Developing Power Through Lifting

This past weekend I went up to Jefforsonville, IN with a couple of the guys from the gym to get certified through USAW to teach Olympic lifts. These lifts include the Clean and Jerk and the Snatch. I have messed around with these lifts in the past and had help learning them during my internship at U of L but this was the first true, intensive coaching I have had with them.



Before I get into the weekend, for those of you who are unsure about these lifts, let me explain. The Olympic lifts are the ones seen in the Olympic games but are also used in athletics for power development. They have been adopted for this purpose because they are very explosive in nature and require triple extension (ankle, knee, and hip) which is exactly what happens in sprinting and jumping. By loading these movements, the athlete is requires to produce more force into the ground causing a reaction upward through the body. This is what happens to cause the bar to move upward, or in a sporting event, the body to propel.

My personal reasoning for getting this certification was to use these lifts for athletic development purposes. Not only do they allow for great development of power but they are also very time efficient lifts and create a huge stimulus to the body. Each lift requires the body to work in unison as a whole instead of something like a bench press they may only involve a small amount of musculature. When time is a factor, these lifts can be used to get more of a workout in and affect a larger portion of the body.

As for the weekend and my experience. I thought the program was great and I was able to walk away with a greater understanding of what each lift requires as well as a better ability to complete and feel the lifts for myself. I am, however, amazingly sore considering that we completed about 500+ reps over 2 days. The seminar itself was about 35% lecture and 65% hands on so most of the time we were in the weight room completing and coaching the lifts. I had a lot of fun and got to meet some cool people as well as learn a ton of new stuff, even beyond the Olympic lifts. If you are ever interested in trying out some of these lifts feel free to shoot me an email and I will try to help you out.