Just look at that body! Not only is Dmitry Klokov an amazing Olympic weightlifter, but he also has an incredibly aesthetic physique.
In fact, Klokov recently took his physique to the next level, to which he actually competed in a bodybuilding contest!
The fans are going crazy, and are starting to realize that they too want a physique like Klokov.
Well, in this article I’ll break down everything you must know about building a body like Dmitry Klokov. I will examine his weak and strong points (muscle groups) and how that came to be through his style of training, in addition to a 4 week full body concurrent training program that should put all of this stuff together. (I usually make my programs 12 weeks, but if I did that for this program it would be like giving you a free product)
Also, I want you to realize that I will not be discussing how to be an Olympic Weightlifter like Klokov (you can read his book for that), but rather how to LOOK like Klokov. So keep in mind that the focus of building the Klokov physique has to do with the aesthetics portion, and not necessarily the strength/power points. Although you’ll still get pretty strong with this program.
For you non-readers, I made a video version of this article.
Short Background Check
Before we can start analyzing Klokov’s physique, we must first understand his background.
Dmitry Klokov was an elite level Olympic weightlifter. In competition, his best snatch was 193kg, with his best clean and jerk being 232kg. His best total was 428kg in 2008.
He’s also known for doing heavy-ass front squats on youtube (best 285kg), in addition to strong push presses and overhead presses. In fact, he is infamous for a famous exercise called The Klokov Press, which is really just an ultra wide behind the neck press. He does over 225lbs for reps in this exercise.
Klokov is also known to be a complete athlete, to which he can do everything good which is not related to Olympic weighlifting. He kicks ass in crossfit, powerlifting, swimming, and much more!
This is really a guy that’s developed a complete physique in all respects.
Analyzing Klokov’s Muscles
Since Klokov has been training in a certain style for decades, he has developed a very unique physique as a result.
I will now break down what visual muscles appear to be very strong, and which ones are smaller. This section is extremely important for understanding the 4 week program that you will get at the end.
Let’s discuss his upper body first, and then his legs.
Dmitry Klokov Chest
If you take a quick look at Klokov’s chest, you will immediately notice that his chest is generally not that big. HOWEVER, he has extremely thick upper pecs, and I must emphasize the word extremely.
This ends up giving Klokov an extremely masculine-looking chest, which is squared in shape but does not droop down at the lower pec area which typically causes that saggy man boob look.
Now, you may be wondering how his upper pecs can be so thick, while his lower pecs look extremely average. (no offense Klokov)
This occurs because Klokov was an elite level weightlifter who specialized in overhead pressing. I want to make that extremely clear before moving on.
“Klokov was an elite level weightlifter who specialized in overhead pressing.”
Why is this so significant? Well, it’s because his upper chest development has to do with overhead pressing biomechanics!
People don’t realize this, but overhead pressing actually works the upper chest to a great extent. In fact, when you do cable crossovers for the upper chest, do you not bring your hands up and high to flex them?
Just think about it. The upper pecs attach to the collar bones, which means that any form of proper overhead pressing will develop them like crazy.
As for his lower chest, it’s not that big because he rarely if ever does barbell/dumbbell bench presses (even though he can hit 405lbs for reps) or any form of weighted dips and chest isolation exercises. He has really stuck to his guns on overhead pressing.
With these facts in mind, it’s clear that anyone who wants a physique like Klokov must follow an overhead press specialty program. This means training with lots of vertical pushing variations, which can be anything from overhead presses to incline presses. Thus, there will be no flat benching, weighted dips, or chest isolation work in this program.
Dmitry Klokov Shoulders
Klokov’s shoulders are absolutely insane. He has fully capped delts that are proportional to the rest of his physique, with a perfect amount of mass to go with it.
He obviously has these shoulders due to years of Olympic Weightlifting.
I mean just use your common sense for a second. If you’re holding more than 400lbs over your head, do you honestly believe that your shoulders will be lagging? I’m yet to find anyone who would.
In Klokov’s case I’m not even sure that he does direct work for them, but they’re well developed because he is strong at holding weights over his head.
He’s strong at strict pressing, push pressing, and behind the neck presses (Klokov presses).
