How Do Olympic Weightlifters Train? (Example From International Weightlifter)

You might have seen some Weightlifters on YouTube hitting big numbers! Or maybe you have been following the sport on social media, and you see these elite-level athletes going heavy occasionally. I am sure you are wondering how these athletes train. And if you should be training the same way.

When it comes to the frequency and intensity of how Weightlifters train, it very much depends on your experience in the sport and what level of athlete you might be. If you are a beginner Weightlifter, your training frequency and the number of hours you train daily will be much less than a professional athlete.

Figuring out where you fit in (beginner, intermediate or advanced level Weightlifter) is the first step in determining how often and how hard you should train as a Weightlifter.

What are your goals with the sport, and how much time do you have to sacrifice for training and recovery are all questions you need to ask yourself when you start the sport of Weightlifting.

How Many Hours A Day Do Olympic Weightlifters Train?

The amount of hours a Weightlifter trains depends on many factors, including if you are a beginner, intermediate, or elite Weightlifter. You can also decide by your training age. If you have a young training age your body can handle a lot more and you can add more volume and time to training.

If you have been training for 10+ years or an older athlete, training for longer doesn't always equate to better results.

I was an elite-level Weightlifter (I started weightlifting when I was 12) and was ranked 7 in the world in 2019 in my weight class. I could train twice a day, three times a week, and on international or national training camps, we would train 3-times a day, ranging from 1hour to 2+ hours a session.

Then another 3-times during the week when we would do single sessions. The training could vary anything from 90min-2hours and 30 minutes.

But generally, my training times looked like this: Monday (2 Sessions, 4 hours), Tuesday (1 Session, 2 hours), Wednesday (2 Sessions, 4 hours), Thursday (Active rest one session, 90 min), Friday (2 Sessions, 4 hours) and Saturdays (1 Session, 2 hours).

When I got older, in my mid to late '20s, I was burnt out all the time from coaching and training with such a high volume, which resulted in us cutting out all double sessions and essentially just training on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

I was improving even though I had cut out sessions and hours from my training days. Regarding training for international competitions, I decided to take the more innovative route and not the more complicated road. I don't think I would have stayed injury free if I had continued on that high training volume.

Weightlifters who still wish to compete but have a busy work schedule and family life need to make adjustments because Weightlifting might be important to them, but it might not be their number one priority.

For those busy weightlifters who might work a 9-5 job, I would recommend training 3-5 times a week, and you can get a good quality session in and still train for 60-90min per session.

For the CrossFit athlete who wants to use Weightlifting as an assistant sport or maybe they would like to compete in both. I recommend cutting down some CrossFit sessions and doing at least three Weightlifting sessions a week for 60-90min to add to your CrossFit training.

The main thing with training for both these sports is to stay injury free. This will only happen if you have a good plan for both and do not just blindly go hard and think quantity equals gains because it does not!

How Many Days A Week Do Olympic Weightlifters Train?

Let's start by talking about beginner-level athletes. If you are new to the sport and haven't come from a strength sport, I recommend starting with 3-4 sessions a week. You do not need to overdo it.

You can still practice the skill at home with a broomstick or PVC pipe, but the main reason for doing fewer sessions is to build up your tolerance and volume to lifting weights. If you go too hard too soon, you might feel so sore and broken that you will have to take off sessions anyways.

Intermediate-level weightlifters can train anywhere from 3-5 sessions a week. Adding a few more sessions is a good idea once you reach a certain level, but you do not want to train every day. Give yourself some much-needed recovery time because this is where you grow and get stronger.

You want to do at least 5-6 sessions a week as an elite-level weightlifter. Make sure you give yourself a good physical and mental break for at least one whole day. You also want to make sure that on the days you train, when you rest, you want to make sure you replenish and recover for your next session.

Training smart as an elite-level athlete is critical. Listening to your body is also very important but what separates an elite-level athlete from the rest is the amount of volume they can handle as well as their mentality when training gets tough.

And trust me, there will be plenty of days when you are either not motivated or feel tired. But showing up is what separates you from the rest.

How Are Olympic Weightlifters Able To Train (Almost) Every Day?

The key to Weightlifters' training almost every day is managing load and intensity with recovery in between. The more you can be recovered from one session to the other can be highly beneficial to strength gains. Your mindset plays a vital role in your success and your love for the sport of weightlifting.

Showing up every single day isn't always easy. But the accumulation of work will pay off in the long run. You cannot just train intermittently and expect to improve.

You also cannot just train to train with no intent or goal in mind. After some time, you will probably be hitting plateaus, and it will be tough to get out of that rut if you don't have an action plan.

Olympic Weightlifting is also an incredibly challenging sport! I have been doing weightlifting for 22 years and thrive off challenges. This sport isn't always about improving or standing on the podium. Often it kicks you in the butt, and you have to get the motivation to build yourself back up again.

Some training cycles can go 100% to plan, and you can still possibly fail on the competition platform. That's the beauty of this sport, it can be up and down, but when you hit those big numbers you have been working for years and months, it makes it all worth it.

Let’s tap into recovery. Recovery can mean many things, but the main thing to consider is being fueled enough for your sessions. That means ensuring you get in those calories to help you recover and feel strong from session to session.

Sleep, hydration, and seeing the sun are just as important. Mental recovery is another way to help you recover. And what I mean about mental recovery is being able to reset your mind for your next session, let go of a bad session, deal with stress and anxiety when the weights get tough, and being able to set goals to have something to work towards.

Example Training Week For A Professional Olympic Weightlifter

There could be a few variations of training sessions, but the typical week of an elite/professional weightlifter can look like this:

How You Can Structure Your Week As An Amateur Olympic Weightlifter

3-4 Day Per Week

4-5 Day Per Week

Summary

A beginner-level athletes' training program, frequency of training, and amount of hours they put into their sessions will look very different from an intermediate or professional-level weightlifters program.

Looking at things like your age, mobility, strength, injured or not injured, goal, etc., are just some of the main things we need to consider when deciding how often we can train. Weightlifting is an extremely challenging sport and very technical, as you may have noticed.

If you are a beginner-level athlete, your primary emphasis will be to master the technique of the lifts before even thinking about how heavy you can lift.

You can still be an intermediate or even a beginner-level athlete and compete. Your training days might look different from a professional athlete's training. And that is okay.

Everyone starts somewhere, and if you have big goals for your sport, you can look at everything you need to do before getting to that level and make sure you have a strong foundation for understanding the sport of Weightlifting.