The POWER of the Olympic Lifts

There are a number of people, strength coaches included, that are under the impression that the O-lifts are too dangerous and not applicable to traditional sports.   Many believe that performing the bench press and back squat are enough to create a powerful athlete.   As a collegiate strength coach, I disagree and contend that there is no such thing as a dangerous exercise - only dangerous coaches.   When taught correctly and properly implemented into a training program, the Olympic lifts or variations of them are an incredible tool in developing maximum power.   One needs to realize that these are extremely technical lifts and coaches must take the time to teach proper technique.

According to Tom Cross and Mike Burgener, “using the Olympic lifts incorporates all four of perhaps the most important aspects of weight training for football – train on your feet, use free weights, train using compound/multi-joint movements, and train explosively.”  (www.coachdos.com )

Although most know this obvious information the 1RM bench press is still the “end all, be all” of demonstrating an athlete’s strength and power.   When is it important for an athlete to exhibit maximal power while lying on their back?   The answer is NEVER!   Picture an athlete performing a power clean.   The weight is ripped off the ground aggressively, followed by an explosive triple extension of the ankles, knees, and hips, finally catching the weight at shoulder height.   This is what should be seen as true power, it’s even in the name!

Before I go let me leave you with a little food for thought, let us look at the difference between the power output of a bench press compared to the power clean using the equation for power ---

 Weight x Distance/Time = Power

Examples:

1RM 300 lb. Bench Press = 300 lbs. x 2 feet (600) / 2 seconds = 300 ft. lbs. power

1RM 300 lb. Power Clean = 300 lbs. x 5 feet (1500) / 1 second = 1500 ft. lbs. Power www.coachdos.com

Gayle Hatch, 2004 USA Olympic strength coach, once told me “power comes from the floor, all of the other lifts are good but the Olympic lifts create athletes”.   As you can see from the comparison above there is no match to developing pure power like the Olympic lifts do, the same weight was moved at a much faster speed.   The answer is right here so get off your back when you go to the gym and instead get on your feet.