The kind of training performed by Olympic-style weight-lifters has unmatched benefits in terms of helping to develop strength and power. These qualities are used with great benefit by athletes in their field of play but also by the average person in activities of daily living. No machine can develop functional strength and power in the way that lifting free weights can. Compared to other weight training, the strength and power developed through Olympic-style weight lifting is much greater.
This is due to the fact that Olympic Weightlifting:
- Is Ground-Based and Functional: You will learn to generate force while standing on your feet by driving against the ground.
- Develops the Whole Body And is Time Efficient: The development of the entire body occurs through functional movements that have wide application. Olympic Weightlifting trains multiple muscle groups at once.
- Develops the “Core” and Kinesthetic Awareness Simultaneously: In order to perform these lifts safely and effectively a sense of where the body is, where the barbell is, and how the body should interact with the bar as both are acted on by gravity is required. This helps to develop kinesthetic awareness. At the same time, lifting, throwing, catching, and supporting weights overhead or on the shoulders develops the core muscles. Studies have shown that the activity of the trunk muscles during squats and pulls from the floor than that produced during common stability ball exercises.
- Generates Both Hypertrophy and Neural Adaptations Which Lead to Great Increases in Strength and Power: The progressive resistance applied by weightlifters generates increases in muscle size as well as strength and power. It is unlike bodybuilding movements in which muscle growth often outpaces improvements in muscular function.