As I mentioned in my weight loss blog, I am loving the Olympics! Watching Michael Phelps totally dominate the men's swimming has been very entertaining. I was joking to my American friends that Phelps will win more medals that all of Canada, my country, combined! I have also enjoyed the men's gymnastics as I think they are extremely powerful and incredible athletes. One sport I wish receives more coverage is Weightlifting. I love feats of strength and Olympic Weightlifting is one of the purest displays of power I can think of. The results are posted on the official 2008 Olympics website, and they are pretty incredible!
To think that a 76 kg man can clean and jerk 163 kg and snatch 203 kg is unbelievable! To put this into perspective, I was a competitive power lifter for years and the most I ever benched was 440 lbs at a weight of 100 kgs and wearing gear, only about 30 lbs more than this little guy can snatch! Olympic weightlifters truly are in a class of their when it comes to displays of power. Don't forget they are fast, flexible and in the lower weight classes extremely lean also!
Can you become a lean, powerful lifting machine too? Sure, why not! You may not compete for the gold medal in London but you sure as heck improve and become a force to be reckoned with. Russian kettlebells are a great place to start because kettlebell drills are explosive, safe and will promote mobility and fat. A great place to start once you have mastered the swing (the base of most kettlebell drills) is to learn the kettlebell clean and jerk and the kettlebell snatch. These lifts will give you the same results as the Olympic barbell version, but are easier and safer to master.
Doing the Olympic lifts with a kettlebell will make you strong, explosive, mobile and lean. When I first bought a 35 lbs kettlebell I was a fat, stiff and strong powerlifter. After 4 weeks with my kettlebell, I lost 20 lbs of body fat, my vertical jump increase by at least 2 inches and my power lifts increased! How is that for results! Leaner, faster, stronger just by swinging this funny cannon ball around. That was back in 2002 and I have been hooked since.
Once you have mastered the Olympics lifts with a kettlebell, and this you can do by yourself just by watching videos, you can try them a dumbbell. The reason I say a dumbbell is that I find using one is great for the core but using two is quite awkward, especially with snatches. The advantage of using a dumbbell is that you can vary the weight in small increments. The disadvantage is that the weight is not displaced like a kettlebell, so the motion won't feel as smooth.
Once you have become comfortable with using kettlebells and dumbbells for the lifts, it is time to get serious. Grab a barbell and get ready to be humbled because the Olympic lifts are tough with a barbell! Most coaches recommend starting with a broomstick to learn the co-ordination. Start light and focus on technique. The big weights will come later. For a great explanation on how to learn the Olympic lifts, check out Dan John's lifting and throwing site. He is a master lifter and explains the lifts better than I ever can.
Once you have mastered the Olympic lifts with a barbell, look out, because you will become a dynamo! Your explosive power will increase to the point that you will become a terror in any sport and you will look the part too. Don't worry, you won't get muscle bound like a bodybuilder, just lean and hard like an athlete, and who doesn't want that?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHwxWkH8ngQ