The Olympic Lifting Variations for Sports Training

The Olympic lifting variations are explosive exercises that emphasize different phases of the Power Clean, Split Jerk, and power Snatch. I learned how valuable these exercises are for building explosiveness, as well as for improving whole body coordination that promotes sport skill learning. After years of slow, heavy lifting to build strength for track and field, these exercises profoundly improved my performances after only months of training.

These variations can also boost your potential to achieve new single maximum repetitions in the Olympic lifts, which further enhances explosiveness. Perfecting a smooth, efficient pulling technique very closely simulates the vertical jump, so the transfer of training from lifting to jumping is very positive.

One drawback, however, is that learning these weightlifting skills correctly requires the supervision of an experienced coach who understands technique. Athletes also need proper guidance to prevent injuries that can result from poor lifting form.

A second possible drawback is that the weight of the standard Olympic bar is 45 lbs., so it may be too heavy for younger or smaller athetes. The good news is that shorter, lighter bars with similar construction are available. These, too, allow the plates to rotate freely and smoothly.

The clean pull and snatch pull emphasize the pull phase of their respective complete lifts. More weight can be lifted for each because the bar is not lifted as high. The lifts overload the mechanisms that develop pulling coordination and technique, in addition to whole body strength and power.

The hang clean and hang snatch emphasize the pull from the knees to the support positions. The limited range of motion using lighter weight loads fosters the development of speed and agility, promoting explosiveness throughout the hang phase of the full exercises.

Alternating between splitting the legs and parallel foot positions adds variety to the timing of rapid foot positioning. The varied grips in the snatch promote the ability to adapt to the slightly altered rhythms.

Collectively, these lifting alternatives offer opportunities to develop weight training programs that prevent boredom and minimize plateaus. Strategically scheduling training sessions with other practice activities allows you to recover in one training aspect while overloading another.

It has been my experience that these explosive Olympic lifting variations are among the most valuable exercises in sports training programs of female athletes who want to improve jumping, sprinting, agility, and power for sports.

These Olympic weightlifting variations are described in superb detail in Harvey Newton's book, Explosive Lifting for Sports: Enhanced Edition.

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