Jim Wendler on the Olympic Lifts

[stewy37]

A really good article about the o-lifts. It seems to be pretty popular to discourage the use of the o-lifts, but personally I enjoy them and see a definite increase in performance when I do them regularly. In this article Jim counters some of the common arguments against their use.

http://www.elitefts.com/documents/olympic_lift.htm

Why You Should Olympic Lift
By Jim Wendler

Ever since I began lifting weights, the debate over Olympic lifts has reared its ugly head. I have heard a ton of arguments for and against the Olympic lifts. Many readers and coaches at EliteFTS have voiced their opinion on Olympic lifts and most are not big fans. Or maybe they are and don

 

[chia]

That's a really good article and I think Wendler nails it with trademark humor to boot. The problem IMO is when people do Olympic lifts without knowing WHY they are doing them.

At my gym most people only lift for looks. But in the last few years there has been a big increase in people doing "olympic lifts" and "powerlift". I honestly think it may have something to do with people seeing me do them and copying me and then other people copying each other (not because I'm strong but because that's how pathetic my gym is) and also maybe people who started "crossfitting" and saw power cleans on the internet. But none of these people are really athletes (the athletes have their own gym) and none of them do the lifts correctly.

When your goal is to get cut for spring break and you start doing reverse power curls with horrible form just because you see someone else doing cleans then it's a problem. I saw a guy nearly do the full splits trying to power clean 185 the other day. I have no idea how he didn't pull his groin. For people who just want to be kinda strong or look better with their shirt off their time is better spent learning how to squat to press correctly.

Other than that, I love Olympic lifts and I think most athletes can benefit from (proper) weightlifting just as they can from powerlifting. You just have to know why you are doing them and what understand how they are going to benefit your training program. I read that article before a while back but it was a good reread and now I'm even more encouraged to start working on Olympic lifting again for 2010. My gym finally got a platform (no real bumpers yet but at least I can bail on a lift without everyone flipping out).

 

[Kiddo]

I think there should be 1 noted thing about olympic lifts - they are fun. Im really happy to have a team I can train with, but I must admit if I didnt, I dont think I would be doing much besides the power clean.

 

[freakroor]

hmmm.. i've never heard anyone speak poorly of olympic lifts, but i imagine a 20kg piece of steel would silence them quickly

 

[stewy37]

Great points Chia. I'd like to elaborate a bit more on what you said.

Like anything else, the formula for getting hurt with an exercise is:

Don't know how to do it.
Use a lot of weight.

Wendler basically says the same thing under the "They are dangerous" heading.

I also agree about learning to press and squat correctly for people just looking to improve their appearance, but I would make the same argument for athletes as well initially. Someone that doesn't know how to squat is going to have a tough time learning how to clean or snatch, and someone that has trouble pressing is going to find the jerk a nightmare. Still, once the basic lifts are mastered, those that are interested should go find a coach to teach them the lifts. It's not necesarry, but it doesn't hurt to have another tool in the box.

I also agree with Wendler when he talks about the full lifts versus just the pull. The completion thing is huge. There's just something satisfying about catching a clean and standing it up. Also, I think a benefit of the o-lifts is the fact that you learn to open and close your body quickly; going from full extension to catching at the bottom of the squat. The lifts force you to concentrate, improve speed not just through exploding the bar but in getting under it as well, and improve coordination.

I was just able to do cleans again the other day for the first time in months, and heavy for the first time in over a year. It was the most satisfying session I've had in a long time. Now that my injuries are healing up, it's one mroe thing for me to enjoy.

 

[Barbarian]

Great read, thanks. Wendler is one funny dude.

 

[RedNeckJiuJitsu]

Good read. Thanks for sharing.