Is it safe to learn olylifts on your own?

Keeping the weights low is a wise idea but you can lift incorrectly even if using a dowel or 5 pound bar.

There are other triple extension/ explosive movements you can do that are safer and dont need much instruction. A standing long jump, jumping onto a low box, jump shrugs, pulls are a good start.

I'd get proper instruction even if that means you and a friend watch videos and try to ensure that you both are lifting correctly.

I took the USA Weightlifting Level 1 Course years ago. I was fortunate to be living in Washington at the time and the course came to one of the local gyms. It was a multi-day course and VERY well taught. The best part was it was taught in a gym where we actually performed the lifts ourselves under the guidance of a USAW coach.

Another alternative is to get the book Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes & Coaches along with the DVD that accompanies it. The two together are probably the best way to teach yourself, but I would still recommend the USAW course.

https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Weightlifting/Coaching/Coaching-Courses/USAW-Level-1

Olympic movements are sometimes learned with just a broom handle! But some people need a little bit of weight (maybe 20 pounds?) to keep the stick from flying out of their hands. Whatever direction you go, yes, keep the weight light (really light) until the movements are *well* learned.

If you can't have anyone right there to critique you, I'd suggest YouTube for instructional videos--for any given exercise, watch a wide variety and sift through the all the warnings and conflicting opinions. Get a video of what *you're* doing, to compare your form with those YT vids; and post it on an appropriate page in some social medium, so that others can give you feedback.

See whether you can find Alan (aka runningart2004) somewhere on this board and get his input if you can.

Good luck. Stay safe.

Try to get some instruction.

The rhythms of the movements are not intuitive for some and for them it is not a question of the weight being light enough, it takes a lot of guidance before it clicks.

coach wrote:

Keeping the weights low is a wise idea but you can lift incorrectly even if using a dowel or 5 pound bar.

There are other triple extension/ explosive movements you can do that are safer and dont need much instruction. A standing long jump, jumping onto a low box, jump shrugs, pulls are a good start.

I'd get proper instruction even if that means you and a friend watch videos and try to ensure that you both are lifting correctly.

To answer the OP, the short answer is no. These compound Olympic movements are risky. Do not attempt to do them without a trainer to observe and correct your technique.

I think AS A RUNNER you can get the same benefit with far less risky non-Olympic lifts and bodyweight exercises.

I started training seriously with a coach in 2015, but I still made mistakes when working out on my own that resulted in injuries that required weeks of physical therapist appointments and permanently limited my range of motion in my right shoulder. ...oh, and lifetime chiropractic adjustments on my back.

I suggest you watch Jeff Cavaliere's YouTube channel Athean-X for the proper lifting techniques of non-Olympic lifts. However, Cavaliere is a bodybuilder so the focus is on the upper body. As a runner, you need more focus on the legs and glutes. Still, many of the techniques carry over to all lifts.

Don't do it on your own. You will mess up the movement. There are little things that you won't catch on your own. You will need a trainer or an observer.

Oh, I forgot to mention... the reason I quoted Coach is that it was all good advice. I was just adding to it.

I too like watching Cavaliere's videos but my go to guy for Olympic lifting progressions is Will Flemming.