Get Better at Olympic Weightlifting

   

   I see more and more of you guys dabbling into the O-lifts so I decided to give you guys some insight on how to get better, faster. It brings a tear to my eye to see how I inspired some of you to take up the sport as a recreational hobby, so it keep it up! Anyways, here our my top 5 tips to improving as an Olympic lifter, and keep in mind this doesn't have to necessarily apply ONLY to oly weightlifting, but any sort of weightlifting:

#1 - Mobility and flexibility work. This is the number one most essential tool in a weightlifters arsenal to improve performance. The oly lifts force your body into extreme positions and without adequate mobility your strength will not transfer as effectively into these positions. You have no idea how many people neglect this, but it is extremely important. I cannot stress this enough! edited to add: If you cannot get in certain positions, take a look at yourself subjectively and figure out why. Then prescribe certain stretches to help yourself obtain those desired positions.

#2 - Position strength (goes with above). Many people lack strength through an extreme range of motion due in part to the above tip, and also because they lack proper motor control in those positions. When trying to get stronger in the oly lifts, remember to try to closely mimic the lifts themselves as much as you can, otherwise your strength will not transfer. I.E clean pull or deadlift as you would pull a clean, back squat as upright as possible as you would standing up from a snatch or clean.

#3 - Technique. Drill technique hard and often. I have a pretty rigorous 20 minute warm up every session that focuses strictly on technique. Drill positions and develop body awareness with how you and the bar are moving through space. 

#4 - Know your weaknesses. Poor speed under the bar? Prescribe yourself a healthy dose of lifts from the high hang to work on that. Bad flexibility? Get to stretchin' before you injure yourself.

#5 - Remedial and prehab work. To be a good oly lifter you have to be able to move a lot of weight and fast. These lifts put a lot of stress on your joint structures, tendons and ligaments. Keep your knees healthy by not letting them cave in on a squat, doing leg extensions when necessary, and a healthy dose of fish oil. Keep your shoulders healthy by doing lots of internal/ external rotation strengthening work. Wherever you feel like you are hurting, do yourself a favor and find out the cause of that and fix it. Personally my elbows are always bothering me so I do lots of forearm massage work, curls and overhead extensions.

Lastly, do not neglect your recovery work as well as cardio. I made the mistake of doing this and ever since I've been more strict about my recovery and cardio routine, my lifts have sky rocketed as well as my overall body conditioning is great. The lifts themselves are over quick, but do withstand a grueling 2+ hour session you need a healthy cardiovascular system. This will also enhance recovery by more than you'd think. When you are squatting 5+ days a week along with the lifts, you get pretty beat up. Do yourself a humongous favor by purchasing a foam roller and use it religiously, as well some form of moderate cardio 3-5x a week. Walk uphill for 30-40 minutes, swim laps in a pool, go for a bike ride, jog at a moderate pace. I like to constantly change it up, and mix in **** like sprints and jumps 1-2x a week. 

Take all this with a grain of salt as this is only personal anecdotal evidence and what has helped me the most, but from what I have seen and read from various sources of literature, including looking at how various top international athletes train (i.e. Chinese and Russians, mostly) , they seem to follow similar guidelines. The Chinese dedicate an hour or more to stretching a DAY. Look at how they move!