Introduction
Olympic lifts and their variations have long been used as a strengthening technique to enhance sports performance. The use of Olympic weightlifting is evident as regular practice by professional strength coaches, and supported in journals. As we become more knowledgeable and skilled in designing sport specific programs, more information regarding Olympic lifting is necessary in order to help best serve athletes. Before designing an Olympic lifting program, it is important to understand the scientific rationale and effectiveness of Olympic lifts.
Olympic weightlifting is technically a sport with competitions held locally, nationally, internationally, and most notably at the Olympics. The competition lifts are the snatch and the clean and jerk. While Olympic weightlifting is a sport, the lifts themselves are commonly used by strength and conditioning coaches to help their athletes improve elements of athletic performance such as strength and power. Furthermore, even more popular among athletes and strength coaches are the variations of the competition lifts, such as the power snatch and power clean. Variation lifts are more widely used because many athletes cannot achieve the deep squat position necessary for the snatch or the clean and jerk. The power clean and power snatch are preferred because the catch position (receiving position) is performed from a 1/4 squat rather than a full squat position. To learn more about performing and properly assessing if athletes are functionally capable to perform Olympic lifts safely and efficiently refer to any NASM’s Performance trainers. At Stroud sports Clinic Ltd, we have 3 Exercise Sports Medicine professionals as well as our very own Strength and Conditioning specialist who are only glad to help.
Performing the Snatch
The Snatch is described as a single movement as the weight is pulled from the floor with two hands and explosively lifted to arm’s length over the head with no pause in the movement.
Preparation:
Performing the Snatch
The Snatch is described as a single movement as the weight is pulled from the floor with two hands and explosively lifted to arm’s length over the head with no pause in the movement.
Preparation:
- Shoulder-width stance, feet flat on floor.
- Grasp bar with wide grip: roughly the same distance as elbow to elbow when arms are straight out at sides.
- Squat down next to bar, keeping feet flat on floor and arms fully extended.
- Position shoulders over or slightly ahead of the bar with shins touching the bar.
- Establish a neutral pelvis posture.
- Draw-in and brace the abdominals and retract the scapulae.
- Begin pull by extending knees.
- Move hips forward and raise shoulders at same rate.
- Lift bar straight up.
- Keep elbows fully extended and bar close to the body by contracting the latissimus dorsi.
- Thrust hips forward and continue pulling until knees are under bar.
- Torso should be close to vertical and erect.
- Shoulders are still positioned over the bar.
- Brush bar against mid/upper thigh.
- Move bar upwards by explosively extending hips, knees, and ankle (plantar flexion) in a jumping motion.
- At maximum plantar flexion elevate shoulders and flex and pull with the arms.
- Pull bar as high as possible keeping wrists over the bar.
- As the bar reaches maximum height, flex the hips and knees dropping rapidly into a squat position.
- Flex and rotate elbows underneath the bar.
- At maximum bar height fully extend elbows locking bar overhead.
- Contact floor with feet before the bar is locked overhead.
- Catch bar by flexing at the knees and hips to absorb weight.
- Squat to the depth necessary to safely control weight overhead.
Recovery:
Performing the Clean & Jerk
The Clean and Jerk is considered a double movement. The ‘clean’ involves lifting the barbell from the floor to the shoulders and the ‘jerk’ is the explosive lifting of the barbell from shoulders overhead. It is this lift by which humans achieve the heaviest weights overhead.
Preparation:
When designing a program for enhancing sports performance, one of the most important acute variables for consideration is exercise selection. All exercises chosen should follow the Principle of Specificity also known as the SAID (specific adaptation to imposed demands) principle. The SAID principle essentially means the body will adapt to the type of demands placed on it. For example, if an athlete continuously lifts heavy loads, the adaptation will be maximal strength.
Conversely, if the athlete continuously lifts light loads with high repetitions, the outcome will be muscular endurance. This is a fairly simple concept to understand. In essence, you get what you train for.
