Learning anything comes down to four stages.

Weightlifting technique is no different. If you’re learning how to do the olympic lifts, it can seem daunting to know where to begin, much less how to become the best version of yourself. But if you can distill things down into these four stages, it will make everything simpler. 

This will give you more time, less confusion, and save your mental energy (and physical energy too).

The Four Stages

These four stages are the natural stages anyone must go through to learn a skill. Different athletes will need more time in some stages than others, but these still apply to everyone. 

Stage 1: What

The first stage is the most natural starting point. You must know WHAT it is you are supposed to do. Imagine describing a snatch to someone without showing them. It would seem very confusing, but you’d get one point across. The bar goes from the ground to overhead in one movement. If they do not first understand this basic concept, teaching them how is going to be near impossible, especially when you get into the nuances of technique. 

If you do not know what to do, it will be impossible to learn it.

Coaches: In my opinion, nothing is better for this than to break things down into simple progressions. Starting with the snatch when they have never done a back squat is a hard ask. Check out my free Beginner Guide + 6-Week Program to see exactly how I progress someone to a full snatch, clean, and jerk, without it ever feeling overwhelming (for either of you).

Stage 2: How

The next stage is the most logical progression from the previous. Once you know what to do, next you must learn how to do it. Now we progress from being told to get the bar overhead to understanding principles like “Legs drive the bar up, arms move the body down” and “keeping the bar close”. 

This is where the majority of the learning process happens. Coaches can, and should be helping you in this process, but do not rely solely on them. Their job is to teach but your job is to learn. You must do the work of practicing, asking, applying, and learning to move on to the next phase. 

Coaches: I have found a lot of success in this stage simply by asking athletes what they think they are supposed to do. In 2024, new weightlifters are more educated than they’ve ever been. But with that comes a cursed mix of technical models from lots of different coaches. This question cuts through all of that BS to find the delta between your technical model, and their understanding of the lift. 

Stage 3: Consistency

The progression to this stage is more of a blurred line than a full step. Once you have learned how to do it, then the next step is to do it. 

Remember this quote: “A beginner will practice until they get it right. A master will practice until they cannot get it wrong”. 

In this stage, you know what to do and how to do it, but you are likely inconsistent in your ability to execute it correctly. Not necessarily with more weight on the bar either. Even with a light or manageable weight you are likely still doing something different from rep to rep. 

Advancing to the next stage takes practice. No workaround, drill, or shortcut will speed this process up besides dedicated practice. One rep after another until you are lifting consistently and can increase weight, and still continue to lift consistently. 

Coaches: Nothing can kill this stage more than overcoaching. You don’t need to correct every issue you see. Pick one thing that seems to affect everything else and work on that. Don’t be afraid to let the lifter do a couple of reps without giving them feedback. Remember, you’re not the only source of feedback. The lift itself is giving them just as much, if not MORE feedback. Past a certain point, the lifter doesn’t need to be told the lift was forward, they know because they chased the lift forward. 

Stage 4: Capacity

The final stage is when you have reached the point where you are able to do the lift consistently but your capacity to improve is capped by either…

1. Your physical abilities like strength or flexibility

2. Your mental abilities like confidence or focus

At this point, there are diminishing returns on the amount of time you spend practicing the movements. Your time is now better spent improving other qualities that will increase your ceiling and allow you to take your current maxes and treat them like practice weights again. These things may be more strength work like pulls and squats to increase your top-end strength. This will make it easier to maintain your positions during the pull for your snatch or make it easier to stand up from your clean. 

All of these MIGHT have been able to be fixed by more practice, but the amount of time and repetition needed to make incremental progress could be cut in half by simply getting stronger elsewhere. 

Now that you understand these four stages, you are likely seeing an obvious idea here. What if you were to have been working on your capacity from the beginning? Now you’re on to something…

Coaches: In your beginner progression, make sure to ALWAYS dedicate extensive time to building their capacity through the six fundamental strength lifts: Back Squat, Front Squat, Snatch Pull, Clean Pull, Strict Press, and Push Presses. Weightlifting is a strength sport as much as it is a technique sport. 

Hopefully, this helped! If you ever need a free form check on your videos, you’re always welcome to join my free discord here and drop your video in the #form-checks channel. 

By the way, I’ve got a free beginner weightlifting guide and a 6-week program! If you’re new to the olympic lifts, then check it out here!

And if you’re looking for a weightlifting program designed to help you set PRs, improve your technique, and get strong af, then check out a FREE WEEK TRIAL of my 3 & 5-Day OlyStrong Team at the link below!