Introduction
Olympic Weightlifting can be a sport in which athletes compete for the total weight of 2 lifts: the snatch along with the clean & jerk. The education methods used in Weightlifting are also used by Strength & Conditioning coaches as a technique of resistance training for the number of other sports. Most significant factors behind exploiting various resistance training modalities such is made for power development. There are lots of variations on the party’s theme of power training. Many of these training modalities include plyometrics (Wilson, Elliot & Wood 1990), assisted and resisted training (Faccioni 1993a; 1993b) and speed and acceleration drills (Cinkovich 1992). A favorite method used to increase athletic power is Olympic Weightlifting (ie power cleans, push presses, snatches, jump jerks along with their variations) conducted from the weight room (Garhammer, 1993). This has traditionally been seen as efficient way of producing general explosive ability (Takano 1992; Stone 1993; Garhammer & Gregor 1992). However, there are many important considerations which need being addressed when implementing Olympic lifting exercises into the Strength & Conditioning program of an athlete, many of these include movement competency, training age, sport and coaching time with athlete. The objective of this article by Elite Performance Institute (EPI) is usually to provide a biomechanical and physiological discussion why weightlifting work outs are helpful to improve athletic performance and the way they ought to be performed within a training course. For more information, check out www.epicertification.com
Power Defined
Power continues to be understood to be the suitable blend of speed and strength to make movement (Chu 1996). More specifically, power represents draught beer the athlete to make high amounts of function with a given distance. The harder power an athlete possesses the better the degree of work performed (Wilson 1992). Power can be a blend of strength and speed:
POWER = FORCE (strength) X VELOCITY (speed of movement)
There are lots of physiological and neural adaptations which comprise the strength component (Moritani 1992). Physiological adaptations to strength contain a boost in muscle mass through hypertrophy, connective tissue density and bone integrity (Tesch 1992a). Neural adaptations (Schmidtbleicher 1992) which can be produced are: (1) increased recruitment of motor units; (2) increased firing rate of motor neurones; (3) synchronised firing of motor neurones; (4) boost in intra-muscular coordination; and (5) boost in inter-muscular coordination.
Speed of movement comprises a number of interrelated factors (Ackland & Bloomfield 1995). These are; (1) muscle fibre type; (2) skill; (3) muscle insertion points; (4) lever length; (5) muscular posture; and (6) elastic energy standby time with the series elastic component.
Olympic Weightling exercises facilitate continuing development of the middle (Strength-Speed and Speed-Strength) of the force-velocity (FV) curve (see above). The FV curve acts a guide to Strength & Conditioning Certification UK regarding the form of strength developed from each exercise, session or phase of coaching from the program. Therefore, the Strength & Conditioning coach can effectively plan what type of power they need to develop and which training modality (powerlifting, Olympic liftining, plyometrics, etc) is better utilised to elicit these adaptations.
Conclusion
Concern still exists regarding the ef?cacy of including Olympic weightlifting exercises from the resistance training programs of athletes in sports aside from weightlifting. These concerns generally fall into 3 broad categories: 1) Perceived time forced to educate yourself on the movements because of the complexity of the lifts. 2) A lack of idea of the opportunity bene?ts which can be produced from performing Olympic lifting exercises correctly. 3) Concern within the prospect of injury due to performing these weightlifting movements.
It is evident you can find a great number of biomechanical benefits of performing these lifts with limited disadvantages. The biggest risk continues to be of the perceived danger of performing these lifts. Judging by the research presented by Brian Hammill of the British Weightlifting Association (BWLA), it may be stated with con?dence how the risk of injury is really as low or less than most sports provided that there’s quali?ed supervision provided by certi?ed Strength and Conditioning coach who have been trained in coaching the weightlifting movements.
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