Olympic lifting for elite sports performance

Olympic lifting and the variations used are heavily utilised for the strength and conditioning of
athletes of all abilities (Cissik, 2012). The lifts used are often included into a vast amount of elite
level and beginner level athletes to enhance strength power and speed through explosive and
technical lifting sequences. This article is going to provide some perspective on the lifts; first
covering what they are and how they are used, then discussing the advantages of the lifts, explaining
the challenges with the lifts, and finally covering what we know from a research standpoint about
how to use the lifts in an athlete's training.

The Olympic lifting sequences and their variations revolve around three main lifts.

The first lift is called the power clean, during this lift the athlete is to lift the bar from the floor to
their shoulders in one movement, this lift is completed in stages firstly the grip used should be the
hook grip. The hook grip entails holding the thumb with the index and forefingers whilst grasping
the barbell (Cissik, 2012). As this lift is very technical its vital to show the breakdown of the
technique stages;

Starting position Athlete should stand with feet hip width apart and the feet directly under the
barbell, athlete to begin to squat down and grasp the barbell, once grasped the shoulders should be
slightly anterior of the bar (Duba et al., 2007). Its important that the feet remain firmly flat on the
floor and the barbell approximately 1 inch from the shin, ensuring back is straight chest is up and
head is up with eyes looking forward (Giramondo, 2013).

First pull once starting position is achieved the first pull is the next technique of the sequence, to
lift the bar from the platform ensure that the athlete uses extension of the hips and knees whilst
maintaining a constant torso to floor angle. Ensure that during the first pull balance is well
maintained throughout the fore and mid foot. This stage is not initiated by rapid knee extension
which can be common in novice lifters. the athlete or coach needs to ensure hip extension precedes
knee extension, the consequences of not following this can result in increased trunk lean and can
place further stress on the lower back, other technical cues to be considered is to reinforce a flat
back or neutral spine and to check the shoulders are still anterior to the barbell whilst keeping the
barbell close to the shins (Giramondo, 2013).

Transition (Scoop) when the barbell is raised to just above the knee/ mid-thigh, the athlete should
then quickly thrust hips forward. At this point slight flexion of the ankle, knee and hip will occur as
the feet should still be in contact with the floor, making sure the barbell is still in contact with thighs,
arms are kept relatively straight and shoulders are internally rotated.
Second pull The athlete should continue to raise the bar by raising up on to the toes, then using
triple extension at the hip knee and ankle keep raising the bar, its suggested that in the process of
continuing to elevate the bar that its kept close to the body throughout, a neutral spine should be
maintained and the shoulder internally rotated with the elbows pointing outwards. Once this stage
is completed the shrugging component of the lift commences, during this aspect the its vital to keep
the elbows straight and pointed out until the highest point where the elbows will begin to flex which
then prepares the body to transition under the bar (Giramondo, 2013).

Catch - in this phase the biomechanics of the shoulder and arm alter in a way that the body is pulled
under the bar and the arms rotate around and under the bar. Ensure that at this exact moment the
hips and knees flex so that you are put into a semi squat position. This point of the lift is expected
that once the elbows come under the barbell they continue to rise so that the upper arms are now
parallel with the floor. The barbell should now be racked across the anterior muscle in the shoulders.
For safety reasons, it is important that your back is kept flat whilst your face continues looking
forward. Once these phases are complete and balance is achieved, squat back to the top
(Giramondo, 2013).

The second lift is called the snatch, this lift uses the same technique as the power clean with only
one change which occurs at the second pull. This change instead of catching the bar the hip thrust
out the bar is caught in an overhead squat position and then squat back up to standing position.

Finally, the clean and jerk is the last variation used in sporting events, this lift again uses the entire
clean technique. The difference between them is that once the bar is caught at the shoulders, the
arms then extend up as the knees flex and the bar is pushed above the head to extension head is
forward and the back remains straight and neutral. The legs are dominant leg forward which looks
like the standing phase of a lunge.

The link between Olympic weightlifting and sports performance

In the world of strength training there are numerous methodologies that are used to increase the
performance of athletes (Foreman, 2013). Olympic lifting tends to be the most popular philosophies
for coaches to incorporate because of their focus on power and strength development which can be
transferable to the most sports. One of the most important aspects used in Olympic weightlifting
which relates to sports performance is power specifically force development or speed strength. The
style of Olympic lifts, using heavy load performed with high velocity resulting in higher power output
(Johnson et al., 2008). The term speed strength combines two very crucial attributes of elite athletic
performance to express power development. An athletes power capacity includes maximum
strength, high load speed strength, low load speed strength, rate of force development, reactive
strength, skill performance, and power endurance. (Hori & Stone, 2004) Through the training of
Olympic lifts, athletes can increase their speed strength. This is done specifically because during the
pull phase of the clean and snatch, as well as the drive phase of the jerk, athletes extend using triple
extension to push against the ground as quickly as possible therefore producing acceleration on the
body and the barbell, these movements are very closely linked with sports performance and they are
seen to be very close to jumping and high velocity movements (Hackett et al., 2015). Also, functional
core strength is developed due to the large amount of overhead activity, and movements with high
loads away from the bodys centre of gravity.

Whilst the Olympic lifts have advantages, they also have several challenges that need to be factored
into a coach's decision to use them. Firstly, the these are extremely technical lifts. It is almost
impossible to learn these lifts and perform them safely and effectively without a knowledgeable
coach Collins (2011). Not only that, but they take a great deal of time to master. An athlete can get
the basics down in a single session, but it may take months to refine their technique on the lifts. A
coach must decide if the benefits outweigh the investment in terms of time (Everett, 2016). Overall
Olympic lifts aid sports performance massively the benefits they can provide an athlete with is vital
in their sporting areas.
Sources / references

Cissik, J. (2012) Use of The Olympic Lifts In Track & Field... Journal of Strength and Conditioning. Vol.
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Collins, P. (2011) Kettlebell Conditioning. (1st ed.) USA: Sorts Publisher accosiation.

Duba, J., Kraemer, J. and Martin, G. (2007) A 6-Step progression model for teaching the hang power
clean. Strength and Conditioning Journal,. Vol. 29, No. 3: 26-35.

Everett, G. (2016) Olympic Weightlifting. (2nd ed.) London: Catalyst Athletics, LLC.

Foreman, M. (2013) Using Olympic Lifts To Strengthen Prep Throwers. Track

Coach. Vol. 24, No. 12: 483-487.

Giramondo, J. (2013) POWER CLEAN: A GREAT WAY TO DEVELOP WHOLE BODY POWER.. Journal of
Australian Strength & Conditioning. Vol. 21, No. 3: 61-69.

Hackett, D., Davies, T., Soomro, N. and Halaki, M. (2015) Olympic weightlifting training improves
vertical jump height in sportspeople: a systematic review with meta-analysis. British Journal of
Sports Medicine. Vol. 50, No. 14: 865-872.

Hori, N. and Stone, H. (2004) Weightlifting Exercises Enhance Athletic Performance That Requires
High-Load Speed. Strength and Conditioning Journal. Vol. 27, No. 4: 50-55.

Johnson, J., Sabatini, L. and Sparkman, R. (2008) A Debate between Power Lifting and Olympic Lifting
as the Main Athletic Training Method. Virginia Journal. Vol. 29, No. 4: 19-23.