Olympic Lifting: Based on Sport and Limiting Factors
In this post, BSP sports performance coach, Sam Uline, discusses Olympic Lifting based on sport and limiting factors. If you enjoy this article and would like more information regarding the use of the olympic lifts for athletic development, check out this former article!
Olympic Lifting is an extraordinary tool most sports performance coaches use to develop power within their athletes. Many of us know, sports are chaotic and unpredictable. Nothing is ever played in just a straight line, just like movements and training are never as simple as it seems. In many circumstances, coaches have to make adjustments to the olympic lifts based on athlete’s sport, season, flexibility, mobility and anatomical makeup. The best coaches are able to adapt and make these adjustments in order to optimize an athlete’s training.
Every time an athlete performs a full clean or snatch, we take into consideration all the variables. Whether the athlete is in the midst of their season, if they recently had a tough practice or game, or if they are just having a really off day. The olympic lifts are extremely taxing movements on the body from a neurological standpoint. So if an athlete is coming off a hard practice or game, they might not be fully recovered and prepared, to perform the lift and benefit from it. This is something the sports performance coach must take into account and make the decision to change the lift to a variation, or simply eliminate the catch. By making these adjustments we can modify and alter the demand on the body. This allows the athlete to still work on their power output but in an efficient way.
There are exceptions to every rule. An athlete may be in the middle of their season with their schedule full of practice, school, and games, but we will still allow them to catch either of the olympic lifts. In many high school or college weight rooms, these lifts are an example of power and strength among the athletes. If one of them uses this lift as a confidence booster, why should we take this away from them? Picture this, one of the strongest and most powerful guys on the team is about to perform a full clean in the middle of his season. He’s tired from the hard practice from the day before, he's been busy studying for a big exam coming up and he’s worried about the Friday night game this week. But now, he's about to perform a clean in the weight room and all his teammates are crowded around the platform cheering him on and hyping him up. After, he catches that lift and finishes his workout he has to head over to the field for practice. Well, this athlete is already feeling pretty good and ready to get after it considering all the excitement with him catching that lift. This is not something we want to take away from our athletes. It’s a matter of picking and choosing your battles and always doing what is best for your athletes overall health and performance.
Check out this Youtube video discussing the variations of the olympic lifts!
Not all athletes are built the same. Everyone has a slightly different anatomical makeup and body structure. Their muscle length, bone length, flexibility, mobility and stability through their joints may vary. Some athletes may be lacking ankle mobility due to previous injuries, hereditary genes or relation to their sport. This will limit the full clean or snatch. Because of this limitation, starting from the ground during these lifts may be a hard position for some of our athletes to be in. Therefore, the coach may make the decision to start from the knee, rather than the ground. This allows the athlete to develop power in the most effective way, by changing the position. We want to fit exercises to our athletes, not athletes to the exercises. Another common limitation is the shoulder joint. A lot of overhead athletes such as volleyball players, swimmers, pitchers or quarterbacks, lack shoulder mobility or flexibility through the lats, and proper movement through the scapula, specifically upward rotation. If an athlete cannot properly perform an overhead squat, they are not ready for the catch phase of the snatch. As consistently mentioned, there are variations to everything. We never want to force an athlete into a position they are uncomfortable with or cannot properly get into. We are training our athletes to perform better at their sport and reduce the risk of injury, we are not building olympic lifters. There is no harm in replacing the full lift with a variation because of an athlete lacking in a specific area. Now, this doesn’t go to say we cannot improve these limitations. We can work on their lat flexibility, core strength, shoulder or ankle strength and mobility to eventually have them performing the full lift if desired by the coach. In the end, we are trying to find the best solution to improve power and overall performance, so whether that be the full lift or a variation or drop before the catch, it will all benefit the athlete from a physical preparation standpoint.
All in all, a full olympic lift is the goal of improving power but it isn’t always realistic. Adjustments and variations can be used in a training program to play to an athlete’s strengths, allowing them to optimize the lift. Sports are never played just one way, just like there isn’t only one way to develop power. These variations and are great tools to be used for athletes with joint limitations or that simply just need a break neurologically. We always want to to have our athletes physically prepared for any situation that may arise on the field.