Movement Primers: A Key To Improving Your Olympic Weightlifting Technique
Movement primers are a common tool I use in my 5-Day OlyStrong Online Weightlifting Program, however, if you’re newer to the olympic lifts you may not be familiar with them, so I wanted to give you some insight into why I use them as well as provide a list of some of my favorites.
A movement primer is any exercise, drill, or variation of the olympic lifts performed before your main exercise that can help improve your technique. This is typically done with constraints that force you to stay lighter, but make the light weight feel much heavier, forcing you to perform the lift with better technique because of the constraint.
Movement primers are not only a great tool for warming up but also have the added benefit of novelty, which can help keep training fun and interesting. While novelty should not be chased at the expense of the basics, dabbling a little here and there can definitely help keep training fresh.
Snatch Primers
Some of my favorite snatch primers are the Tempo Snatch, the No-Hook No-Feet No Contact Snatch, and the Tall Snatch. Each of these addresses specific technique breakdowns that are common among weightlifters, and can be added to nearly any training session without demanding too much energy.
Tempo Snatch
The Tempo Snatch might be my favorite snatch variation of all time. It’s one of the core exercises in WL101, my free beginner guide and 6-week program for learning the olympic lifts, and the variation I use in my own training most frequently.
This lift requires you to use a 4-second pull from the ground to the power position before finishing the lift as fast as possible. By slowing down your pull, you can focus on the proper mechanics and take the time to actually make corrections and master your pull. Try these for 3-5 sets of 1-3 reps before building up to normal snatches.
Click here to watch the demo video!
No-Hook No-Feet No-Contact Snatch
The NHNFNC Snatch may seem like a strange drill as it removes some of the key components of a good snatch, however, this drill can be a game changer for non-beginner lifters. By removing the ability to jump (no-feet), use bar-body contact to launch the bar (no-contact), and relying on hookgrip to eliminate arm tension (no-hook), you can then focus on one primary objective; controlling your barpath.
Many lifters who have significant bar path issues leading to an excessive jump forward or backward or a weak turnover would benefit from this drill. Try these any from 3-5 sets of 2-4 reps before building to normal heavy snatches or as a standalone exercise on your light technique day or Skills & Strength day for maximum effect.
Click here to watch the demo video!
Tall Snatch
The Tall Snatch is a common drill that is used for teaching lifters how to actively pull under the bar to create speed rather than trying to “drop” under the bar. Many people who learn the snatch have been told that the arms are supposed to stay relaxed and loose, and while this is true for the first and second pull of the snatch, the moment the legs have extended and the bar is launched, the arms should do EVERYTHING to move your body under the bar. Without this, you will not be able to get under a heavy snatch.
This drill will force you to move much lighter weights as there is no assistance from the legs to elevate the bar, so keep this in mind when selecting your weights. Try these for 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps before normal snatches.
Click here to watch the demo video!
Clean Primers
I don’t use clean primers nearly as often as I do for the snatch or jerk, however, these can help you fix a multitude of problems such as improper pull technique, lack of speed under the bar, and not meeting the bar where it’s at.
Tempo Clean
The Tempo Clean is one of my favorite clean primers for a few reasons. First, you can move much heavier weights in this exercise compared to other drills, which might make this more effective, especially considering it has a highly specific carryover to the normal clean.
By slowing down your pull from the ground to the power position you can take the time to master your technique. If you struggle with your pull technique, this is the drill for you! Try these for Try these for 3-5 sets of 1-3 reps before building up to normal cleans.
Click here to watch the demo video!
Tall Clean
The Tall Clean is a more common drill used to help improve your speed under the bar in your clean. By removing assistance from the legs to elevate the bar, you can focus on using your arms correctly to pull yourself under the bar. This is how the clean should be performed rather than launching the bar and “dropping” under, which is too slow.
If you are slow under the bar in cleans, try these out for 3-5 sets of 3-5 reps before moving on to normal cleans.
Click here to watch the demo video!
Stop Clean
The Stop Clean is a drill I foolishly thought I had created until I found out Cara Heads-Slaughter had been using the drill for over a decade to help people improve their ability to meet the bar high. Many new lifters think they need to catch the bar at the bottom of the squat, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Instead, we want to catch the bar on the way down to the bottom of the clean, and the higher you catch, the better, as you’ll be able to create a bigger bounce at the bottom of the squat making it much easier to stand up from (and give you a higher chance at completing the jerk).
For the stop clean, you’ll essentially perform a power clean, but stop wherever you receive the bar and hold for a second or two, before riding the bounce of the squat to stand up. As you build in weight for this, you will need to meet the bar lower and lower, without changing your foot stance, until you are simply performing a normal clean. Try these out for 3-5 sets of 1-3 reps before normal cleans for maximum effect!
Jerk Primers
The Jerk is in my opinion the most complex of each of the olympic lifts and requires much more technique work than the Snatch or Clean. Each of these drills can help improve technique issues related to footwork, balance, and timing.
Footwork Drills
If you’re a beginner, footwork is almost always your biggest nemesis. The cool part is, you can practice the footwork as often as possible without needing to recover from it!
Simply practicing your footwork in the split before jerks or in between sets can be a great way to drill the proper technique and speed up the learning process. Never underestimate the power of repetition. Do as many of these as you possibly can, whenever possible, until footwork is no longer an issue.
Click here to watch the demo video
Jerk From Split
The Jerk From Split is a less common drill, but one of my favorites for correcting balance in the jerk. Many people believe footwork is their issue, but you can have the correct foot placement but incorrect balance in that position.
By starting with your feet in the right place, and performing a jerk from that position, you can identify your tendency to move your balance, often forward onto the front leg. For every rep, aim for completely vertical, and correct back to vertical before recovering and starting the next rep. Try these for 3-5 sets of 2-5 reps with a moderately light weight before Jerks or Clean and Jerks.
Click here to watch the demo video!
Tall Jerk
The Tall Jerk is another common drill used for lifters who lack speed under the bar in the jerk. This is almost always a timing issue. In the jerk the legs should elevate the bar to about eye level or slightly higher, and the moment the bar is weightless, your arms should punch your body down into your split position.
Most people lack the understanding of when or how to use their arms to punch under, so this drill forces you to practice exactly that. Try these for 3-5 sets of 2-5 reps with an empty bar or a very light weight before your next Jerk or Clean and Jerk workout.
Click here to watch the demo video!
Implementing Movement Primers In Your Olympic Weightlifting Program
There’s no doubt that movement primers are an effective tool for learning, but don’t make the mistake of thinking these will fix all your technique problems. Many beginners and even intermediate lifters can fall into the trap of making these the main training or the main focus. Don’t make this mistake. You must still do the basics and do them well and with intention. These will simply help put the pieces together in your brain where your technique and understanding of the lift fall short.
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!