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What are the basic Olympic lifts?

Author

James Craig

Published Jan 17, 2026

6 Olympic Lifting Movements

  • Power Clean (all levels)
  • Front Squat (all levels)
  • Squat Clean (Intermediate to Advanced)
  • Push Jerk (Intermediate to Advanced)
  • Power Snatch (All levels)
  • Squat Snatch (Intermediate to Advanced)

What are the main Olympic lifts?

In the sport of Olympic lifting, the two official lifts are the snatch and the clean and jerk.

What are the three types of Olympic lifts?

Here are three Olympic Lifting movements that have been identified as being the best for making the attacking faster, more powerful, and more explosive.

  1. Hang cleans. ...
  2. Snatch. ...
  3. Barbell squat jumps.

What are the 7 main lifts?

The 7 Most Important Lifts

  1. 1 The Deadlift. The deadlift is first on the list for a reason. ...
  2. 2 The Clean & Press. It's a great exercise to increase power, strength, and size. ...
  3. 3 The Squat. ...
  4. 4 The Chin-Up. ...
  5. 5 The Walking Lunge. ...
  6. 6 The Push-Up. ...
  7. 7 The Dip.

What are the 2 types of Olympic lifts?

If you're new to the world of weightlifting, let us introduce you to the two lifts: the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk.

19 related questions found

What is the easiest Olympic lift?

1 Snatch pull

It's easier than the full snatch, but still a great power generator. Set up with the bar on the floor and your hands fairly wide. Drive up, and bump the bar off your hips as you shrug it slightly upwards.

What are the different types of lifting?

There are two main different types of weightlifting: endurance training and strength training. Strength training involves heavy weights with low reps and is good for those who want bigger muscles. Endurance training, on the other hand, demands high reps of smaller weights, and is best for those who want to tone up.

What are the 5 major lifts?

The five basic exercises bench press, deadlift, squats, shoulder press and pull-up are generally known as the big 5 of strength training. Due to the adjustability of the resistance, the lat pull-down is often used instead of the pull-up.

What are the 6 main lifts?

If you do the six major compound movements – the squat, hip hinge, vertical press, vertical pull, horizontal press, and horizontal pull – you're bound to see success. These are the movement patterns every complete workout program contains.

What are the 4 main lifts?

Though there are thousands of different exercises we could do in the gym, barbell training comprises just four exercises, the so-called “Big Lifts.” These compound movements — the squat, press, deadlift, and bench press — should make up 90% of any athlete's strength program, regardless of their level of advancement.

What are the 6 Olympic lifts?

6 Olympic Lifting Movements

  • Power Clean (all levels)
  • Front Squat (all levels)
  • Squat Clean (Intermediate to Advanced)
  • Push Jerk (Intermediate to Advanced)
  • Power Snatch (All levels)
  • Squat Snatch (Intermediate to Advanced)

Is squat an Olympic lift?

Squats are not performed in Olympic lifting competitions, but they are performed regularly in training. That's because strength is extremely important in Olympic weightlifting. It's especially important in the clean portion of the clean & jerk.

Is Hang clean an Olympic lift?

The hang clean is not typically a competitive lift, but is often used in preparation for certain Olympic lifts such as the clean and jerk. It uses a series of quick movements to create momentum that allows weightlifters to lift more than with traditional isolation exercises.

What is the best Olympic lift?

THE BARBELL POWER CLEAN

The clean-and-jerk is one of the most classic lifts in the Summer Olympics, and the clean has emerged as one of the gold standards of training. It involves lifting a barbell from the ground, then “pulling” it up and onto your shoulders, squatting under it just slightly, then standing up fully.

What lifts are in Olympic weightlifting?

However, the sport of weightlifting recognizes just two lifts for competition: the snatch and the clean and jerk. At the Olympic Games, lifters are tested in both disciplines in a combined competition. The athlete who lifts the most total weight over the two lifts is crowned the Olympic Champion.

What is the hardest Olympic lift?

Forget your shoulder presses and deadlifts, the two Olympic lifting moves are considered the most difficult and complex weightlifting techniques. The snatch involves lifting the barbell from the floor to over your head, finishing in a deep squat with your arms overhead, holding the weight.

How many main lifts are there?

Instead of focusing on specific muscles each day, the Big Five lifts allow a person to work their entire body.

What is squat lifting?

A squat is a strength exercise in which the trainee lowers their hips from a standing position and then stands back up. During the descent of a squat, the hip and knee joints flex while the ankle joint dorsiflexes; conversely the hip and knee joints extend and the ankle joint plantarflexes when standing up.

What is the 10x workout?

During the 10x Fitness program you: Go to the gym or work out at home twice a week for 15 minutes each time. Learn 'hyper-optimized work-outs' which promise that for every minute you spend working out you're getting 10 times the results (hence the name 10x Fitness).

What is the best compound lift?

Deadlift. This is the number one compound lift that you should have in your training program's rotation. It's one of the best moves because it works various muscles, including your hamstrings, lower back, glutes, hip flexors, and core while still using your arms and shoulders!

What are main lifts?

The main lifts are the main compound exercises for any powerlifting or strength training workout program. The Big 3 are the squat, bench press and deadlift. Learn how to perfect your technique and lift more weight than ever by clicking on each exercise below!

What are the 4 types of strength?

Understanding the 4 Types of Strength

  • Absolute Strength.
  • Relative Strength.
  • Power or Explosive Strength.
  • Strength Endurance.

How many types of lifting equipment are there?

Types of lifting equipment includes heavy machinery such as the patient lift, overhead cranes, forklifts, jacks, building cradles, passenger lifts, and can also include smaller accessories such as chains, hooks, and rope.

What are the 3 types of strength?

Although there are many types of strength, there are only 3 kinds of muscle strength. These are concentric strength, eccentric strength and static strength.

What can the average man clean and jerk?

For men, the average 1-rep max (1RM) Snatch is 71kg (156lb) and the average 1RM Clean & Jerk is 93kg (205lb).