Olympic Lifting
Olympic Lifting is a type of weight lifting where the primary goal is to lift as much as possible ONE time. There are two main lifts during Olympic Lifting Competitions and they are the "Clean and Jerk" and "Snatch". These exercises are seen as functional exercises to many because they involve multiple joints and numerous powerful muscle groups to be performed. This type of training is a good way to build raw power in your core rather than focusing strictly on size.
One of the two main exercises involved in Olympic lifting is the Snatch
Muscles involved:
Gluteus Maximus (Butt)
The gluteus maximus is the largest of the three gluteal muscles and is the primary mover of hip extension. This muscle works during the initial pull of the bar off the floor and again during the final step of the exercise as you extend your hips to stand to the fully erect position.
Hamstrings (opposite of thigh, near butt)
The hamstrings are a group of muscles on the back of the thigh that consist of the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. These muscleswork together to stabilize and flex the knees and aid hip extension. During a snatch, the hamstrings are used to flex your knees as you squat down to the bar, and slightly used to re-flex the knees during the "scoop" phase and again during the "catch" phase. The hamstrings also work constantly throughout the exercise to stabilize your knee joints. Finally, these muscles work together with the gluteus maximus to extend the hips during the initial pull and the final stand.
Quadriceps (thigh)
The quadriceps muscles are worked intensely during the snatch to extend and stabilize the knees. The vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis and rectus femoris make up the quads and are used during the initial pull, the catch and the final standing movement of the snatch exercise to extend the knees.
Gastrocnemius and Soleus
The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of the calves are used to plantar flex the foot. This movement occurs during the second pull of the snatch when you forcefully jump upward and lift your heels off the floor.
Trapezius and Deltoids
The trapezius and deltoids are the primary upper body muscles used during a snatch. These muscles are used during the initial pull of the snatch to stabilize the shoulders and shoulder blades. The trapezius is used again during the second pull phase to shrug the shoulders upward. The deltoids and trapezius work together to pull your body under the bar and then to catch and stabilize the bar overhead.
One of the two main exercises involved in Olympic lifting is the Snatch
Muscles involved:
Gluteus Maximus (Butt)
The gluteus maximus is the largest of the three gluteal muscles and is the primary mover of hip extension. This muscle works during the initial pull of the bar off the floor and again during the final step of the exercise as you extend your hips to stand to the fully erect position.
Hamstrings (opposite of thigh, near butt)
The hamstrings are a group of muscles on the back of the thigh that consist of the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. These muscleswork together to stabilize and flex the knees and aid hip extension. During a snatch, the hamstrings are used to flex your knees as you squat down to the bar, and slightly used to re-flex the knees during the "scoop" phase and again during the "catch" phase. The hamstrings also work constantly throughout the exercise to stabilize your knee joints. Finally, these muscles work together with the gluteus maximus to extend the hips during the initial pull and the final stand.
Quadriceps (thigh)
The quadriceps muscles are worked intensely during the snatch to extend and stabilize the knees. The vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis and rectus femoris make up the quads and are used during the initial pull, the catch and the final standing movement of the snatch exercise to extend the knees.
Gastrocnemius and Soleus
The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles of the calves are used to plantar flex the foot. This movement occurs during the second pull of the snatch when you forcefully jump upward and lift your heels off the floor.
Trapezius and Deltoids
The trapezius and deltoids are the primary upper body muscles used during a snatch. These muscles are used during the initial pull of the snatch to stabilize the shoulders and shoulder blades. The trapezius is used again during the second pull phase to shrug the shoulders upward. The deltoids and trapezius work together to pull your body under the bar and then to catch and stabilize the bar overhead.
|
|
The second major exercise involved in olympic lifting is the "clean and jerk"
Muscles involved:
This lift activates most if not all the muscles in your body. If you do it for an hour one day you will wake up the next morning with soreness EVERYWHERE! I will not make a list. But this is one of those exercises that is awesome for functional purposes, but is not recommended for beginners! This is an advanced move! Practice doing it with low weight in the beginning. It might be easy with low weight, but you need to make sure that you get your form down.
Muscles involved:
This lift activates most if not all the muscles in your body. If you do it for an hour one day you will wake up the next morning with soreness EVERYWHERE! I will not make a list. But this is one of those exercises that is awesome for functional purposes, but is not recommended for beginners! This is an advanced move! Practice doing it with low weight in the beginning. It might be easy with low weight, but you need to make sure that you get your form down.
|
|
you can also adopt an olympic style of lifting for other exercises!
Although these two exercises are the staple of olympic lifting, there are still a bunch of other exercises that you can do for a 1 rep max for power. Here is a list of other exercises that are mutli-joint:
- Squat
- Lunges
- Barbell Benchpress
- Cleans by themselves
- Jerks by themselves
- You can also do Snatches/Clean and Jerks with a kettlebell or a dumbbell (I would recommend Kettlebell, easier to grip)