There may be times when the weights I’ve prescribed for certain exercises don’t feel right to you.
 
Maybe they feel way too easy… or maybe it feels like the bar is glued to the floor.
 
In cases like this, you can adjust your training weights to make them more suitable for you.
 
This will be most common with pull and deadlift variations, the %s of which are based on the snatch/clean—if your Olympic lifts are limited primarily by technique so you have a significant strength surplus, pulls are going to be too light for you.
 
A few tips to do this effectively:
 
1. Know The Goal:
The % of the exercise should give you a clue to how hard it should feel—the idea is to stick to the spirit of the program. Don’t turn something that should be moderately difficult into a max effort.
 
2. Make Small Adjustments by Feel
Don’t make a 20% change out the gate—make small changes in the workout and see how they feel before you commit. When you find a good weight, see what that % is and adjust %s for that exercise the same amount for the rest of the cycle (being ready to adjust day to day if/as needed).
 
3. Keep Misses to a Minimum
If you’re increasing weights on an Olympic lift variation, avoid a bunch of misses. Even if a weight doesn’t feel heavy, if you’re missing a lot, you likely need to reduce it a bit. Remember that this isn’t just training—it’s practice.

One of the best ways to make your workouts LESS effective is to rush through reps without really focusing on what you’re doing.
 
Here are two really simple rules to help:
 
1. No Touch & Go Reps
Nothing (almost) we do in this program should be touch and go. Whether it’s a lift from the floor, or some kind of jerk or push press variation, treat each rep as its own—reset in the starting position completely.
 
The exception to this rule is accessory work like upper body pressing and pulling exercises—touch and go is fine with those kinds of things.
 
 
2. Hold Overhead
Any time you lift a bar overhead, HOLD IT THERE.
 
You’ve already done all the work to get it there—don’t make the lift less valuable by bouncing right out of the overhead position immediately. Hold lifts like push presses, jerks, snatches and snatch balances overhead for at least a second before lowering the bar.
 
This is such an easy way to get so much more out of lifts you’re already doing. If you have ANY overhead weakness or instability, longer holds will pay off immensely.

Can you add accessory work to the program on top of what I’ve prescribed?
 
Sure!
 
Just do it wisely.
 
Here are some simple guidelines:
 
1. Increase Gradually
Don’t suddenly triple your accessory work volume! Add a bit each week and see how it goes. You can always add more. If you add way too much, you won’t be able to evaluate what works as you start eliminating some because you’ll be working under the fatigue you accumulated with excessive training.
 
2. Choose Wisely
I prescribe accessory work that addresses the most common and universal needs for athletes doing Olympic weightlifting. But you may need or want additional work to address your specific issues or goals.
 
Do you want huge arms? Add more arm work!
 
Do you want to get a bunch of pull-ups? Add more pull-up training!
 
Do you have a problem with shoulder or hip stability? Add more exercises to help!
 
BUT like #1, be smart about how much you add—even those minor exercises will impact your ability to recover.
 
When possible, try to replace existing exercises with the new ones—if they do similar things, but yours works better for you, just swap them out.
 
3. Scheduling
Schedule exercises where they won’t negatively impact your primary training.
 
For example, if we have heavy jerks on Tuesday, don’t blast your delts and tris into oblivion on Monday. Instead, add that work to the end of Tuesday so you’re grouping similar demands.

With athletes of many levels and from all over the world, it’s impossible for me to plan the training programs for the team around any specific competition schedule.
 
If you compete, that means inevitably a competition is going to arise that doesn’t conveniently fall on the date the program peaks.
 
Here are some options to make it work:
 
1. Use the 4-week Competition Prep cycle
You can get a 4-week competition prep program here and drop it into your training calendar to align with your meet date. Adjust the team program a bit as/if needed to go a little lighter the week before so you’re not starting with a lot of fatigue.
3 day/week program
4 day/week program
5 day/week program
 
 
2. Use a single taper week
Especially if you’re doing a meet that isn’t particularly important—like you’re just jumping in on a local meet for fun—you can just drop in a taper week leading into it. Here are some different taper week structures for you to use.
 
 
3. Use a completely different program for the meet
If this is a big, important meet—like you’re looking to medal or qualify for something—consider a complete training cycle that leads directly into it.
 
Ideally use a program you’ve used before that was successful; at the very least, make a good choice based on what you need to work on, along with appropriate volume, intensity and frequency.
 
Use the program filter here to find a good program (most have the option of the TrainHeroic app format—make sure if that’s what you want that you buy through that link, NOT through my website).
 
 
Stay on the Team!
Regardless of which of these options you choose, you’re welcome to stay on the team and continue posting for feedback as usual.
 
Just make a quick note that that’s what’s happening so I know and can help you accordingly.

Something perplexing I’ve noticed after years of running these online teams is that a surprising number of athletes quit before the end of the program.
 
