As with children, the elderly may be at a higher risk of injury, meaning that they have to be especially careful when training. Well, Carl is currently the lead sport technologist for SpikesOnly.com, and focuses his time on testing elite athletes and using technology to help everyone on any level of human performance reach their goals. The core strength and mobility that is developed by the sport means that Olympic lifters have some of the highest vertical leap… I believe, as do other coaches, that work capacity with Olympic lifting is less draining than high set powerlifting, even if the loading is similar. While this article may be a defense of the Olympic-style lifts, it’s also just a template for coaches to rethink everything they do and see what is possible with a few exercises. For most of the year I am a fan of doing as much as necessary, but this mantra often stagnates because an athlete needs variables to work with when they are training intensely and can’t always bring a true maximal session out. Besides the physical benefits of CrossFit, some well-known psychological benefits can make a big difference in an athlete’s ability. While the development of a world-class weightlifter might not need drills and specific alternate exercises, some sport athletes who are not as enamored with training tend to find a break in just doing other movements. The second reason is similar to the first: you’ll need special equipment to practice Olympic lifting. Think again! Jumping is one of those such movements – if you perform a jump slowly, then you are unlikely to leave the ground. Let’s have a closer look: One of the main criticisms of CrossFit is that it encourages a cult-like mentality, pushing people to do extreme things under peer pressure. Grip training is different than learning grips and placing your hands on a bar, but working with the Olympic lifts is a journey of technique exploration, not just a time period of training. This debate, to catch or not, is worth an article itself, but a few sentences can easily explain the value. It’s a common misconception that you already need to be strong before you can start CrossFit or Olympic lifting. With Olympic lifting, it’s the whole deal: you’re targeting the lats, the traps, the lumbar muscles, and all others. Many athletes, even if they use weight vests and machines, need to be exposed to a barbell. Let’s have a look at some of the best ones: giving you a better-looking body, increasing your overall tonicity, strengthening the core and giving you stronger bones. And form is something that cross-fitters often struggle with. Quite simply, Olympic weightlifting can completely change one’s holistic levels of strength and fitness. While combining the above mentioned benefits 1 &2, the ability to create power and the ability to move resistance against gravity together can be referred to as starting strength. Aerobic fitness refers to the amount of oxygen that the heart can take in and transport to the muscles through the blood. In fact, most Olympic weightlifters have a body type that resembles that of sprinters. All Rights Reserved. In Olympic lifting, the strength that you develop also comes with a greater understanding of your muscles, how they work, and what each one of them does. Ever heard about how athletes have much larger hearts than the average person?