Proven program, faithfully implemented
Glenn Pendlay — Beginner Olympic Weightlifting
Glenn Pendlay's on-ramp to the Olympic lifts: six sessions across two alternating weeks, with the squats and presses climbing every single session while the snatch and clean & jerk are loaded on how well you are moving that day.
About the program
Created by: Glenn Pendlay — Glenn Pendlay Beginner Olympic Weightlifting Program (Lift Vault reproduction).
- The published programme this definition was built from: Glenn Pendlay Beginner Olympic Weightlifting Program — Lift Vault
- Pendlay's own blog (background, not the source of this programme): glennpendlay.wordpress.com
Who it's for
Someone learning the snatch and the clean & jerk who wants a real programme rather than random practice. You need a barbell, bumper plates and somewhere you can drop the bar, plus a squat rack. Coaching helps enormously — the technical lifts here are loaded on how well you are moving, not on a number.
How it's built
The shape of the program — sessions, sets and rep scheme. Iron Forge fills in the exact weights for you from your maxes.
Week A / Week B cycle
Week A · Workout 1
- Snatch — 10×1
- + 4 more exercises
Week A · Workout 2
- Snatch Pull — 5×2
- + 3 more exercises
Week A · Workout 3
- Snatch — 5×2
- + 4 more exercises
Week B · Workout 4
- Snatch Pull — 5×2
- + 3 more exercises
Week B · Workout 5
- Snatch — 10×1
- + 4 more exercises
Week B · Workout 6
- Hang Snatch from Hip — 5×1
- + 3 more exercises
How Iron Forge runs it
How it works
Squats and presses are simple linear progression: add 5 kg (10 lb) to each squat and 2.5 kg (5 lb) to each press every session you complete. The snatch, clean & jerk, pulls and hang variations have no printed weight — pick what you can move well today. Pendlay's target is 7 or 8 good lifts out of 10, with 2 or 3 misses; if you are missing more than that you are too heavy, and if you are missing none you are probably too light.
Reading the workout names
The programme is six workouts spanning two weeks — Week A is workouts 1-3, Week B is workouts 4-6 — and then it repeats. The app runs the whole six-workout cycle as one unit, so the names carry the source's own week and workout numbers.
The complexes
5×(2+1) means five rounds of two pulls followed immediately by one hang lift, without putting the bar down. The app groups the pair so you run them together. One caveat: it tracks a weight for each movement separately, so keep them the same — a complex is one bar at one weight.
Glenn Pendlay — Beginner Olympic Weightlifting in Iron Forge
FAQ
- Why doesn't the app tell me what to snatch?
Because Pendlay doesn't. His rule is a ceiling, not a target: "always attempt to work as heavy as possible, but no heavier than a weight that you have consistently good form using". Printing a number would be inventing an instruction he deliberately did not give. Aim for 7 or 8 good lifts out of 10 — 2 or 3 misses is the programme working.
- What does 5×(2+1) mean?
Five rounds of a complex: two clean pulls straight into one hang clean, without setting the bar down. The app groups the pair so you run them together. Keep the same weight on both — a complex is one bar at one weight, and the app tracks a load for each movement separately.
- How long does it run?
As long as it keeps working. The source says the two-week cycle "can be repeated as long as the lifter is making progress" and is built for several months without interruption. The app schedules eight cycles — about sixteen weeks — and you simply start it again.
- Do I need to be able to snatch already?
No — this is a beginner programme and the volume of singles is how you learn. You do need a barbell you can drop, bumper plates and a platform, plus a squat rack. Coaching helps more here than on any other programme in the catalogue, because the load is chosen on technique rather than from a table.
- Can I do overhead press instead of bench?
Yes. The source offers "bench press or overhead press" for that session and the app prescribes the bench; swap it if you prefer, and progress it by the same 2.5 kg (5 lb) per session.
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