Olympic Lifting for Strength and Speed (3 hrs)
Olympic Lifting for Strength and Speed
3 Hours CE/CPD | Online Course with Mike McGurn
A practical strength and conditioning course focused on using Olympic lifting principles to develop explosive power, speed, coordination, and athletic performance.
Olympic Lifting for Strength and Speed is presented by Mike McGurn, one of the UK and Ireland’s most respected strength and conditioning coaches, with extensive experience preparing athletes and teams at elite and international level.
This course provides detailed video instruction in Olympic lifting movements, progressions, technical development, and performance-focused training applications for athletes and coaches.
Course Overview
This 3-hour CE/CPD course explores how Olympic lifting can be used within athletic preparation to develop explosive force production, speed-strength, movement efficiency, and total-body power.
Through extensive video tutorials, Mike McGurn breaks down key Olympic lifting movements including the Clean, the Snatch, pull variations, hang variations, and related progressions. The course emphasizes technical quality, movement preparation, safe progression, explosive intent, and practical coaching application.
The focus is not on competitive weightlifting alone, but on how Olympic lifting principles can support athletic performance in real-world strength and conditioning environments.
What You Will Learn
| Topic | Professional Focus |
|---|---|
| Olympic Lifting for Athletic Performance | Understanding how Olympic lifts develop power, speed-strength, acceleration, and explosive athletic movement. |
| Movement Preparation | Preparing mobility, posture, bracing, activation, and nervous system readiness before explosive lifting. |
| The Clean | Developing timing, bar path, hip drive, acceleration, and receiving mechanics. |
| The Snatch | Improving speed, coordination, overhead stability, technical precision, and confidence under the bar. |
| Progressions and Programming | Using pulls, hang variations, partial lifts, loading progressions, fatigue management, and athlete readiness principles. |
Course Content / Modules
The course is structured to help learners understand Olympic lifting as a practical performance-training tool, progressing from foundational movement quality through to technical lift development and program integration.
| Module Area | Focus |
|---|---|
| Olympic Lifting for Athletic Performance | Why Olympic lifting is used in sport performance and how it develops force, power, speed, and athletic carryover. |
| Building the Foundations Before You Lift | Mobility, warm-ups, posture, bracing, shoulder positioning, hip and ankle preparation, and movement readiness. |
| The Clean | Setup, first pull, second pull, hip drive, bar path, acceleration, timing, and receiving position. |
| The Snatch | Snatch mechanics, overhead stability, timing, speed under the bar, balance, and technical precision. |
| Pulls, Variations, and Progressions | High pulls, hang variations, partial lifts, regressions, progressions, and novice-to-advanced coaching approaches. |
| Programming Olympic Lifting | Integrating Olympic lifting into strength and conditioning programs alongside jumps, sprint work, recovery, and sport demands. |
| Coaching and Long-Term Development | Coaching athletes safely, recognizing technical breakdown, developing confidence, and prioritizing progression over ego. |
Who This Course Is For
This course is suitable for strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers, personal trainers, sports performance professionals, physiotherapists, rehabilitation professionals, sport coaches, and athletes who want to better understand Olympic lifting within athletic performance training.
It is especially relevant for professionals working with athletes where explosive movement, acceleration, jumping ability, speed-strength, and total-body power are important performance qualities.
About the Instructor
Mike McGurn is one of the UK and Ireland’s most respected strength and conditioning professionals, with extensive experience in elite sport, international competition, rugby league, football, athletics, and high-performance physical preparation.
He has prepared three Irish National Senior teams across different sporting codes, contributing to two World Championship-winning campaigns. His international experience includes physical conditioning responsibilities across three Rugby World Cup tournaments and eight Six Nations Championships.
Mike has also worked in elite club environments including St Helens Rugby League Club, Hull City Football Club, Everton Football Club, and Leeds United Football Club. His coaching approach is practical, performance-focused, and grounded in decades of elite athletic preparation.
Included With This Course
| Included | Details |
|---|---|
| CE/CPD Hours | 3 Hours CE/CPD |
| Video Classes | Extensive online video tutorials presented by Mike McGurn. |
| Companion Course | Additional content designed to reinforce clinical reasoning and practical integration |
| Lesson Quizzes | Knowledge checks designed to reinforce learning throughout the course |
| Training Plans | Supporting Olympic lifting and athletic development training plans where included with the course. |
| Online Exam and Certification | Online multiple-choice exam and certificate issued upon successful completion. |
| Lifetime Access | Study anytime online and revisit the course materials whenever required. |
CE Finder
This course has been approved for continuing education by numerous professional boards and associations worldwide. Scroll sideways to find your board or association.
Approvals Listed: 10
CE Broker Provider: #20-1343936
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Approval requirements can change. Please confirm acceptance with your own board, association, employer, or regulatory authority before registration.
Olympic Lifting for Strength and Speed
Professional Reviews & Feedback
The reviews below represent feedback provided by students and practitioners through Trustpilot, Google Reviews, and Judge.me.
“Mike McGurn explains Olympic lifting in a way that makes the movements feel coachable, structured, and relevant to athletic development.”
“The course helped me understand how Olympic lifting can be used to develop strength, speed, and power without rushing athletes into poor technique.”
“I appreciated the focus on teaching progressions. The course gave me a clearer way to introduce these lifts safely.”
“The coaching cues were excellent. I came away with language I can use immediately with athletes.”
“Mike’s strength and conditioning background really comes through. The course is practical and grounded in performance.”
“The demonstrations helped me better understand the clean, snatch, and supporting drills as part of a complete training progression.”
“This course gave me more confidence discussing Olympic lifting with athletes and coaches in a rehabilitation setting.”
“The material was especially useful for developing explosive power in field-sport athletes.”
“I liked that the course did not treat Olympic lifting as a one-size-fits-all solution. The emphasis on readiness and progression was very helpful.”
“The course helped me understand how to adapt Olympic lifting concepts for soccer players without overcomplicating training.”
“Mike explains technical details clearly while keeping the focus on athletic transfer and performance outcomes.”
“The lift progressions were well organised and easy to follow. I found the teaching sequence very useful.”
“A strong course for therapists and coaches who want to understand Olympic lifting without getting lost in unnecessary complexity.”
“The course gave me practical ways to assess whether an athlete is ready for more demanding lifting patterns.”
“I found the speed and power development sections particularly relevant to team-sport conditioning.”
“The coaching progressions made the lifts much more approachable. I can see how to apply this with different levels of athletes.”
“The course improved my understanding of how Olympic lifting fits within a broader strength and conditioning program.”
“Mike’s instruction is clear, direct, and very practical. The course feels designed for real coaching environments.”
“This training helped me connect explosive lifting mechanics with acceleration, deceleration, and field performance.”
“A highly useful course for coaches, athletic trainers, and rehab professionals working with athletes.”
