What's With All The Racket? An Introduction to Olympic Weightlifting
1. What’s With All The Racket?
Overview and Introduction to the Sport of Weightlifting
Presented by
Colin McClelland, USAW-1
03/14/2018
colin@zumfitness.com
2. Objectives
• Common Misconceptions
• What is Olympic Lifting?
o Snatch
o Clean
o Jerk
o Variations and Assistance Exercises
• Why Do It?
o Benefits
o Crossover
• How Do You Do It?
o Forces, Angles, Phases and Bar Path
5. Beliefs vs. Fact
• Belief: Olympic Weightlifting
is dangerous
• Belief: Will wreck your joints
long term
• Belief: I am too old/not built
to be a weightlifter
• Fact: One of the safest sports
you can participate in*
• Fact: No long term chronic
inflammatory conditions
linked to weightlifting**
• Fact: 8 weight classes for
men, 8 for women,
participation from Youth (<16)
to +75 yrs.
*(Calhoon & Fry, 1999).
** (Hamil, 1994).
14. What is
Olympic
Lifting?
“Alls you gotta do is pick it up
and put it down”
-E.J. “Doc” Kries-
USA Strength & Conditioning Coach
Hall of Fame
Ø The Sport is officially called Weightlifting
• Involves lifting a weighted bar overhead
Ø Three (3) exercises – Snatch, Clean, and
Jerk
Ø Requires specialized equipment
• Barbell
• Bumper Plates
• Platform
• Pulling/Jerk Blocks
Ø In Competition you have 3 attempts on
Snatch, 3 attempts on Clean & Jerk.
19. Variations and Assistance
Exercises
Snatch/
Clean
Power Hang
Above Knee
Below Knee
Blocks Complexes
2/3 Pos.
Multi-
Exercise
Pulls
High Pulls
Partials /
Pauses
Squats
Front
Squats
Back Squats
Pause
Dead Point
Dbl.
Rebound
Accessory
Work
OH Work
Drop
Snatch
Snatch
Balance
Presses
Sn/Cl
Push Press
In Front
Behind
Military
Press
Core
Back hypers
Chinese
Planks
Abs
Back
Pullups/
Pulldowns
Pendlay
Rows
Sn/CL RDLs
Sn/CL DL
Seated
Rows
If there are only 3 Olympic Lifts, how many variations and accessory
exercises can be utilized by someone who is only training to get better
in the Olympic Lifts?
• 73 Snatch Exercises
• 57 Clean Exercises
• 41 Jerk Exercises
• 32 General Weightlifting Exercises
• 17 Ab and Back Exercises
• 99 Miscellaneous Exercises
20. Why Do It?
Benefits & Carryover
Ø INCREASE POWER. IN EVERYTHING
o Jumping Ability
o Sprinting Speed
o Explosiveness and Reaction Times
Ø Improve Flexibility (both Dynamic and Static)
Ø Increase Bone Density*
Ø Full Body Development
Ø Improve Body Composition
*The NSCA paper entitled Health Aspects of Resistance Exercise and Training (2001)
ØGround Based and Functional
ØDevelops the “Core” and Kinesthetic
Awareness Simultaneously
ØGenerates both Hypertrophy and Neural
Adaptations = Greater Strength & Power
ØHighly Efficient Way to Exercise
21. How Do
You Do It?
Forces, Angles, Phases and Bar Path
24. Bar Path Trajectory
in the Pull
The Shortest Distance Between Two Points…
• The flattened “S” Curve
• Let’s see what that looks like in action
25. Bar Path Trajectory
in the Pull
The Shortest Distance Between Two Points…
• The flattened “S” Curve
• Let’s see what that looks like in action
26. Things That Affect
the Bar’s Trajectory Bar Path Trajectory in the Pull
• Start Position
• Line of Gravity (LOG)
• Timing and Coordination
• Unequal forces being applied by
the joints during different phases
of the pull
27. Angles and Forces
Vertical Forces (F) = f1 + f3 + f5 + f7
• Vertical Forces move the bar up
• Ankles (f4) and Hips (f8) apply forward
force
• Knees (f6) and Shoulder (f2) apply
backwards force
• All four joints apply forward, backward,
and vertical force to the bar
• The forward and backward forces must
be of equal magnitude in order minimize
deviations in vertical trajectory while the
bar is being accelerated.
• Different types of lifters will need to
generate different amounts of forwards
and backwards force for each joint
relative to their height, limb length and
torso ratios.
f2
f4
f6
f1
f3
f5
f7
f8
ßForward Forces =
f4 + f8
à Backward Forces =
f2 + f6
3 Gravity Principles
ü Simultaneous
ü Equal Magnitude
ü Opposite Direction
33. New Class Starting
April 7th, 10:30 a.m.
• Who should attend?
o First timers and lifters
looking to clean up/improve
their technique or get
stronger
• Open format
• Learn how to lift in a safe, fun,
and supportive environment
• Dedicated, hands on instructor
time
• Free for all ZŪM Members!