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Weightlifting strength workout: front squats, clean pulls and push presses

Weightlifters need strong legs, a strong pull and a stable overhead position. The National Strength and Conditioning Association's position statement notes that pulls can be loaded heavier than the full lift, from 100% of your best clean upwards, because there's no catch, with under 120% preferred for pulls from the floor. This session pairs front squats with clean pulls and push presses, then strengthens the back and trunk. Use it once or twice a week beside the technique workout.

65 minIntermediate11 movesCardio machine · A wall · A barbell · A bench or box · A cable machineQuads · Glutes · Back · Forearms · Hamstrings · Shoulders
Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Warm-up (about 10 minutes)

  1. Indoor rowing (rowing machine)3 to 5 min easy
    Beginner · Quads, Glutes, Back · 3D demoHarder: Stair climbing
  2. Knee-to-wall ankle rock8 slow rocks each side
    Beginner · 3D demo
  3. Thoracic rotation5 each side
    Beginner · 3D demoEasier: Side-lying open bookHarder: World's greatest stretch
  4. Wrist & forearm flow60 s
    Beginner · Forearms · 3D demoHarder: Wrist flexor stretch
  5. Overhead squat2 × 5 with a dowel or the empty bar
    Advanced · Quads, Glutes, Shoulders · 3D demoSlowEasier: Bodyweight squatHarder: Squat snatch

Squat

Rest 2 to 3 min

  1. Barbell front squatEmpty bar × 5, 2 lighter sets, then 4 × 3 to 5
    Advanced · Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoStop about 2 reps short of failure. Elbows high, chest up; safety pins setEasier: Bodyweight squatHarder: Overhead squat

Pull

Rest 2 to 3 min

  1. Clean pull4 × 3, starting at your best clean and building towards 110% over weeks
    Intermediate · Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings · 3D demoSame start as your clean; finish tall with a shrug and long armsEasier: Cable pull-throughHarder: Power clean

Overhead

Rest 2 min

  1. Push press4 × 3
    Intermediate · Shoulders, Triceps, Quads · 3D demoDip and drive; lock out and holdEasier: Standing overhead pressHarder: Power jerk (push jerk)

Back and trunk

Rest 90 s

  1. Barbell Romanian deadlift3 × 6 to 8
    Intermediate · Hamstrings, Glutes, Back · 3D demoHinge with a long back, bar close to your legsEasier: Dumbbell Romanian deadliftHarder: Romanian deadlift from a deficit
  2. Back extension on a 45-degree bench2 × 10 to 12
    Intermediate · Back, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoMove slowlyEasier: Ball back extensionHarder: Horizontal back extension (hyperextension, Roman chair)
  3. Pallof press2 × 8 each side
    Intermediate · Abs, Glutes, Shoulders · 3D demoPress out, hold for 2 s, and don't let the band turn youEasier: Half-kneeling Pallof pressHarder: Cable wood chop

Tips

  • Pair it with the technique workout: technique twice a week and strength once or twice, with a lighter week every 4 to 6 weeks.
  • Vary the load and volume from day to day or week to week. With the total work matched, that did better for strength than steady changes in trained people, in studies of strength training in general.
  • Start clean pulls at your best clean, and stay under 120% of it for pulls from the floor.
  • In a survey of 146 weightlifters, almost all tapered before competing, for about 8 days, cutting their training volume by about 43% and stopping all training about a day and a half before.
  • Compete in the category you're already in: in 11 international lifters, losing weight quickly worsened how recovered and stressed they felt.
  • With high blood pressure or heart disease, keep front squats and pulls well short of maximal and breathe out on the effort.

The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.

Guides that recommend it

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Questions people ask

How long does the weightlifting strength workout: front squats, clean pulls and push presses take?

About 65 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.

What equipment do I need?

You need: Cardio machine, A wall, A barbell, A bench or box, A cable machine. Each move links to its guide, where you can find an alternative if you are missing something.

Is it suitable for me?

It is written at intermediate level. 8 of its 11 moves have an easier option listed beside them; use them freely.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.