Catch: the final phase of the clean, where the lifter positions themselves under the bar to rack it at shoulder height.Second Pull: an explosive phase of the lift that resembles a vertical jump while holding a barbell, where sequential use of large to small muscle groups propels the bar vertically.Unweighting: a transition phase in body position, often referred to as the scoop, where the body repositions into an optimal pulling position.First Pull: lifting the barbell from the floor to just above knee level.Looking at the clean specifically, it is typically broken down into four main phases (1): Anecdotally, I’ve seen many a butchered clean in the commercial gyms that I’ve had the ‘pleasure’ of working out in, both by clients and the coaches teaching them, and that this tends to occur in a very specific phase of the lift. The likelihood of injury is probably higher than our controlled situation above, despite the lower levels of strength, and the regions that are likely to be injured might be different than those of the experienced lifters. Now switching from trained olympic lifters to the more common, everyday situation – a typical commercial gym and a trainer with limited experience in the lifts, or a novice strength-trainer trying to learn how to clean from YouTube. So that being said, if you’re looking to have a study showdown on cleans vs high pulls, it’s not going to happen, but it only takes witnessing a few less-than-graceful cleans in the gym to understand why an alternative might be advantageous. And finally, if you search for specifics on weight-lifting exercise performed in the general public, you’ll be left with nothing to go on, as any large studies consider resistance training as a whole (5,6), and usually don’t consider any type of subdivision of strength training exercises. That would be fine if it weren’t for the second point, where the bulk of the information regarding olympic weight-lifting injuries is based on professionally trained or coached lifters, where supervision and technical expertise is high, two circumstances that likely significantly reduce the risk of the activity (3,4). The first is that compared to other sports and recreational activities the injury rate for weight-lifting is really low (a good thing) (3,4). Spend any amount of time searching for injury risk and olympic lifting, and you’ll find three things. I can’t say conclusively that adding cleans to an exercise program increases the risk of injury, and, assuming proper coaching and supervision, I don’t think there would be any increased risk. Putting the debate on the ability of these lifts to transfer to athletic performance aside, a better question might be whether it is necessary to spend time teaching the clean, exposing your athletes and clients to a highly technical lift that is often performed incorrectly, or whether a similar training effect can be achieved using an easier olympic lift variation, the high pull. In athletic circles, olympic lifts were popularized due to the high power outputs achieved during the lifts and the simple fact that these high power, triple-extension movements (hip and knee extension along with plantarflexion) are often equated to movements which occur during sports. On top of that, these technical lifts are often performed to failure or in a state of fatigue, where the potential deterioration of form could pose an increased risk of injury. Once viewed as highly specialized and technical lifts that take years to master, people are essentially grabbing a barbell and giving them a shot their first day in the gym. The resurgence in olympic lifting both in athletic training and basic fitness programs (Crossfit) has polarized the fitness community.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |