Olympic Lifts

BIGBANGSingh

New Member
Olympic lifters are often touted as the best "overall" athletes. My question is, how effective are the olympic lifts at increasing "overall" power? Is there any science behind them?
 
I guess.

Very.

Dunno. I'm sure there may be, but I don't follow sports and performance journals.
 
Dont know any specific reference to this situation. they are not hte only method to improve power, but they are a nice one.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (BoSox @ Sep. 26 2004,11:41)]
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]Olympic lifters are often touted as the best "overall" athletes.
they are?
"Studies conducted in the 70s showed that Weightlifters were second only to gymnasts in flexibility. They have been shown to beat Olympic sprinters in 10m races and have been shown to have the highest vertical leaps of all athletes as a whole."
- Jamie Hale
 
I'd like to see any olympic lifter beat me in any contest of speed or jumping ability.

None of those guys could run the 40 in 4.41 or have a 35 inch vertical.

Somehow, I doubt olympic lifters have higher vertical jumps than basketball players of the same caliber.
 
I highly expect you would be surprised at the speed and athletic ability of Olympic lifters.

At least the higher level olympic lifters.

Even 'fatties' like shane hammon are phenominally quick
 
yet not quicker or a better jumper than many other kinds of athletes. Granted, they are certainly much stronger, and I'll give them plenty of credit for that. But please, they aren't the fastest or highest jumping.
 
Depends on what you are calling an 'athlete'

if you are comparing them to sprinters, they will not be as fast. If you are comparing them to jumpers, they will not jump as high.

But as an all around athlete, OL are fast (they have to be, otherwise they wouldnt succeed) and they can jump high (part of being fast)

Even before he started OL shane was very fast, you just have to look at his squats to see, not many people squat anywhere near as fast as shane, let alone 900-1000lb squatter.

There is a number of stories around of his vertical leap, but I cant find any at hte moment...Suffice it to say, Ed Coan pointed out he has never seen anyone as explosive as shane, and for a 330+lb short person to touch to rim on the bb court, they have to be relatively quick.
 
Studies conducted in the 70s showed that Weightlifters were second only to gymnasts in flexibility. They have been shown to beat Olympic sprinters in 10m races and have been shown to have the highest vertical leaps of all athletes as a whole

Thats incredible.

What exercises do these guys do? Like Olympic squats and powercleans and stuff?
 
depends on the coach, some do a lot of exercises, some just do cleans, jerks and snatches

Just because the Oly lifters measured are flexible, fast and high jumpers it doesnt mean that oly lifts made them that way. They would ahve aided for sure, but the top oly lifters would have been flexible, fast and high jumpers before oly lifting
 
<div>
(Aaron_F @ Sep. 27 2004,00:28)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I highly expect you would be surprised at the speed and athletic ability of Olympic lifters.

At least the higher level olympic lifters.

Even 'fatties' like shane hammon are phenominally quick</div>
Coach Gayle Hatch from Baton Rouge had a lifter who could run the 40 in 4.2. He was super quick and very strong.
 
Very interesting thread. I must say, I was blown away by the standing backward somersault made by one of the OLs at the recent Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, after being given a good lift. Really high jump. It was like he was on a piece of elastic!

Also, one of the women lifters there (Emily Beth Quarton of Canada) was a former top class gymnast. She eventually came in 2nd in the 58kg class. I guess she's still flexible but she's definitely a lot more powerful now than she was as a gymnast.
 
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