Olympic lifting anyone? Please consider it!

coachbennettlhs · May 2014

The Olympic lifts (clean and jerk, snatch) are incredible calorie burners, increase hip and shoulder mobility, and can vastly improve strength and power.
I've noticed a few problems:

1. Few gyms even allow these lifts - that's just sad.
2. Very few trainers know how to teach proper technique (hence a lot of people suffering injuries from Crossfit activities).
3. Most people are scared to try Olympic lifts.

Weightlifting, if done CORRECTLY, is the safest sport. Fewer people are injured by percentage compared to other sports. There are exercises that must be performed before you can just pick up a bar and start doing a set of cleans. If you are unsure of technique or accessory movements, seek a certified trainer (preferably one certified by the USAW). I highly encourage people to give it shot, regardless of your goals. Olympic lifting burns more calories than any other exercise and IMO it sure beats being a gerbil on a treadmill.

neandermagnon · May 2014

lots of people here do weights... mostly programmes like starting strength and stronglifts and intermediate programmes that follow on from them

I'd like to try those lifts... currently I work out at home and so do the powerlifting ones from stronglifts, but wouldn't mind giving the others a go sometime.

Will_Thrust_For_Candy · May 2014

A new gym just opened very close to my house and they are offering Olympic lifting, amongst other things---mainly sport specific training. I couldn't be more excited to find out more and the qualifications of the trainers. Learning to do the Oly lifts has been on my bucket list for a while now. I lift regularly but due to the technicality of the Oly lifts, I didn't feel comfortable training myself to do them.

12by311 · May 2014

I'm just now starting to attempt some oly lifts. And I'm becoming addicted. It's a big challenge for me and I love it. I love how the lifts are dynamic and aside from that, my whole body feels it.

Right now I'm just trying to get my clean and push press form down so I can eventually clean and jerk. I use the barbell and 10 lb bumpers on each side. The issue I have right now is keeping the bar close in the shrug motion. I feel like I am almost curling it. I need to video it so I can see what I'm doing.

I've been watching the Team USA videos on youtube…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc-0lFV1KWQ

My coworker is the football coach where I teach, so he's been helping me with my form as well.

I have horrible mobility in my shoulders and hips so the snatch is laughable when I attempt it. I WILL GET IT THOUGH!

Confuzzled4ever · May 2014

What is an olympic lift?? (assuming oly is short hand for it?)

what is clean and jerk, snatch?

I do deadlifts with ohp.. same idea??

I'm doing the ice cream fitness 5x5 for beginners currently. I am still working on figuring out exactly what lifting heavy is for me.

coachbennettlhs · May 2014

The snatch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rZV5P3cAa4

The clean and jerk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc-0lFV1KWQ

Confuzzled4ever · May 2014

The snatch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rZV5P3cAa4

Ok this is close to what I do.. I don't start at the ground though..

The clean and jerk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc-0lFV1KWQ

Not even tried ityet

thanks for the example though. My gym has an olympic bar so i'km assuming these are allowed there.

3laine75 · May 2014

My cleans are just rubbish. Leaving them till my upper body strength is better. Tried and tried but I just can't get past 37.5

My brother showed me the clean and jerk but I don't like the hook grip - I'm happy dodging away with squats, deads, bench and OHP, ATM.

It would be great if there were trainers near me who were even passable but that's not the case. Think my only option to learn these properly would be crossfit and it's too expensive for me.

geek23ka · May 2014

The snatch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rZV5P3cAa4

The clean and jerk:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc-0lFV1KWQ

it's so cool how he has just made himself available for questions, and put up these videos for free. thanks for posting them.

i am going to talk to my coach about doing more hang snatches. he is not USAW certified, but did attend a weekend seminar up at the oly training center on CO and competed briefly in oly lifting. he is an admitted power oly lifter rather than technical, but i feel safe with him. he knows his limits and doesn't have any sort of ego about it.

i follow what he sets up for me because i am so new to this and in just a few months he has given me 40 pounds in my deadlift, where i was stuck for a year before. but, he has said that explosiveness will help my (anemic!) squat, so i bet we can do at least hang snatches.

in the meantime i just watch all the cal strength videos and search for cheryl haworth videos.

if you guys like olympic lifting, the documentary called Strong! is really good. it focuses on cheryl haworth and has an interesting body image/feminist slant to it. and cara heads is in there, too!