Lecture 8: Olympic Weightlifting

Olympic weightlifting as a sport

Each athlete has a maximum of

three attempts for two movements, snatch and clean and jerk

snatch

weightlifter lifts the barbell from the ground to overhead in one continuous motion

clean and jerk

two-part lift where the athlete first cleans the barbell to the shoulders and then jerks it overhead

Olympic weightlifting movement derivatives

Movements that share a portion of the full movement pattern

• Can be used as drills or regressions

• Can be core (main) movements of a program

primary Benefits

- Requires high force production

- Requires high rate of force development (RFD)

secondary benefits

- General athleticism (hard to measure)

• Coordination, force absorption, motor pattern

- Bang for your buck

• Training stimulus similar to other movements and methods

risks

Injury risk

- Olympic weightlifting: 2.4-3.3 injuries/ 1000 hrs

- Wrestling: 5.7 injuries/1000 hrs

- Running: 7.7 injuries/1000 hrs

- Football: 9.6 injuries/1000 hrs

Limitations

Time to teach

- Becoming proficient vs eliciting training effect

Equipment needs

- Specialty bars/plates, optimal flooring, optimal space

Stages of the lift:- Both Olympic Weightlifting movements:

1. Set-up

2. First pull

3. Transition

4. Second pull

5. Catch

- Only Clean and Jerk:

6. Jerk

Techniques: Power position

Torso stacked

Feet flat? (Weight distribution)

Straight arms?

Set-up

- Shoulders over bar

- Relationship between:

• Torso and ground

• Shoulders and bar

first pull

- Bar close

- Clear knees

- Consistent torso angle

- Weight shifts back to heel

Transition

- Open into power position

- COP shifts forward

Second pull

- Triple extension

- Optimal displacement of bar

Catch

Snatch

• Elbows high

• Wrist position kinda bent back

• Push yourself under bar

- Clean

• Set the rack

• Body position > arm position

Jerk

- Torso stacked on pelvis

- Dip and drive

- Push yourself under bar

• Receiving the bar in the "split" position is more

common than in the "squat" position

Clean/snatch derivatives:

- Hang (Starting somewhere off ground, High, mid-thigh, below knee)

- Power catch (Catching in ¼ squat or higher)

- Pulls (Any variation without a catch)

Derivative name =

movement + starting position

jerk derrivatives

- Complex

- Push press

- Push jerk

- Squat jerk

Uncommon derivatives:

- Hip snatch

- Hang split snatch

- 1-arm DB snatch

- 2-arm KB snatch

- 1-leg power clean from hang