PARAMOUNT FITNESS TRAINING

BY PAUL YOUST ©Copyright-2009 Houston5ABaseball.com

Olympic weight lifting has been a longtime sport of The Olympic Games and can be quite a sight to see. I've got to tell you, there's nothing like watching a relatively small and totally ripped guy or gal hoist a huge load overhead. How's that for functional?

Olympic weight lifting has also been used by many Strength and Conditioning Coaches throughout the country and the world to develop power. I believe it can provide useful for the sport of baseball and it can add some fun to your program. Some precautions must be taken though to insure its use is effective and injury potential is as low as possible.

Before I go into my thoughts, you must understand that Olympic weight lifting is a sport by itself. It involves a high level of technical mastery and a lot of time practicing the lifts. We must understand that we're using them to improve performance for baseball and nothing else. Otherwise, we can be wasting invaluable training time.

4 Ideas For The Olympic Lifts

1. Start from the hang position - If you know anything about Olympic weight lifting or have watched them on television you'll see a lot of pulls coming off the floor. I find that starting from the hang makes the movement a little easier to learn and less technical. It also eliminates some of the mobility issues associated with getting down in the proper position and skinned shins - I know all about the skinned shins.

2. Eliminate the catch - The most important aspect of the lift is definitely the pulling action. This will increase power output dramatically in and of itself. The lift becomes a high pull and you'll absorb the shock on the way down - be sure to use straps so you don't lose your grip. The catch is important in teaching force absorption, but the risk may be too high with some individuals.

3. Snatch from the clean grip - The power snatch exercise is a great total body power movement. The only downside is you end the movement overhead with the arms extended. I'm not totally convinced this is a highly dangerous position for the overhead athlete, but it should be mentioned. To help eliminate shoulder stress, try it from the clean grip position - hands separated about shoulder width apart. You won't be able to lift as much weight, but we're not Olympic lifters, are we.

4. Keep it light - While you may feel the urge to add as much weight to the bar as you can, it's more important to do the movement correctly. Focus on accelerating the bar rather than the load used. This will keep you healthy and increase your power output.

Conclusion