad first attempt at something you are not prepared for. The author uses pictures of male and female lifters of various shapes and sizes so that you can get an idea of how things should look for a body type similar to your own.

Toward the end of the book there are many lifting programs written out for beginners to advanced lifters. There are plans for different goals, age groups etc- for example, there is a program that focuses on hypertrophy, squat power, level 0-4 lifters...

I would recommend this book for a variety of lifters- beginner, youth, intermediate, male, female...

[Cris Morales · Rating 3 out of 5]

About the book:
This is a great textbook. I highly recommend this to anyone currently practicing the Olympic lifts as it will improve your understanding of the mechanics behind each movement, as well as the quality of your communication with your coach. The most practical information I could find was regarding flexibility. I´ve inadvertently been using a very narrow stance on front squats and cleans, and have been working towards improving it. This is what I´m currently doing, next to what I consider to be ideal form:


About the training:
Due to schedule constraints, I haven´t been able to continue training with my weightlifting team. I returned to Starting Strength (with some additional exercises), good nutrition and sleep and got these 1RM´s @165lb a couple of weeks ago:

Press: 129lb
Squat: 295lb
Bench: 187lb
Deadlift: 293lb
Power Clean: 180lb

I´ll bulk to 180lb and hopefully get these 1RMs in some years:

Press: 164lb
Squat: 367lb
Bench: 275lb
Deadlift: 438lb
Power Clean: 264lb

[Alexander Asay]

I

[DW]

I've never been a focused strength athlete, but I realized a few years ago that without taking strength more seriously I would never advance holistically in bodybuilding. I need to improve my core lifts to beat my plateaus. I am seeing some progress, which is gratifying.

This book is dizzying in its detail and description of motion. Everett is extremely text focused in his description of movement (some diagrams & photos but not enough), and yet it provided me with a ton of useful guidelines in the absence of a coach. I am an amateur and this sport is 100% recreational for me but that doesn't mean I don't still want to do better.

I workout on my own at home, so I need to be careful to be safe but I also don't want to be complacent. This book lit a fire under me and I hope to do better.

[Laura N · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the ultimate resource for learning the Olympic lifts. Everything from drill breakdown to training plans. Excellent cues to have especially if there is a specific part of the lift you are struggling with. It is handy to have in addition to their online videos that break down the movement.

[CARL SCHROEDER · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reference manual for Olympic Weightlifting. Clear, to the point instruction. The book is easily brought to life by combining it with Greg's YouTube videos/exercise library on the Catalyst Athletics website. A no BS illustration of the fundamental tools for all aspiring lifters.

[Anthony Beckman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only book you'll need. Helped me prepare for numerous meets and is a resource for any question related to weightlifting.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only weightlifting book you’ll ever need.

[PJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply the best resource for all your Olympic weightlifting needs

[Sarah Ismond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continued education read

[Thai Son · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skimmed through. Very detailed and all-encompassing, but at the same time without the sufficient depth for a lifter to actually understand the subject. Perhaps this text enjoys its popularity because of the scarcity of good weightlifting material. I enjoyed the squatting and nutrition bits, but then one could do better from reading books on squatting and nutrition, respectively.

And I disagree with some opinions that seem to make the foundation of the book, and perhaps American Weightlifting in general. I don't care how successful a coach Greg is, but I think saying that the Snatch and Clean & Jerk are so specific that one has to do them most of the time to hone technique would get a lot of head-shaking in China.

The book is kind of a massive mosaic of Weightlifting--with all the necessary parts, but without the nuance behind them.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly detailed, perfectly organized and well-written guidebook to the Olympic lifts

This book is for the athlete or coach who is looking for a definitive starting point to their study of the Olympic lifts. I turned to this book when Internet research and videos just didn't provide me with enough detail to develop a true understanding of performing and coaching the lifts.

The best part of this book is the progressive nature in which the material is presented. This is helpful in learning to perform the lifts, and in learning to understand the technical details of the lifts.

I consider this book my go-to reference when I'm dealing with a specific fault in an athlete I'm coaching, or in myself. It's an awesome combo of academic knowledge, and practical application.

[Panashe M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title says it all, and it's certainly no exaggeration, this is an exhaustive and comprehensive guide to all things weightlifting. Greg breaks the Olympic lifts down into easy to understand progressions, and he is sure to detail every aspect of technical performance. Already, I've managed to improve my own technique by following some of his recommendations. Concise yet thorough, written in an engaging (and at times slightly humorous manner), this is an outstanding resource for athletes, and especially coaches, who wish to improve their understanding of Olympic weightlifting, or add a reliable method of speed-strength development to their training.

[Jörgen Pettersson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on lifting, terrible parts on nutrition

Very comprehensive on the topic, and I've gathered a tonne of tips I can implement over time in my training. But I would recommend everyone to skip the chapter on nutrition though, unless you're looking for a laugh, that part was not in line with the science and mostly just repeated many fitness fads from the US.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. Too much information, I think. Great stuff, and I'm sure that it would be fantastic for a strength coach who was in the position of teaching the Olympic Lifts, but I became boggled after a while. Might revisit this one if I decide to really pursue the Olympic Lifts at a later date, however.

[Sean Post · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book on Olympic Lifting but I can't imagine a more comprehensive resource anywhere. If you are looking for a great handbook to work on technique, drills, and programming for the classic lifts this is the gold standard.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book, especially if used together with his great video content on YouTube. Whenever I have trouble with the lifts I consult this book like an encyclopedia. Will probably read the whole book through again now that I have a bit more experience with the lifts.

[Lauren Casapulla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greg really knows how to explain things. This supplements my in-the-gym training with my coaches and gives me technique fixes to consider when I'm on my own at open gym time.

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book! Has all the information needed and more. Will defnitely read it over and over as a helpful guide for my trainings and lectures.

[Richard Meehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

On a re-read.
By far the most thorough book on Olympic Weightlifting available now.

[Kolyo Kolev · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the completest guide about Olympic Weightlifting.
Great THANK YOU to Greg Everett about this priceless book.

[Mihai Cozma · Rating 5 out of 5]

It won't replace a coach, but it is a great companion for better understanding what are you (not) doing right.

[Marc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on the fundamentals of the oly lift.

[Jay Goebel]

on page 189. error correction