So Klokov has these great looking delts that look good from all angles, and coincidentally they happen to be strong? This should be telling you something about his physique, which points back to the importance of running an overhead press specialty program.
Vertical presses must be the foundation of all presses to acquire the shoulders of Klokov!
Dmitry Klokov Traps
Klokov’s traps are one of his best features. This large amount of trap development can be credited to nothing else but his Olympic weightlifting career.
By getting mad strong at front squatting, high pulls, deadlifts, snatches, and other lifts, his traps have hypertrophied as a direct side effect of strong performances.
In fact, if you take a hard look at Olympic weightlifters, you will find that 9/10 times they’ll have amazing traps development. It’s extremely rare that they don’t have thick traps, because everything they do in their sport heavily recruits the traps.
With that in mind, it’s no wonder why Klokov’s traps look like a bodybuilder’s.
By the way, here’s a fun fact. Did you know that oldschool bodybuilders used to do Olympic lifts? It’s funny, because they all had great traps. Learn from them.
So in this program, there will be a heavy emphasis on training the traps. You will perform several shrugging and pulling variations, which should leave you mimicking the Olympic weightlifter traps syndrome.
Luckily, you don’t have to be as strong as one to look one.
Dmitry Klokov Back
Here is where we start seeing the nuances of Klokov’s physique.
The most noticeable feature is that his lats are nothing great. He has very good traps and upper back development because they act as stabilizers in all the pulls he performs, but his lats can honestly be found in any local gym.
This makes sense, because olympic weightlifting is not a sport where you need to have the biggest lats ever. Plus, Klokov rarely does vertical or horizontal pulls (pullups and rows), nor would he necessarily need them.
It’s evident that he doesn’t that flared out bodybuilder look. He looks very narrow, to say the least.
You’ll want to keep this in mind when running the final program. The focus will be on upper back/rear delt work, with traps obviously taking main priority as previously discussed. There will be no lat specialization exercises, as this would make your physique too wide.
Dmitry Klokov Arms
Although Klokov’s arms look good, they aren’t exceptional like some of his other bodyparts. In fact, they look kind of disproportional to the rest of his physique. Just like his lats, you can find a pair of Klokov arms in most local gyms.
In particular, his biceps do not seem to peak that much or have an incredible amount of size. His triceps are decently sized, but aren’t completely meaty like a bodybuilder or powerlifter. This is probably because he does not do direct work for them such as various close grip presses, extensions and pushdowns, as they are not necessarily specific to an olympic weightlifter.
Plus, it’s been theorized that having arms too large can make it harder to clean. Therefore I suspect that this is why Klokov’s arms are not super huge. He just didn’t need big arms for his sport.
However, his forearms are absolutely phenomenal. They definitely overpower the rest of his arms, and are immediately noticeable upon first glance. Once more, this has to do with his Olympic weightlifting career. (bet you didn’t expect that)
If anyone has ever tried doing heavy double overhand pulls off the floor, you surely realize how much grip strength is required. And when you widen out your grip even more, aka a snatch grip, this makes it even harder to hold the bar! Even if you try using a hook grip, your forerams will still be doing lots of work to prevent that bar from slipping out of your hands.
So in this program, we will emulate what Klokov has been doing. There won’t be any direct biceps and triceps work, but there will be a focus on forearm strength.
Dmitry Klokov Midsection
If there’s one thing that really stands out on Klokov’s physique, it’s his incredibly thick midsection. Seriously, his midsection is so thick that it would never cut in a Men’s physique competition!
Realize, however, that his midsection development is NOT a result of doing lots of crunches. Those abs comes from years of doing heavy beltless compound movements. Basically, lots of front squats, high bar squats, different pulls, etc. For this reason, you’ll also be training these lifts in a beltless fashion.
In fact, if you watch some of Klokov’s training clips, you’ll notice that he is shirtless most of the time. Thus, he constantly using the valsalva maneuver, and demonstrating raw intra-abdonimal strength.
Moreover, his bodyfat percentage is not really the lowest. He falls within the 10-15% range, which means that to look like Klokov you don’t have to cut your bodyfat super low. What a relief!
Dmitry Klokov Legs
Klokov has some very aesthetic legs! They are perfect in overall size, and are built in all the right places. They appear long, well defined, and proportional.
