The Old Question: ‘Should I do the Olympic lifts?’
Just a year ago, I didn't perform the Olympic lifts at all.
Until then, I thought the time it took to learn them was too long for the benefit they'd provide for me.
But I think that's nonsense now.
I have chatted with other expert coaches and imbibed their coaching philosophies via their programs and online content. Two coaches stood out in their justifications for performing these lifts: Will Ratelle and Brandon Accardi. They relayed two important things to me:
The Olympic lifts provide unique benefits that other individual exercises do not provide (you'd have to perform multiple exercises to reap the benefits that the Olympic lifts provide by themselves alone)
You can reap the benefits of the Olympic lifts even when you're not good at them yet
Regarding the first point above: when you perform a clean or a snatch, you create propulsion into an external body of mass (the bar) to then have to yield that mass by catching it in a deep squat position. This propulsion and subsequent yielding happens rapidly.
You also have to enter deep ranges of motion at higher speeds than you will encounter with most other exercises.
The question you might be asking: 'Alright, that sounds cool - but why does that matter to me?' Although it's easier to explain the benefits of a bench press or a chest fly to someone whose main goals involve building muscle or getting stronger, it's a bit harder to explain why the Olympic lifts are also a good option for someone with the same goals.
A question I get asked all the time in my Olympic Lifting Workshop: 'What muscles is this working?'
My reply: 'I don't use these exercises specifically to build muscle, although you will still build some using them. I program these exercises for their unique benefits and as a vehicle to develop power.'
To the second point above: you can reap the rewards from these lifts without yet being skilful at them. So for anyone worried about being rubbish at these lifts to start with - don't worry, you will be! You're not supposed to be an expert on day 1, give yourself some slack. That's part of the beauty of learning these exercises: it's a process.
If you've been training long enough, you've likely forgotten what it felt like learning how to bench press with dumbbells. At some point in the past, that felt like unexplored territory too. But look at you now!
The same can happen with the Olympic lifts if you give them some time, dedication, and patience.
So, if your only goal is to build muscle - maybe they're not an optimal choice. But if you want to enjoy training, train variously, and are open to learning new skills and movements, the Olympic lifts are a fantastic choice.
Is the Olympic Lift Juice worth the squeeze?
I'd say, "Hell Yeah!'
