How to Build Mass With Olympic Lifts
Olympic lifts are a set of full-body weight training exercises that test the explosive strength of an athlete using rapid ballistic motions over a wide range of motion and movements. Athletes of all backgrounds have found Olympic lifting to be beneficial for strength and muscle development for many different sports. The two most common Olympic lifts today are the clean and jerk and the snatch. Olympic lifts, along with other basic weight training exercises such as the squat, bench press and dead lift, are valuable training tools for adding muscle mass and strength. However, due to the rapid muscle movements and high level of technique competency required, Olympic lifting is most suited to intermediate or advanced level weightlifters.
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Things You'll Need
- Olympic lifting platform
- Olympic weights
- Olympic barbell
- Weight belt (optional)
- Lifting wraps (optional)
- Exercise journal
Instructions
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Learn the Proper Lifting Technique for All Lifts
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Practice the squat lifting technique. Use a squat rack and a spotter. Make sure your back is always protected by keeping it straight. The weight bar should go across the back of the shoulders in your natural crease. Lower your hips down with your head up and eyes forward. Do not squat down past your thigh being horizontal to the ground. Raise back up to the start position.
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Prepare for the bench press technique. Always use a spotter. Lie flat on the bench with your feet flat on the floor. Do not arch your back during the lift. Lift the weight off the rack, lower slowly to your chest, pause momentarily, and push the weight up until your elbows are straight. Do not bounce the weight off your chest.
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Learn the deadlift. Keep your back straight during this lift. A weight belt is an optional aid. Start with the weight bar on the floor directly in front of you. Grip the bar with both hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and lower your hips, keeping your back straight. Straighten up holding the bar, lifting the bar to mid-thigh with your arms straight. Slightly hyperextend your back to finish the lift. Lower the weight back to the floor in a controlled manner.
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Do the clean and jerk technique. A coach or experienced personal trainer is advised for anyone new to this lifting technique. Begin with the same start position as the deadlift. Lift the bar up with your legs, keeping your back straight. When the bar reaches mid-thigh pull up on the bar using your shoulders. Pull the bar up to your shoulders and pull your elbows in and forward to finish this part of the move. Squat down with the bar on your shoulders and explode up, pressing the bar over head using your legs, shoulders and arms. Safely lower the bar back down to the floor.
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5
Learn snatch lifting. A coach or experienced personal trainer is advised for any one new to this lifting technique. Start with the same starting position as the deadlift, but with your hands out further than shoulder-width. Lift the bar up with a slight arch to your back and bring your legs, hips and the bar up together. When the bar reaches mid-thigh, push the bar up, but be careful to keep it close to your body. Step under the bar, do a half-squat and extend your elbows up, locking them in place. Stand up straight with the bar overhead in the finish position. Lower the bar down to the ground.
Strength Testing and Program Design
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Perform a one-repetition max, or 1RM, on the squat. Perform a 1RM on the bench press. Repeat the 1RM testing on all lifts that will be done as part of the program.
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Calculate the 50 percent, 70 percent and 85 percent of maximum weights for all the lifts tested. These percentages will be used for the start of the lifting program.
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Design a periodized exercise program using the five lifts tested to increase muscle hypertrophy or muscle mass.
Program Design
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Create a seven week training program with four days of lifting. The week may consist of four days straight or have one rest day between the first and last two days of the workout week. At least 24 hours of rest should be allowed before the same muscle groups are used.
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The first day of lifting should be the heaviest, followed by successively lighter workouts throughout the rest of the training week. Use the 70 percent 1RM weight as the starting weight for all heavy lift days. Decrease the weight load on successive days. All lifts should be done after an adequate warm-up has been performed on all muscles and joints to be exercised.
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Use three sets of 10 repetitions for all exercises for the first week. After the first week, increase the weight slightly -- but you should be able to perform all sets and reps.
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Do three sets of five repetitions on all exercises -- starting the third week of the exercise program. The first day should be a medium day and the rest of the week decreasing in workload.
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Increase the workload until the 85 percent 1RM weight is reached by week six -- starting in week four and continuing through week's five and six. The first lifting day of each week should be the heaviest, followed by a tapering in intensity as the week progresses. Use week seven as a taper week and use lighter weights for all exercises. All exercise should start at 70 percent 1RM and move down to 50 percent 1 RM.
Exercise Progression
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Change the exercise program often to prevent a plateau from body adaptation. Change the next exercise cycle to a speed or strength-geared goal to keep muscle hypertrophy and growth occurring.
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Use different exercise. Stress your body using different exercises so that there is continual muscular and nervous system adaptation.
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Design in a one-week rest phase between each training cycle. This addition will allow your body to rest and result in larger muscle gains.
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Write all of your testing and training results in your exercise journal. This careful tracking will allow you to see your progress and give you long-term feedback on what is and isn't working in your training program.
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Tips & Warnings
Olympic lifts are very technique-heavy, meaning they take quite a bit of practice to master. Most Olympic lifting gyms have Olympic training weights to help learn the lifts. These weights are the same size as standard weights, but much lighter. Take advantage of these training aids when learning Olympic lifts.
Always use a spotter when doing Olympic lifts, squats or bench press. Heavy weights can cause a severe injury in a training accident.
References
- Photo Credit buttocks image by Andrey Kiselev from Fotolia.com