Unlike many bodybuilders and powerlifters who have excessive hamstring, adductor, outer quad, and glutes which typically result in turnip-shaped legs, Klokov’s legs are far from this. He has super-hero looking legs like Batman and Superman.
With Klokov’s legs, you see a thick pair of quads, great Vastus Medialis (the muscle above the knee, also known as VMO) in addition to diamond shaped calves.
Therefore, the final workout plan will be designed to strengthen and hypertrophy these precise regions of the legs. Developing the posterior chain will not be your main goal.
Final Discussion 
Now that we have all the information we need, it’s time to compile everything together into a well-organized program.
The program will be executed in a full body concurrent training style, which means that you will be performing full body workouts 2-4x a week, while frequently rotating exercise selection.
We do this to prevent accommodation and build overall strength and hypertrophy. Plus, there’s a lot customization that goes into building the Klokov physique, so we must make sure that we attack this look in every possible way.
Anyhow, I now present to you a 4 week custom program that will give you the aesthetics of Dmitry Klokov. You obviously won’t look like him in 4 weeks, but if you keep repeating this program you should start seeing some noticeable results with time!
So without further ado, here’s the program.
PS: If this program helps you out, leave a comment down below!
WEEK 1
Standing Overhead Press 1-3RM or 4-10RM + 3 Back-Off Sets/Triple Dropset
Klokov Press 5×3
High Pulls 5×2
Dumbbell Shrug 3×20
Cable Side Raises 5×20
Reverse Barbell Curl 3×15
Zercher Squat 1-3RM or 4-10RM + 3 Back-Off Sets/Triple Dropset
Leg Press 5×20
Seated Calf Raises With 3s Pause 5×10
Donkey Calf Raise OR Toes-in Standing Calf Raise 5×20-30
WEEK 2
Incline Bench Press 1-3RM or 4-10RM + 3 Back-Off Sets/Triple Dropset
Push Press 5×2
Power Shrugs 5×5
Dumbbell Upright Row 4×12
Face Pulls 3×15
Hammer Curl 3×10
Front Squat 1-3RM or 4-10RM + 3 Back-Off Sets/Triple Dropset
Pistol Squats 3×3
Standing Calf Raises With 2s Pause 5×12-20
Calf Raise On Leg Press 5×12-20
Standing Cable Crunches 5×20
WEEK 3
Seated Overhead Press 1-3RM + 3 Back-Off Sets/Triple Dropset
Viking Press 5×8
Power Clean 6×3
Farmer Walk 5×30-60s
Crucifix Holds 3×30-60s
Reverse Barbell Curls off pins 3×3
High Bar Squat 1-3RM or 4-10RM + 3 Back-Off Sets/Triple Dropset
Single-legged Leg Press 5×10
Standing Calf Raises Off Block 4s Bottom Pause 3×10-12
Seated Calf Raises Toes-in 5×10-15
WEEK 4
Wide Overhead Press off Medium Pins 1-3RM
Zydrunas Press 5×8
Power Snatch 5×2
Barbell Shrugs 5×15
Scarecrows 3×10
Reverse Cable Curl 3×15
Bulgarian Split Squat 1-3RM or 4-10RM + 3 Back-Off Sets/Triple Dropset
Hack Squat 4×12
Calf Raise on Leg Press 5×30
Standing Calf Raise 5×10
FIN
Hey man amazing job.Is that for only advanced lifters or what?Keep up the good job alex 😉
Thank you, this is for intermediate lifters or above.
Beautiful analysis!
Loving your work Alex
Do we do all of the exercises on every session of that particular week
Because it quite a number of sets
Greetings Harry,
You do all the exercises listed. You perform the workouts 2-4x a week, and then change them once you transition into a new week.
Since I see you got The Alpha Body, you will understand why I structured things this way.
If any more questions, do not be shy to ask!
-Alex
what about the weight. Should it be insane weights because the reps are low?
If you stick within the rep range, your weights will be perfect. Usually within 80-85%.
Very Impressive Alex keep up the good work man. Dmitry Klokov is a fucking beast as well.
Alex…I showed the program to a buddy of mine and he loves it BUT he wants to add a LITTLE more chest and back work…How could he go about this? Like how much sets of what exercise ? should he add both chest and back on all 2-4 days ? or should he just look for another program?