A majority of sports require explosive power (strength & speed) in order to perform at full potential. While the Olympic lifts do not mimic many specific sport skills such as running, throwing, or catching, they do develop the specific adaptation of explosive power. Power is the ability of the body to produce the greatest amount of force in the shortest possible time. This is represented by the following simple equation: force multiplied by velocity. The two Olympic lifts (snatch, clean and jerk) and their variations (power snatch, power clean) have been shown to increase both velocity of movement and rate of force production. In fact, the second pull of the power clean exhibits one of the highest power outputs of any resistance training exercise. Additionally, maximum strength (force) can be enhanced by performing Olympic weightlifting variations such as heavy squats, deadlifts, and presses, thus, it is safe to say, Olympic lifts and their variations adhere to the SAID principle and can be an effective exercise selection for enhancing overall power and athletic performance (as long as the athlete possesses the functional and structural capabilities to perform these movements).
The Universal Athletic Position
As mentioned earlier, Olympic lifts do not mimic many specific sport skills. However, one static/dynamic posture Olympic lifts do mimic, often seen in athletics, is the Universal Athletic Position (UAP). This position is described as standing in a quarter squat with feet flat, the hips are behind the center of gravity, shoulders are in front, the torso is flat (inclined at an angle of about 45ยบ) weight is distributed across the full foot, hands in front, knees over the toes, and shoulders over the knees. The UAP is generally regarded as the most common position in all of sports. In some cases, it is used as a static “ready position” such as a sprinter positioning prior to the start. At other times, the athlete moves through the UAP dynamically (during a countermovement or wind-up) to exploit the stretch-shortening cycle. The Olympic lifts, when performed correctly, move through the UAP between the first and second pull phases allowing the hip extensors and ground reaction forces to explode the bar vertically.
What Does the Research Say?
Now that we have a basic understanding of Olympic weightlifting, what does current research tell us? Can Olympic weightlifting improve elements of athletic performance? While there is not any conclusive research proving Olympic weightlifting improves athletic performance, several studies and peer reviewed articles have shown the effectiveness of an Olympic weightlifting conditioning program on various performance measures including jumping, sprinting, and explosive strength.
Conclusion
Based on current evidence, there is ample justification to incorporate Olympic lifts into a sports performance conditioning program. Although there are no research studies that can be considered as a definitive cause-and-effect, the literature consistently provides supporting evidence that Olympic lifts and their derivatives improve rate of force production, high-load speed strength, maximum strength, and vertical jump performance while using dynamic postures (UAP) commonly seen in many sports. The combination of all these factors should improve athletic performance for athletes engaging in explosive sports. However, before implementing an Olympic lifting program, it is vital to understand the technical aspects, complexities, and structural and functional requirements for athletes to perform these movements safely and effectively.
Jason Ford NASM. MSMA
Exercise Sports Medicine.
- Once under control in squat position, extend hips and knees to move the body to a fully erect position.
- Keep bar locked overhead for a few seconds.
The Clean and Jerk is considered a double movement. The ‘clean’ involves lifting the barbell from the floor to the shoulders and the ‘jerk’ is the explosive lifting of the barbell from shoulders overhead. It is this lift by which humans achieve the heaviest weights overhead.
Preparation:
- Shoulder width stance, feet flat on floor.
- Grasp bar slightly wider than shoulder width.
- Squat down next to bar, keeping feet flat on floor and arms fully extended.
- Position shoulders over or slightly ahead of the bar with shins touching the bar.
- Establish a neutral pelvis posture.
- Draw-in and brace the abdominals and retract the scapulae.
- Begin pull by extending knees.
- Move hips forward and raise shoulders at same rate.
- Lift bar straight up.
- Keep elbows fully extended and bar close to the body by contracting the latissimus dorsi.
- Thrust hips forward and continue pulling until knees are under bar.
- Torso should be close to vertical and erect.
- Shoulders are still positioned over the bar.
- Brush bar against mid/upper thigh.
- Move bar upwards by explosively extending hips, knees, and ankles (plantar flexion) in a jumping motion.
- At maximum plantar flexion elevate shoulders and flex and pull with the arms.
- Pull bar as high as possible keeping wrists over the bar.
- Lifter drops rapidly into the full front squat position.
- Rotate elbows and under the bar.
- Hyperextend wrists as the elbows move under the bar.
- Point elbows forward.
