0.4–1.0
Optimal Comp INOL
snatch + C&J combined
2.0–3.0
Weekly Comp target
accumulation phase
>1.0
Flag & review
competition lifts per session
Prilepin's Table tells you how many reps to do at a given intensity. INOL — Intensity × Number of Lifts — goes one step further: it converts your entire prescription into a single number that quantifies training stress, regardless of the specific intensity zone.
The formula is straightforward:
Example: 5 sets × 3 reps @ 80% = 15 ÷ (100 − 80) = 15 ÷ 20 = 0.75 INOL
The denominator (100 − intensity) grows smaller as intensity increases, which means heavier sessions score higher even with fewer reps. A single at 95% places more stress on the nervous system than five reps at 70%, and INOL captures that asymmetry precisely.
The key insight nobody talks about
Prilepin's original research was based on Soviet elite weightlifters who trained both the snatch and the clean & jerk in the same session — because that is how Soviet lifters actually trained. The table's rep counts are combined session totals across both lifts, not per-lift allocations.
If you apply "optimal 18 reps" independently to the snatch and then again to the C&J, you get 36 reps of high-intensity competition lifting in one session — which no serious weightlifting programme actually prescribes. The table was never designed to be doubled up that way.
Prilepin's table describes what Soviet lifters did across an entire session. Snatch and C&J draw from the same fatigue budget — not separate ones.
This has a direct consequence for INOL. Treating snatch and C&J as independent budgets — each allowed 0.4–1.0 INOL — permits up to 2.0 combined competition lift INOL before any flag is raised. That far exceeds what the original Soviet session data described. The correct interpretation is that the 0.4–1.0 optimal range applies to snatch + C&J combined, not to each lift independently.
Two scores: Comp and STR
OlyLiftPlan calculates two separate INOL scores per session:
| Score | What it includes | Optimal range |
|---|---|---|
| Comp (Competition Lifts) | All snatch variations + all clean & jerk variations combined into one shared budget | 0.4–1.0 per session |
| STR (Strength) | Squats, pulls/deadlifts, presses — each tracked within a separate pool | No fixed cap — use as programming guide |
The Comp score reflects the shared neuromuscular demand on the competition motor patterns. A typical well-structured session produces a Comp score of 0.6–0.9: roughly 8–10 working snatch reps and 6–8 C&J reps at 78–85% intensity, distributed between the two lifts in a natural training split.
What counts in each score
| Bucket | What counts | What does NOT count |
|---|---|---|
| Comp — Snatch family | Full snatch, power snatch, hang snatch, snatch from blocks, snatch balance, snatch complexes | Snatch pull, snatch deadlift → go to STR |
| Comp — C&J family | Full clean & jerk, power clean, hang clean, clean from blocks, jerk from blocks/rack, push jerk, power jerk | Clean pull, clean deadlift, push press → go to STR |
| STR | All pulls and deadlifts, back squat, front squat, presses, rows, and anything else with a percentage base | Bodyweight and supramaximal holds are excluded entirely (formula undefined at ≥ 100%) |
Pulls are the most important edge case. Snatch pulls and clean pulls are loaded at 100–110% of the competition lift, have a different endpoint (no catch), and train pulling strength rather than technique. Counting them inside the Comp score would overstate technical fatigue and understate the strength stimulus. They belong in STR.
Push press follows the same logic: it is a strength derivative, not a competition-pattern movement, so it scores in STR regardless of how directly it supports jerk development.