Thanks for sharing your experiences with others. You’re really creating a difference.
He should proabaly look for another program. This is highly specific towards building the body of Klokov. He did not have wide lats.
a must read for everyone involved in athletics!
This analysis is actually really good!
Great program!!! Sick and tired of reading BS bodybuilding articles. This is the real deal.
Hi I can only bench press 155×5 will this program work for me?
Volume’s really high dude. Will it work for naturals?
hello thank you for this post on klokov its really good
Of course. It’s properly periodized and is very specific towards developing the physique of Klokov.
I don’t think this program is right for you ATM. Check out my novice program, as it’s more suitable for your current strength level.
Ridiculous story there. What happened after?
Take care!
I think you are getting mixed up with my Dad Bod article.
This plan sounds brilliant but I have a couple questions.
1 – Will I need someone to spot me? (I’ve always trained alone)
2 – I’m sure Klokov’s diet is also important so is there any possible way I could find out the way Klokov eats?
Thank you once again and I’m eager to build a body like Klokov 😀
Hi Mark,
1) Spotting is an optional thing. If you have one great. If not, no big deal.
2) His Diet is irrelevant. It all comes down to calories in versus calories out.
Regards
-Alex
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again since i have book-marked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide other people.
Very good blog post. Will read on…
Hey, this program looks interesting. In the article you state that you can do it 2-4x a week, how should I schedule my workouts if I choose 4x a week?
Hello Ignacio,
You can either do 1 day on 1 day off (every 48 hours, which will get you in the gym 4x a week)
Or you can do Monday, Wednesday, Friday, OR Tuesday, Friday.
Great site. Tried week 1 today and really enjoyed it. I’m not entirely sure I understand the first exercise structure properly. What I did was 1 round of my 1 rep max for 3 reps then I did 3 rounds of drop sets of over head shoulder press. Is this right.
Thanks man
1-3RM or 4-10RM + 3 Back-Off Sets/Triple Dropset
So if you hit a set of 1-3 reps, cut it off there. If, however, you didn’t feel as strong and decided to hit 4-10 reps instead, then you would do the back-off sets.
It’s an either/or scenario. Hope this helps,
-Alex
Hey very nice blog!! Man .. Beautiful ..
I visited a lot of website but I think this one has something special in it in it
Hey Alex,
I’m thinking of running the Klokov program soon (when I finish the novice program, which won’t be long now), however I’m thinking about extended each phase into a 2-week period, effectively making the entire program an 8-week program. What are your thoughts on this? The other obvious option would be to repeat the written 4-week cycle. Thanks
You can extend 1-3 weeks depending on training experience.
Man i must admit he does have a real old time strongmans physique a supposed to modern b.bers (which i do not like)
Basically all i do: Military Press, Sid Press, Bent Press, Squats, Deadlifts. It seems to be getting me there. Mind you i am d.lifting 2.5X bodyweight and squatting 2x bodyweight, MP 1x BW
What you seem to saying here is no: chest,arm, taps work? Correct? (obvioulsy they get worked hard with other lifts)
Why front squats as opposed to normal squats?
Cheers,
Klokov’s lats are more dense than they are wide. Make no mistake, his lats are big.
epic article man this workout added 20kg to my snatch so fast it’s insane
Hey Alex,
Great article. I have a question about the first exercises of each workout.
When you say triple drop sets/ back off sets, how much weight do we reduce from our 1-3RM for the day? And do you decrease the same amount per back off set?
Thanks.
About 10-30%, and yes you decrease the same each time.
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Used this program for 4 months…and WOW I can’t believe how good it is. My yoke improved a lot
Great workout
EPIC PROGRAM BRO!!!! MY TRAPS BE LOOKIN LIKE IM ON STEROIDS OR SOME SHIT THIS IS TOO AWESOME BE RUNNIN THIS FOR 4 MONTHS NOW MAN
Glad to hear that Tyrone!
HOT workout! Making all kinds of gainssssssss
Thank you for the good writeup.
Just wish to say your article is as amazing.
The clearness on your put up is simply cool and that i could think you’re knowledgeable on this subject.
Hey Alex, if I were to repeat this program would I ever increase the weight?
