The Importance of Explosive Resistance Training: Olympic Lifts
With the 2010 Winter Olympic Games dominating the media it seems like a fitting time to discuss the hot topic of Olympic lifts. The athletic world is realizing the importance of explosive resistance training and Olympic lifts are at the top of the list. Olympic lifts are being taught and performed in gyms and training centers everywhere.
Let’s start from the beginning and answer the question of what exactly are Olympic lifts? That answer is simple; 1. ’snatch’ 2. ‘clean & jerk’. These are the only two lifts contested at the Olympic summer games and thus are the only two Olympic lifts. There is often confusion about other lifts being included in this category such as bench press, squat and dead lift. The three previously mentioned lifts are in fact classified as power lifts and are contested in power lifting competitions that are not included in the Olympics.
The Olympic lifts are two of the most advanced and complicated lifts to execute. These lifts are not for beginner weight lifters and should be practiced under close supervision. Both lifts require taking the weighted bar from the floor and lifting it fully over head. These movements require a complicated sequence of muscular contractions crossing several joints. If you read my previous article on posterior chain training you will recognize how vital this chain is in completing both the snatch and clean & jerk.
You may be wondering why these lifts are becoming so popular and why they are included in the programs of elite athletes. Well, the reason is that these lifts are great at making you faster and more explosive; two characteristics that are desired in most sports. Olympic lifts develop strong quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors, and other core muscles. It’s no coincidence that these are the same muscle groups that largely determine running, skating and jumping ability.
For beginners to the Olympic lifts, here are a few tips to get you started.
- Find a qualified professional to supervise your training.
- Spend many hours working on your technique with low weight before progressing to heavier weight.
- Keep the bar close to your body at all times and your back perfectly straight.
- Remember that your lower body is going to do the majority of the work.
- Repeatedly watch videos of the best in the world performing the lifts so you have the technique burned into your mind.
- Don’t get so caught up in the Olympic lifts that you neglect other lifts and training exercises.
- Be sure that the risk of injury (when doing Olympic lifts, especially snatch) is worth the benefit to your training.
In this article I have only begun to brush the surface of this topic but I hope to have answered some common questions and provided insight into potentially improving your athletic performance. Feel free to watch the video below of some Olympic weightlifting.
[Craig Slaunwhite is a Doctor of Chiropractic, the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Florida Panthers NHL club, and RIVALUS' Expert Strength and Conditioning Advisor]