- Rack the bar across the front of the shoulders, keeping torso erect.
- Flex hips and knees to absorb the weight of the bar.
When designing a program for enhancing sports performance, one of the most important acute variables for consideration is exercise selection. All exercises chosen should follow the Principle of Specificity also known as the SAID (specific adaptation to imposed demands) principle. The SAID principle essentially means the body will adapt to the type of demands placed on it. For example, if an athlete continuously lifts heavy loads, the adaptation will be maximal strength.
Conversely, if the athlete continuously lifts light loads with high repetitions, the outcome will be muscular endurance. This is a fairly simple concept to understand. In essence, you get what you train for.
A majority of sports require explosive power (strength & speed) in order to perform at full potential. While the Olympic lifts do not mimic many specific sport skills such as running, throwing, or catching, they do develop the specific adaptation of explosive power. Power is the ability of the body to produce the greatest amount of force in the shortest possible time. This is represented by the following simple equation: force multiplied by velocity. The two Olympic lifts (snatch, clean and jerk) and their variations (power snatch, power clean) have been shown to increase both velocity of movement and rate of force production. In fact, the second pull of the power clean exhibits one of the highest power outputs of any resistance training exercise. Additionally, maximum strength (force) can be enhanced by performing Olympic weightlifting variations such as heavy squats, deadlifts, and presses, thus, it is safe to say, Olympic lifts and their variations adhere to the SAID principle and can be an effective exercise selection for enhancing overall power and athletic performance (as long as the athlete possesses the functional and structural capabilities to perform these movements).
The Universal Athletic Position
As mentioned earlier, Olympic lifts do not mimic many specific sport skills. However, one static/dynamic posture Olympic lifts do mimic, often seen in athletics, is the Universal Athletic Position (UAP). This position is described as standing in a quarter squat with feet flat, the hips are behind the center of gravity, shoulders are in front, the torso is flat (inclined at an angle of about 45ยบ) weight is distributed across the full foot, hands in front, knees over the toes, and shoulders over the knees. The UAP is generally regarded as the most common position in all of sports. In some cases, it is used as a static “ready position” such as a sprinter positioning prior to the start. At other times, the athlete moves through the UAP dynamically (during a countermovement or wind-up) to exploit the stretch-shortening cycle. The Olympic lifts, when performed correctly, move through the UAP between the first and second pull phases allowing the hip extensors and ground reaction forces to explode the bar vertically.
What Does the Research Say?
Now that we have a basic understanding of Olympic weightlifting, what does current research tell us? Can Olympic weightlifting improve elements of athletic performance? While there is not any conclusive research proving Olympic weightlifting improves athletic performance, several studies and peer reviewed articles have shown the effectiveness of an Olympic weightlifting conditioning program on various performance measures including jumping, sprinting, and explosive strength.
- Carlock et al. concluded that weightlifting ability and vertical jump performance were strongly linked together.
- Channel et al. indicated that Olympic lifts as well as power lifts provide improvement in vertical jump performance. Additionally, Olympic lifts may provide a modest advantage over power lifts for vertical jump improvements. Chiu et al. offered advice for strength and conditioning Hori et al. concluded that high performance in the “hang power clean” is significantly related to jumping and sprinting.
- Hori, Newton et al. illustrated that Olympic weightlifting improves the development of power, high-load speed strength and athletic performance .
- Waller et al. offered advice for strength and conditioning specialists for successfully implementing the “power snatch” into a conditioning program for improved athletic performance.
Conclusion
Based on current evidence, there is ample justification to incorporate Olympic lifts into a sports performance conditioning program. Although there are no research studies that can be considered as a definitive cause-and-effect, the literature consistently provides supporting evidence that Olympic lifts and their derivatives improve rate of force production, high-load speed strength, maximum strength, and vertical jump performance while using dynamic postures (UAP) commonly seen in many sports. The combination of all these factors should improve athletic performance for athletes engaging in explosive sports. However, before implementing an Olympic lifting program, it is vital to understand the technical aspects, complexities, and structural and functional requirements for athletes to perform these movements safely and effectively.
Jason Ford NASM. MSMA
Exercise Sports Medicine.
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