The INOL rating scale
| Comp INOL | Rating | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| < 0.4 | Too easy | Active recovery, technique-only sessions |
| 0.4–1.0 | Optimal | Most regular sessions — technique, speed, peaking |
| 1.0–2.0 | Hard / accumulation | Planned volume blocks — use sparingly |
| 2.0–3.0 | Very hard | Peak accumulation only — full recovery needed next day |
| > 3.0 | Overreach risk | Avoid unless intentionally planned and managed |
A complete session example
COMP SCORE — Snatch
Snatch from blocks: 5×3 @ 78% → 15 ÷ 22 = 0.68
Full snatch: 3×2 @ 85% → 6 ÷ 15 = 0.40
Snatch subtotal: 1.08
COMP SCORE — C&J
Jerk from blocks: 4×2 @ 82% → 8 ÷ 18 = 0.44
C&J complex: 3×1 @ 88% → 3 ÷ 12 = 0.25
C&J subtotal: 0.69
Comp: 1.08 + 0.69 = 1.77 — Hard
This is a genuine accumulation session. Both lifts together push into the Hard zone, which is appropriate for a mid-cycle volume day — but would be too demanding in a peaking or taper week.
STR SCORE (separate)
Back squat: 5×3 @ 80% → 15 ÷ 20 = 0.75
STR: 0.75 — Optimal ✓
Weekly INOL targets by phase
Weekly Comp INOL is the sum of all session Comp scores across the training week — the accumulated competition-lift load over seven days.
| Phase | Weekly Comp target | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Accumulation | 2.0–3.0 | High volume, moderate intensity — build base |
| Intensification | 1.5–2.5 | Volume drops as intensity climbs |
| Peaking | 0.8–1.5 | Quality over quantity — heavy singles and doubles |
| Taper | 0.4–0.8 | Fatigue clearance — minimal stress, maximum readiness |
A taper week scoring 2.0 weekly Comp INOL is not a taper — it is just another training week with a competition at the end of it.
How INOL and Prilepin's Table work together
Use Prilepin's Table to set your rep targets per intensity zone, then calculate INOL to verify the total stress load is appropriate. At 80–85% intensity, Prilepin's optimal is 15 reps across the session. A typical split of 8 snatch reps + 7 C&J reps = 15 combined reps produces:
Snatch: 8 reps ÷ 20 = 0.40 INOL
C&J: 7 reps ÷ 20 = 0.35 INOL
Comp: 0.75 — solidly Optimal ✓
This is the Prilepin-correct interpretation: both lifts together sit in the 0.4–1.0 optimal zone, exactly as the original table intended.
How OlyLiftPlan shows your INOL score
Every training day in your OlyLiftPlan PDF shows two colour-coded INOL badges next to the day heading:
- Comp — combined snatch + C&J score for that session. Green (Optimal), Amber (Hard), Red (Very Hard).
- STR — combined strength work (squats, pulls, presses). Tracked separately with no fixed session cap.
Each week ends with a Competition Lifts INOL summary showing the cumulative weekly Comp score — your total competition-lift load for the week, colour-coded against the phase targets above.
Exercises with no percentage base — supramaximal holds, bodyweight drills, technique work — are excluded. The formula is also undefined at 100% intensity (denominator becomes zero), so any exercise prescribed at or above 100% of a 1RM is excluded automatically.
INOL for masters athletes
For athletes 35 and older, the recovery cost of each Comp INOL unit is higher. A session at 1.2 Comp INOL that a 28-year-old recovers from in 24–36 hours may require 48–60 hours for a 45-year-old. This does not mean masters lifters should target lower INOL — it means they need greater spacing between high-Comp sessions.
A practical rule: for M40+ athletes, avoid programming two sessions above 0.8 Comp INOL within 48 hours of each other.
References
- Hristov, H. (2005). Functional periodization: INOL and practical application in weightlifting programming. Unpublished coaching manuscript. (Original formulation of per-exercise INOL scoring.)
- Prilepin, A.S. (1974). Weightlifting: Fundamentals and Methods. Referenced in: Siff, M.C. (2003). Supertraining (6th ed.). Supertraining Institute. (Session rep totals across both competition lifts — the source data for the table.)
- Everett, G. (2009). Olympic Weightlifting: A Complete Guide for Athletes and Coaches. Catalyst Athletics. (Critique of per-lift application and implicit shared-budget programming model.)
- Zatsiorsky, V.M., & Kraemer, W.J. (2006). Science and Practice of Strength Training (2nd ed.). Human Kinetics.