Of course, progressive overload is mandatory
Alex as for the calves,when there is no “off blocks” written,would be better anyway to do the raises off something like a plate?(or just with feet to the ground)?thanks
His physique is weird mix of model and classic strong man
I’m 55 years old and beat up from years of injuries and accidents. Competed in PL in my early 30’s (first place and second place in two different competitions) then quit for 14 years; life, work and back injuries. Got back into training PL 14 years later and competed once more (third place); old back injury flared up so quit for 7 more years. Competed in 2014 at the age of 53 and won first for my age/weight. Back injury prevented me from competing in 2015 but did compete in 2016 at 54 years old; once again won first place.
Now I’m thinking about putting PL off to one side for a while or for good and train the Olympic lifts. However, I’m now 55 plus work 12 hour days lifting, carrying and moving heavy furniture and odd shaped objects. I like the routine you’ve laid out but because of my age and work situation I will divide each week into two weeks, working out twice a week.
Do you think this will still work for me?
You can run this routine if you like, but it is very high in volume and was not designed for Olympic Weightlifters. That said, I’m not sure if this is what you really need given your circumstances. Perhaps a full body program twice a week would be more appropriate.
Thx for your response. So what I’ve done with this program is I’ve divided it up into A and B. Each week has ten exercises. I’ve split each week into five exercises and named them A and B. Then I’ve spread A and B over two weeks so that A and B are both utilized three times over a two week period; week one is A, B, A and week two is B, A, B.
Over all it should take me approximately eight weeks to do your four week program. I’ve already finished week one and will be starting week two this week. I will keep you up dated and perhaps this might be another option for some people
Sick program man, just wondering if much conditioning would come into it ? Cheers
you can do that on off-days if you want, but not necessary
Looks like a sick program, but I’m confused by the set up, are you meant to do an identical workout 2-4 times in one week, then change and do the next one 2-4 times, focusing on increasing the weights/volume performed?
Or do you think it would be possible to get the same results by alternating the workouts each training day, and simply changing the loads each week? Or is that not how concurrent periodisation works?
Would appreciate your feedback/thoughts as I’m new to this style of training. Shouts from the UK!
@Anonymous
1- That is correct. Same workout but done at a high frequency.
2- There are many ways to use concurrent training, this is just one template out of many. If I had the volume day and intensity day setup I would use different exercise selection on both days.
That dude looks and lifts alpha as fuck, true inspiration!
That dude looks and lifts alpha as fuck, looks better than most bodybuilders imo, true inspiration!
How they marketed Sedov as “the next Ilyin”… It all started when I decided to be critical of their decision making, saying that I don t like certain things, and that s what provoked them to undermine me. And then Sedov came around – he did great, he won the World Championship, but let s slow down, okay?
What 1-3RM and 4-10RM mean? Solid program by the way.
great work man i am going to star doing it but i have a question regarding pistol squats because i can not do it yet and it very technicallly demanding and do you really think dimtry kolokov does bodyweight work
Can I reduce the sets for each workout if I decided to run it 4 times a week?
For the single leg leg press, is that 10 reps per leg or 10 reps total(5 per leg)?
For the single leg leg press, is that 10 reps total(5 per leg) or 10 reps on each leg?
I do Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday with an A,B,A split routine. First 5 exercises are “A” day and second 5 (sometimes 6) are “B” day
What would be an ideal bodyweight for someone who is 6’3″ to achieve a reasonable approximation of the Klokov physique?
Great article and I love Klokov’s physique but let’s also be realistic. Russia + Olympic + weight lifting = steroids
I am 6’3″. What body-weight(or range of body-weights) would be appropriate to approximate the Klokov physique?
Can i add direct neck training in novice program??
@Anonymous
Neck training can be added, yes.
Hey, program looks great!
What rest time would you recommend, is it the same as your novice program?
Can you explain a bit more about “1-3RM or 4-10RM”?
Do you work up to those, and what should the sets/percentages look like? Especially if you don’t know your 1RM for some of the movements new to me?
Awesome analysis Alex! Quick question: did anybody follow this template? I think I will start next week but just want to gather some feedback to overcome possible “issues” regarding to recovery and whatnot. Thanks in advance!
Great article. Loved it.