While I was preparing my review of the year, I took some time to not only look at the things I did right but also looked at the things I could have done better. For me this has always been a good way to identify any gaps in my skills and to keep me moving forwards both as a person and as a professional. For a few years now I have been toying with the idea of adding Olympic lifting techniques to my repertoire. Throughout my sporting career I read numerous articles and anecdotes about how effective and efficient a training tool they were for nearly every sport. So I asked the question of why I hadn’t added them to my skills. I had been saying I was going to do it for a while and with not much thought I decided it was time to finally take the plunge and give it a try.
After trawling through youtube.com, reading and getting some great advice from Tommy Matthews at OLF, I had a training plan to take me right up to my certification in February.
My preparation started in December first step was to assess just how flexible I was, ankle, hip and upper body mobility tests, were all used as well as strength testing. The early stages of my preparation were dominated by flexibility training all of a sudden I realised that even though the lifts display awesome strength and power, you can’t just muscle the bar over your head to perform a truly good lift you need to be fast and flexible.
This is when the first big revelation happened, the lifts promote good posture! Shoulders and hips are designed and built for mobility. Read any text on physiology and you will find that out, but our modern sedentary lifestyles lead us to habits that are detrimental to that natural mobility, just think about how many of us, me included have spent hours sitting the same slouched position during the working day. For most of us our main goal is to look and feel better in our bodies that goal starts with resetting those habits and reinforcing good posture. Any method that can do this is certainly a good thing and when you add in the strength and coordination involved in the lifts you suddenly realise that this is a system of training that has benefits beyond the elite athlete and should be used by everybody. That was revelation number two; a lot more people should be using these techniques.
Most athletes and coaches will tell you that playing a sport doesn’t get you fitter, faster or stronger. The sporting event is the expression of what we have drilled and developed in the weeks leading up to it. It’s what you do to prepare for it that makes a difference, with Olympic lifting it’s no different the preparatory exercises lay the foundation for things to come are a challenge in themselves. Front squats, cleans, and overhead presses are all great exercises in their own right and these become the foundation for the snatch and clean and jerk to come.
For most of us gym users we are preparing for our daily lives. We get one chance so let’s use the best tools we have at our disposal. Get lifting and see just what it can do for you.