And I don’t mean after a couple weeks because they decided the program wasn’t quite right for them…
 
I mean 1-2 weeks before the cycle ends.
 
Meaning they invested as much as 10-11 weeks into a program, and then quit before the end when the results are best!
 
In many of the cycles we do, you’ll make PRs along the way—that’s common and built into the program.
 
But ultimately the goal of a training cycle is to produce the biggest lifts at the END—whether that’s for a competition date, or just testing.
 
So my suggestion is to stick it out. Finish the program! Give it a chance to work as intended.
 
If it’s early in a cycle and you believe the program just isn’t right for you, that’s understandable—cut your losses and find something more suitable. Try another team, or find a standalone program.

1. Please post 1 video of 1-2 sets of 1 exercise per day max.
This should be what you need most help with, or a follow-up to check on progress with things we’ve discussed previously.
 
2. I will not always reply to every video you post in a week.
I do my best to spread my time out among you all most effectively, which means focusing extra time and effort where it’s most needed at any given time. If now and then you just get a thumbs-up or a fist bump, it means I’ve seen your video and you’re doing well—no need for notes at that time.
 
The best way to ensure you get as much help as possible when you need it most is to choose what to post judiciously. Fewer posts mean I can get to more of them—and I won’t reply to one you’re not that concerned with, and miss one you are.
 
If you have a video you’d just like to share with everyone and are not looking for feedback, feel free to post in the team chat thread—maybe a competition performance or PR you’re proud of, or something you’re excited about. We’re all happy to see it.

HS or Heavy single indicates taking the exercise to the heaviest weight for a single rep that can be managed in that training session. This is determined simply by gradually increasing the weight until that criterion is met without any failed attempts. If an attempt does fail, but the reason for failure is obviously technical in nature, you can make another attempt. Otherwise stop with a rep you're confident is approximately the best for the day. It does NOT mean you're expected to PR! Some days you may not even hit 90%.

Max is a genuine test of a maximal effort, and usually there is an expectation that you'll be in shape to make a new PR. In this case, you can take up to 3 attempts at a given weight. If after 3 attempts you're still unsuccessful, move on. An exception would be if the missed are due to minor and known technical errors - if you're confident you can fix the error and make it in another attemnpt or two without exhausting or hurting yourself, go for it.

See this article for how to warm up properly.

Most exercise percentages are based on the associated competition lift 1RM: this means all snatch, snatch pull/DL and complex exercises are based on snatch 1RM, for example.

Strength exercises are based on 1RMs of themselves: squats, overhead squat, push press, press, and similar, for example.

Tap on the exercise and the notes will specify what the % is based on.
 

There are a few options. The simplest is to continue on the current team cycle, and then starting 4 weeks out from the meet, do the 4-week competition prep cycle I have on TrainHeroic (available as both 5 and 3 day/week formats). Another is to continue on the team cycle and simply do a single taper week leading into the competition. Finally, you can use a different complete training cycle that you time to peak on the competition date. You're welcome to post those workouts in the team area of TrainHeroic to continue getting feedback during that time.

For your biggest, heaviest sets of primary lifts, you can rest up to 3-4 minutes. For more moderate efforts, 2-3 minutes. For accessory work, when in a circuit, move exercise to exercise without any rest; otherwise, 1-2 minutes.

Post training videos in the message thread for that day's workout. The general team message thread is for non-workout-specific questions and chatting.

EXCEPTION: If you are behind schedule, post your video in the current day's workout thread - I will NOT go back in time to find stragglers.

 

Once you purchase a program or sign up for a team through Train Heroic, you will be able to access it from the app. Tap the icon at the bottom right, then the gear icon at the top right. From here, tap “My Training.” Your purchased programs and teams will be listed.

Teams will automatically show in your calendar; programs will need to be added to your calendar on the date you wish using the controls under each listed program.

See this help article.

Snatch
Power Snatch
Clean
Power Clean
Jerk
Power Jerk
Clean & Jerk
Back Squat
Front Squat
Overhead Squat
Snatch Balance
Push Press

You can use this chart to enter an estimated max based on your main lifts. If it’s a lift not on that list, start the first week determining working weights by feel.

The reps shown in the app are the TOTAL for the entire set. Make sure you read the description with the exercise that day so you’re not doing extra (shown under the name and video when clicked into that exercise).

For example, 2 reps in a clean & jerk is NOT 2 clean & jerks—it’s a single, and will have the note 1 clean + 1 jerk = 2 total reps. This is especially important with complexes—read closely!
 

When on the exercise screen in that day’s workout, click the video thumbnail under the exercise name for a demo video and information.

No! This is just a feature of the app that allows you to enter your best weight of the day to compare with other athletes on the leaderboard. Stick to the prescribed weights.

Yes—for many reasons, the prescribed weights won’t always be perfect for every athlete. Feel free to adjust as needed while sticking to the spirit of the prescription (e.g. don’t go to max effort on a day that’s supposed to be only moderate effort).