Should you perform the Olympic Lifts?







What are the pros and cons of this form of training? The benefits of including Olympic weightlifting into a program are power development. Also, a study that including the hang clean within a structured strength training program improved the vertical jump of high school athletes (Scherfenberg et al., 2013). The Olympic lifts reinforce the universal athletic position and hip hinge pattern. It also improves the neuromuscular efficiency of those that incorporate those movements. Lastly, it strengthens the core stabilizers and teaches the cue of retracting the shoulders. The cons involved with Olympic weightlifting are the difficulty of learning the movements. It is a sport that many Olympic athletes dedicate numerous hours of learning to. The person applying this method must have pre-requisite strength, motor control, and mobility to get into the deep squat position. A study showed that a program that involved improving muscular balance had a positive effect on clean and jerk performance (Khalid et al., 2013).

Describe prerequisites for the performance of the different Olympic lifts.
The prerequisites for the different Olympic lifts involve hip mobility and ankle mobility to be able to catch the bar in the low squat position. Also, the person attempting the lifts must have a certain amount of strength to improve their power. There must be an ability to stabilize the core and retract the shoulders. Also, the athlete must be able to recruit the hip muscles during the hip hinge position.

What are the effects of Olympic Weightlifting on vertical jump performance and total lower-body power?Olympic weightlifting has shown improvement in vertical jump performance as well as total lower-body power. This is due to the speed-strength and strength-speed components of the lifts. Also, the positions during the lifts are similar to when performing a vertical jump.

Does Olympic Weightlifting have a carry-over effect to significantly improve sport performance? The Olympic lifts have been shown to improve sport performance. A study on collegiate female athletes that performed a program involving the hang clean and hang snatch showed improvements in the back squat, vertical jump, and 40 yard dash (Ayers et al., 2016).






Reference

Ayers, J., Debeliso, M., Sevene, T., & Adams, K. (2016). Hang cleans and hang snatches produce similar improvements in female collegiate athletes. Biology of Sport. 33, 251-256.

Kahled, E., & Ibrahim, H.(2013). The effect of development of muscular balance on some dynamic parameters and level of achievement for clean and jerk skill for weightlifters. Journal of Science, Movement & Health. 13, 172-183.

Scherfenberg, E., & Burns., S. (2013). Implementing  hang cleans for the improvement of vertical jump in high school athletes. Journal of Exercise Physiology Online. 16, 50-60.


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