On-The-Minute Work is one of the most valuable methods for improving the Olympic lifts, in fact, I use it in my OlyStrong Weightlifting Program every Monday!

It's my favorite method for improving technique, eliminating overthinking, and even setting PR’s. However, it’s not a perfect method, so in this article, I’ll break down the pros and cons, PLUS, I'll share my top three 4-week OTM progressions that I incorporate in my training programs.

P.S. If you prefer the video version, I’ve linked the YouTube version at the bottom of the article!

What Is On-The-Minute (OTM)Work?:

OTM work is a method of training that I use for the snatch and clean and jerk in which you’ll set a running clock, and at the beginning of every minute, you’ll perform one rep, then rest the remainder of the minute.

This can be a great way to structure your higher volume training days, or it can be the foundation for your entire training program depending on your goals.

Higher-Quality Technique Work

The biggest reason OTM work is such an incredible tool is that it allows for higher-quality technique work due to the fatigue-to-feedback ratio.

In typical technique work, it’s common to see something like five sets of doubles or triples, and while this can be a great way to work on technique and get some good training volume in, it could be better.

The main problem with this approach to technique work is that the fatigue after the first rep is significantly higher, making it far less likely that the second or third rep will be any better than the first. Now this is not always the case, which is one of my two gripes with OTM work, but I’ll dive into that later.

Along with the fatigue being higher after the first rep, there is one positive aspect, which is that you get a ton of feedback from the lift. How it felt, where your balance was, and what your strength levels felt like, but because of the increased fatigue, the chances we can act on that feedback and make a good technique change is a lot lower.

This is the fatigue-to-feedback ratio.

The key to leveraging this to our advantage is to find the right amount of time between reps where we can keep the feedback high, but let the fatigue drop enough to allow us to act on that feedback, and that sweet spot seems to be every minute.

By taking one lift every minute we can effectively get higher quality technique work in AND do it at heavier weights, and if we’re operating under the assumption that technique and training volume are the two biggest factors in improving performance, OTM work is a clear winner compared to the traditional approach.

Eliminate Overthinking

Have you ever missed a lift, or two, or three, because you were too in your head?

Multiple cues bouncing around in your brain and not knowing which one to focus on, so you try to do all of them and successfully do none of them?

By setting the clock and performing one lift every minute, it makes it much easier to get into a groove, and very simply, by only having 30-40 seconds between reps, it makes it harder to overthink things because you just don’t have time to. I’ve seen this method work with even some of the worst overthinkers I’ve met, so even if you consider yourself a pro-verthinker, OTM work can still be your greatest friend.

Weightlifting-Specific Conditioning

If you’ve ever shown up to a competition, looked at the entry list and found out you’re the first lifter in the session, or even worse, the last lifter in the session and realized you’ll be following yourself for every lift and panicked a little bit, you’re not alone.

OTM work can help in each of these situations because along with improved technique work and getting out of your head, it can also be a handy tool for improving your conditioning. Now I know as a coach that if I put any sort of cardio on a weightlifting program it will most certainly be getting skipped, so OTM work can be a great middle-ground.

The fact is, if you don’t have at least decent conditioning and you show up to a competition where you’ll be following yourself for every lift, you’ll be sucking wind between reps, especially on those heavy clean and jerks, and for those of you who are more advanced and trying to qualify for bigger meets, medals, or international teams, are you really going to let poor conditioning be the reason you don’t hit the lifts you need in competition?

Now I’m not saying that OTM work is a good substitute for cardio, but for a weightlifter, it can most definitely get you out of breath and will make you a better weightlifter.

When is OTM Work Not Ideal?

While OTM Work can be great for improving your technique, there is one aspect of technique work that doing doubles and triples is far superior at improving — speed under the bar. If you struggle to get under snatches, cleans, or jerks quickly, then doing multiple reps back to back will fatigue you enough so that you cannot rely on their pull or pressing strength and MUST figure out how to get under the bar faster.

This is one of the few cases where a high amount of fatigue can actually improve your technique, so if this is something you struggle with, then OTM work may not be the method for you, however, this does not negate the other positive aspect of OTM work, so keep that in mind.

Another aspect that OTM work is not helpful is in its application to strength lifts. At the beginning of the article, I mentioned the fatigue-to-feedback ratio, and in my opinion, this is probably the most important benefit of OTM work. The problem is that strength exercises like squats, pulls, and presses create MUCH more fatigue than Olympic lifts do, which means they take longer to recover from.

That doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from OTM work, but it does mean you’ll either need to drop the weight down by about 10% or increase the time to every 90 seconds to two minutes between reps for it to be helpful, which negates most of the other benefits, but try it out for yourself and let me know in the comments what you think!

Sample 4-Week OTM Progressions:

1. Technique Progression: This is the first OTM progression I’ll give someone, especially if they’ve never done OTM work before so if you’re new, start here. These can be done all in one day, or you can split them across the week and do snatch on one day, jerk on the next, and clean on the last if you respond well to low frequency.

   • Week 1: 15 minutes at 70% of your 1RM.

   • Week 2: 12 minutes at 75%.

   • Week 3: 8 minutes at 80%.

   • Week 4: 5 minutes at 85%.

2. Heavy Consistency Progression: This is my personal favorite and I routinely use this in my 3-Day and 5-Day OlyStrong weightlifting program. In this progression, we’ll actually do a few heavy singles after the OTM work as a way to get more practice making multiple heavy lifts on a day that we’re not trying to hit a max.

   • Week 1: 12 minutes at 70%, then 2x1 at 75% , 2x1 at 80%.

   • Week 2: 10 minutes at 75%, then 2x1 at 80% , 2x1 at 85%.

   • Week 3: 8 minutes at 80%, then 2x1 at 85%, 2x1 at 90%.

   • Week 4: 6 minutes at 85%, then 2x1 at 90%, 2x1 at 95%.

3. PR Progression: I use this progression somewhat rarely but it works really well for those of you who spread the lifts out across the week instead of all on one day. Just like with the heavy consistency cycle, we’ll do a few heavy singles after your OTM work, but instead of just trying to get consistent in the 85-95% range, we’re actually trying to push for PR’s on week four.

   • Week 1: 10 minutes at 70% then 4 singles building to a heavy top set

   • Week 2: 8 minutes at 75% then 4 singles building to a heavy top set +5-10lbs heavier than last week

   • Week 3: 6 minutes at 80% then 4 singles building to a heavy top set +5-10lbs heavier than last week

   • Week 4: 4 minutes at 85% then build to a max PR.

Give these progressions a try and if you want to see how I use them in a training program, then check out my full guide, OTM Secrets: Guide for Weightlifters!