Olympic Weightlifting
Olympic weightlifting exercises consist of power cleans, snatches and jerks. Olympic weightlifting should not be confused with power lifting. Power lifting is not performed in the Olympics.
Olympic weightlifting routines –the clean and jerk and snatch-- are not always offered or performed in most fitness centers because of the room needed to perform them and the lack of good and experienced coaching in most fitness centers.
However, doing Olympic type lifts can be brought into a person's strength training program provided they are in some type of shape and have a good strength platform to work with.
Olympic weightlifting exercises are not something that you can jump into. You need to slowly adapt to it. Muscles and ligaments and surrounding tissue must be brought into condition before beginning your program.
If you are an athlete and your goal is to use Olympic weightlifting exercises to improve performance, you must examine the results of Olympic weighting and the needs of your sport. Sometimes the Olympic type of exercising will not improve your sport.
Because of the nature of Olympic Weightlifting and its difference from power lifting, which consists of bench presses, squats and dead lifts, finding a good coach is paramount. Olympic weightlifting involves complex movements with muscle groups and must be done with perfect technique and quickly. Without knowledge of basic movements, wrong technique can lead to injury. So a good coach is the first and best step to take.
Practice make perfect. Especially when it comes to this sport. Proper technique and co-ordination are needed to successfully perform, and this takes time and effort and good coaching. Increase the weight gradually and work on the last sequence of the lift –the deceleration, which is often the hardest part of the lift to control. Do not work it so hard and so heavy that you fail in your sets. This is not an optimal way to train with Olympic weights.
Once you have worked up to heavier weights and your technique is correct, you can begin to seriously practice. Your sets should be about three quarters of whatever your one rep max (1-RM) might be. Do up to ten repetitions. Using moderate weight and not max weight will produce the best results. When practicing the Olympic Weight sets between three to five reps are good. Be sure to rest between sets anywhere from two to five minutes.
For a daily Olympic Weightlifting routine or six weeks or so it is best to get a coaches input. You will learn how many repetitions with how much weight to do power cleans, push jerks, bench presses and seated rows, amongst other.
Olympic Weightlifting is not for everybody, but many athletes have incorporated it into their workouts. Some have specific goals in their sport and others do not. Olympic Weightlifting can be beneficial for both.
