USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach

I spent the last two days at the USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coaching Accreditation Course at Hofstra University and I had a blast. I received individual coaching instruction from Mike Gattone CSCS, Senior International Coach, High Performance and Coaching Education Director for USA Weightlifting. Mike has and continues to coach Olympic Gold Medallists and his advice/cues were enlightening to say the least.

So lets talk about Olympic (Oly) lifts and how to change our bodies.

Oly Lifts (Snatch, Clean and Jerk and variations thereof) are especially effective at 1. Increasing bone density and diameter

2. Increasing the girth and strength of tendons, ligaments and fascia

3. Stimulating hormone production as well as muscle cell hormone sensitivity

However, the most significant adaptation from Oly lifts has to do with the Central Nervous system. Neural control affects the maximal force output of a muscle by determining which and how many motor units are involved in a muscular contraction (recruitment) and the rate at which the motor units are fired (rate coding).

As an athlete performs Olympic lifts over time, he or she will begin to recruit higher percentages of their available motor unit pool in shorter periods of time. So when an untrained athlete explodes at the start of a 100 meter dash, she will likely recruit around 60% of her available muscle. If that same athlete power trains, then she will eventually be able to recruit of much higher percentage of available muscle at the start of a sprint within a shorter period of time. This means increased power off the blocks and faster sprinting times.

Olympic lifts are highly technical and require a lot of practice to become proficient at. If you are interested in this type of training, then you need at least some one-on-one expect instruction after you have already developed a solid strength base with the squat, deadlift and standing overhead press. For more information concerning Oly lifts as well as finding a local gym to teach you these movements post a question.