I recently attended the 2-day course in Olympic Weightlifting with ex-Canadian Olympic team member Larry Sheppard as the course instructor.
Larry has a striking resemblance to Joe Pesci, as you can see here:
Larry was awesome at breaking down the technical details of the lifts and how to teach them effectively.
In short, the course was amazing and I learned a ton of great info that will help me help you effectively integrate the Olympic lifts into your MMA strength and conditioning program.
First, let’s talk about what exactly Olympic weightlifting is and why you might want to integrate it into your MMA strength and conditioning program.
Olympic Weightlifting is a sport comprised of two main lifts: the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk (C&J).
Here’s an example of Greek lifter Pyrros Dimas performing the Snatch (check his crazy jump height after).
This video is from the 2000 Olympics where he weighed 85 kg (187 lbs) and Snatched 175 kg (385 lbs).
I set the vid to start right before the lift for you:
And here’s the C&J, by Chinese Olympic weightlifter Liao Hui.
This video is from the 2010 World Championships where he C&J’d 198 kg (435 lbs) at a bodyweight of 69 kg (151 lbs)!
Also check his back flip after he makes the lift:
So it’s apparent that the top Olympic weightlifters in the world have a high degree of relative power – that is power output based on their bodyweight.
In the video above, Liao Hui C&J’d almost 3x his bodyweight – which is huge!
The top Olympic weightlifters can lift massive weights and move them fast, despite the fact that they’re not big guys.
But here’s the thing that you might not see: the Olympic lifts require explosive power, rapid relaxation (dropping the body under the bar) and again explosive power to catch the weight.
This timing sequence with the Olympic lifts is something not developed in other lifts such as Squats and Deadlifts.
The ability to quickly turn muscles on, off, then on again is a component of power developed in a fairly unique way through proper execution of the Olympic lifts.
Think: being able to surprise your opponent by rapidly faking a takedown by changing levels, coming up to throw a jab then dropping down again and sprinting in to score a sick double-leg.
Other benefits to Olympic weightlifting include shoulder mobility and stability, hip mobility and stability, and acute body awareness.
But it’s not all milk and honey – to get the benefits, you’ve got to ensure good technique.
More so with these lifts than others, bad technique can result in an injury.
Wrists from catching the weights in the C&J, shoulders from Snatch errors, knees from poor muscle recruitment – all stuff that can take you out of training that you must avoid.
Or this…
That’s why technique is king when it comes to the Olympic lifts.
There’ s no use in trying to max out the weights you’re moving if you’re beating your body up in the process.
Whenever I train a beginner in the Olympic lifts, I never, ever push the weight. It’s all about form: being smooth, fast, proper timing, etc.
So if you’re going to start Olympic lifting, make sure you focus on speed, being smooth and above all else, good technique.
And of course, I’ll have more info on how to actually do the O-lifts properly. This was just a little intro to whet your appetite. 🙂
Do you do the Olympic Lifts?
If so, let me know what kind of #’s you’re doing below:
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