Weightlifting Mechanics vs.

Weightlifting Technique: The Science and Art of Coaching and the State of US Weightlifting Weightlifting is one of the few endeavors both the scientist and artist can fall in love with because its beauty lies in both realms. The scientist is drawn to its order. It has a distinct beginning and desired end, and everything in the middle can be measured with precision. Based on these measurements, the scientist can describe with great accuracy the best way to achieve this end. The artist is drawn to its beauty. There is a process of deliberately altering variables, which will create a desired outcome. How skillful the artist is with recognizing which variables need manipulating and how to manipulate them will determine how beautiful the end result will be. A great coach is both scientist and artist. The artistic aspects of coaching Weightlifting such as training design and the manipulation of training variables are subjective. How a coach handles these aspects will depend heavily upon the specific discerning interpretations of his/her own experiences. These interpretations will be unique to a particular coach. The acute and chronic responses/adaptations to training will vary from athlete to athlete making it impossible to develop a consistent and precise best method for success. In contrast, the mechanics for lifting a barbell properly are 100% objective. Its important to note, mechanics are not the same as ones technique. Mechanics of Weightlifting are the forces involved with lifting a barbell and the causes behind them. Technique is the visual manifestation of these forces. Causes behind force production such as gravity, mass, and distance can be measured with precision. Using the aforementioned constants, variables involved with the mechanics of force production such as joint angles, bar trajectories, and balance can be manipulated in order to establish the most efficient pulling mechanics. In the late 70s after decades of measuring and analyzing hundreds of thousands of their own athletes, the Soviets were able to quantify the optimal pulling mechanics. The Soviets used the scientific method for establishing their conclusions. The results were tested with carefully documented, controlled experiments, which could be repeated by any other researcher. They did not rely solely on observation, hearsay or conjecture. Since the late 70s, sport scientists from around the world have performed a multitude of research on pulling mechanics. Because humans havent evolved since the 70s, and the effects of gravity havent changed, researchers have not found a more effective way of pulling a bar than was found by the Soviets. Although some top lifters may have observable differences in technique, this is not an indication of new lifting mechanics. As I have shown the mechanics of pulling havent changed. This much is fact. The observable differences in technique have to do with an individuals peculiarities such as anthropometry or leg/torso strength distribution. These peculiarities will dictate actions, which will

suit an individual lifters needs. The fact is, regardless of what we can observe, the mechanical action of the lifter/barbell complex for the top lifters around the world remains unchanged. Im not going to discuss the details of pulling mechanics. These can be easily found in translated Soviet manuals or ANY biomechanical research done over the last thirty years. What cannot be found is one study showing support or even the existence of any other new, more efficient way of lifting a barbell which some US coaches claim exists. Until genetic engineering yields athletes with identical DNA, technique will continue to vary among lifters. And, until the laws of physics change, observable technique may be called catapulting, Triple Extending, or Triple Lindy - the fact remains, the forces involved in lifting a barbell and the causes behind them are the same now as they were 30 or more years ago. The fall of communism allowed for the professionally trained Eastern Block coaches to emigrate. Armed with the tools of both scientist and artist, they teach the very mechanics some US coaches arrogantly disregard or don't understand and continue to transform mediocre Weightlifting nations into powerhouses while this absurd debate lingers on. Perhaps that has more to do with the current state of US Weightlifting than the triple extension.