Benefits of Olympic Lifting by: C. Torres

Introduction Offers benefits over bodybuilding, power lifting, and machines. Reason for not participating in olympic weightlifting: –Fear of injury –Unpopular –Not a “pretty boy” lift (not intended to make your body look good)

Safety and Injury Aspects of Weightlifting Olympic weightlifting is safest form of resistance training Fatal injury to the back: FALSE! –Studies have shown: 23% of weightlifters experience back pain compared to 31% of normal active men Injuries per 100 hrs: Weightlifting vs. other forms of weight training –Studies show: Weightlifting injury rate was less than half of the other forms of weight training Weightlifting competitions are much safer than other sports such as football, basketball, soccer, etc.

Body Composition Effects Amount of muscles used –Every muscle in body Includes: core, stabilizers –Cuts down on workout time Workout in 45 minutes to an hour what use to take 1.5 hours or more –In an 8 week Olympic weightlifting program: Heart rate lowered by 8% Lean body weight increased by 4% Fat dropped 6% Systolic blood pressure decreased by 4% (Stone, Cardiovascular)

Athletic Ability Teaches the body to fire all the muscle fibers at once –T–To explode in a sense (not literally) Improve sports performance and vertical jump ability –A–After 8 weeks, Olympic weightlifters significantly increased their 10 m sprint speed and standing jump over the control group –A–After a 15 week program, Olympic weightlifters improved their vertical jump and 40 yd dash over the power lifting group

Effect on Bone Mineral Density Helps prevent osteoporosis; the greater the bone mineral density (BMD), the less chance of osteoporosis occurring –BMD measure the mineral density, such as calcium in the bones Study involving elite junior Olympic weightlifters had shown that their BMD, at the lower back and neck of the femur, were found to be significantly greater than the age matched group and greater than the year old men –Conclusion: High overloads of stress from Olympic weightlifting have a large impact on BMD –Olympic weightlifting develops strong, healthy bones that are less likely to fracture

Enjoyment Factor The lifts themselves –People like the feeling of the weightless barbell as they drop under it –The speed that it takes to complete the lift –Mastering a technical skill Successfully completing a personal best snatch or clean and jerk

Quiz What were one of the reason people don’t participate in Olympic-Style Weightlifting? a)Scared of breaking a fingernail b)Possibility of cramping c)Afraid of injury d)Worried about body mass increase

Question #2 Olympic-Style Lifting is NOT a good form of resistance training. TRUE or FALSE?

Question #3 What does BMD stand for? a)Bone Molecular Diversity b)Bone Mass Dimension c)Body Molecular Diversity d)Body Mass Density

Question #4 BMD helps prevent what type of disease? a)Parkinson's b)Osteoporosis c)Cancer d)Alzheimer’s

Question #5 BMD measures the mineral ___________, such as calcium in the ___________. a)Density; bone b)Water; muscle c)Count; nervous system d)Density; liver

Question #6 What are some of the reasons why people participate in Olympic-Style Lifting? a)People like the feeling of the weightless barbell as they drop under it b)Mastering a technique c)The speed that it takes to complete a lift d)All of the above

Answers 1.c 2.False 3.d 4.b 5.a 6.d