5 Keys to PR Your Snatch & Clean + Jerk: Part 1, The Pull

Key #1: Lots of Pulls

The snatch and clean + jerk are a true test of an athlete’s strength, power, coordination, and dedication to the craft of lifting.

If you want to improve these lifts, you need more than just “lifting heavy.” You need a training plan that develops technique, builds strength in the right positions, and gives you the confidence to attack heavier weights when it matters.

Through my 10+ years in the sport, and through the hundreds of athletes I’ve coached, I’ve found five essential components that should be part of any successful Olympic Weightlifting training plan.

This is a 5-part series. Each part will cover one of those five essential components.

Key #1: Lots of Pulls

Why are we starting this series with pulls?

Not because pulls are the most important piece of the puzzle. But because pulls are one of the most versatile tools we have in Olympic Weightlifting.

They refine technique.

They build strength.

They teach athletes how to stay over the bar.

They improve confidence with heavier weights.

And when programmed correctly, they carry over directly to better snatches and clean + jerks.

1. Pulls Build the Foundation

There’s a saying in Olympic Weightlifting, or at least one that I say often:

The lifts aren’t made during your initial pull, but they can definitely be lost there.

The pull is the foundation of both the snatch and the clean. If your pull is weak, rushed, out of position, or inconsistent, everything that happens after becomes harder.

A strong, efficient pull sets the tone for the rest of the lift. It helps you keep the bar close, maintain proper positioning, and move into the power position with control.

In other words, you need to be strong enough in your pull to bring the bar from the floor to the power position without losing your shape.

That matters because the final part of the lift depends on where you are when you get there.

If you’re too far forward, too far back, soft through the legs, or disconnected from the bar, you’re already fighting for the lift before the real explosion even happens.

2. Pulls Refine Technique

Pulls give athletes a chance to work on very specific pieces of the lift without the pressure of having to receive the bar.

That’s a huge benefit.

When you’re snatching or cleaning, there’s a lot happening. You have to pull, extend, move under the bar, receive, stabilize, and stand it up. Because of that, it can be hard to isolate one technical issue.

Pulls let you slow things down and focus.

You can work on:

Bar path
Staying over the bar
Leg drive
Timing
Patience from the floor
Finishing the pull
Keeping the bar close
Moving through the power position correctly

Variations like high pulls, mid-hang pulls, power position pulls, deficit pulls, and pauses can all help clean up different parts of the lift.

For example, if an athlete is rushing off the floor, a paused pull below the knee can help them feel the right position.

If they’re cutting the extension short, high pulls from the power position can help them learn to finish.

If they’re looping the bar away from the body, mid-hang pulls can teach better contact and a tighter bar path.

This is why pulls are so valuable. They are not just strength work. They are technical work too.

3. Pulls Build Strength Where You Need It

One of the biggest reasons pulls belong in an Olympic Weightlifting program is simple:

They let you overload the positions of the lift.

You can’t snatch heavier than your 1-rep max. That’s why it’s your max.

But you can pull heavier than your 1-rep max.

That means pulls allow you to expose the body to heavier loads while still training the same positions and movement patterns that show up in the snatch and clean.

Generally speaking, we program pulls between 80–115% of an athlete’s 1-rep max, depending on the goal of the session.

Lighter pulls can be used for speed, technique, and better timing.

Moderate pulls can be used to reinforce strong positions and improve bar speed.

Heavier pulls can be used to build strength, confidence, and comfort with weights above what you’re currently lifting.

This is especially important for athletes who miss lifts because they simply don’t have enough strength off the floor, through the legs, or in the finish.

If the bar feels impossibly heavy the second it leaves the ground, you’re probably not going to be aggressive under it.

Pulls help change that.

4. Pulls Build Confidence

There’s a mental side to pulls that doesn’t get talked about enough.

If you’ve spent weeks pulling 100–115% of your best snatch or clean, then suddenly your max attempts don’t feel as intimidating.

The weight still feels heavy, but it doesn’t feel foreign.

That matters.

A lot of missed lifts happen before the athlete even starts the lift. They feel the weight, doubt creeps in, and they either rush the pull, pull away from the bar, or hesitate getting under it.

Pulls help build trust.

Trust that you can move heavy weight.
Trust that your positions are strong.
Trust that you can stay connected to the bar.
Trust that you belong under bigger lifts.

And when you trust your pull, you’re much more likely to commit to the lift.

5. Pulls Should Be Programmed With a Purpose

This is where a lot of athletes get it wrong.

They add pulls just to add more work.

But pulls should have a purpose.

Are you trying to build strength from the floor?

Are you trying to fix bar path?

Are you trying to improve speed through extension?

Are you trying to teach patience?

Are you trying to get comfortable with heavier loads?

The variation, load, tempo, and position should match the goal.

That’s why in my newest Olympic Weightlifting program, Oly Strong, pulls are programmed 2–4 times per week. The programmed pulls typically range from 80–115% of an athlete’s 1-rep max, and the variation depends on what we’re trying to accomplish in that phase of training.

In the first week of Oly Strong, athletes perform:

Mid-Hang Snatch High Pulls
Clean Pulls/Extensions
Power Position Snatch High Pulls

Each one has a purpose.

Some are there to build strength.
Some are there to reinforce position.
Some are there to improve timing and aggression through extension.

But none of them are random.

That’s the key.

If you want to improve your snatch and clean + jerk, you need to do more than just practice the full lifts over and over again. You need to build the pieces that make those lifts stronger.

And pulls are one of the best ways to do that.

Every single one of the 25 athletes who tested Oly Strong set personal bests in at least one variation of the squat, clean + jerk, or snatch. This included beginner and intermediate lifters who trained in functional fitness.

So if you’re looking for a complete program that puts all of this together for you, give Oly Strong a try.

If you want to blast through your old personal bests, this is the program for you.

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