Thursday 120920

Rest Day

Tomorrow’s Workout:

Shoulder Press 3x1xM.E.

Rest 5 minutes.

Complete as many reps as possible in 20 minutes of:

Double-unders

Coach Mark’s Notes:

I love talking about which of these two disciplines of weightlifting are best.  Each offers a whole basket of musclely goodness while simultaneously differing in many ways.  Coaches and lifters will forever argue which is better, and neither side will ever concede.  It's a futile argument. Having to decide is like trying to choose who is better, Daniel Plainview or Bill the Butcher. It's the same actor, and both are awesome.  Choosing between these two disciplines is a win win situation, the real question is which is best for you.

In case you don't know, Powerlifting refers to the deadlift, bench press and back squat while Olympic weightlifting refers to the clean and jerk and the snatch. Power lifts are slower motions that rely more on raw and overall strength. Olympic lifts are very fast and explosive, relying more on speed and power.  I believe that both of these methods should be trained, not just one specifically. There are differences in the outcome of the athletes that are purely from one side or the other.  I feel that training both will allow you to take the best from both worlds, unless specializing is necessary for your goals.  Below, I have tried to give a very brief summary of the benefits of each philosophy.

Why Go Olympic?
Both methods are going to make an athlete stronger, but what kind of strong? Olympic weightlifting develops an athlete's "speed strength" and "explosive strength".  In each exertion of the Oly lifts, the hips are extended very powerfully and very fast, much like a jump, developing an athlete that not only has strength and power, but speed and explosiveness as well. Olympic lifters are constantly moving the barbell far away from their center of gravity, resulting in extremely good core development.  Oly lifting requires much more coordination and flexibility. The barbell moves at a higher velocity, resulting in a higher power output than Powerlifting.  This is one of my favourite quotes on the subject: "One sport may ask, “How strong?” Another may ask, “How fast?” However, in terms of Olympic weightlifting, the question becomes, “How fast are you strong?”" - Phil Sabatini

Why go Power?
Powerlifting will develop an athlete's "max strength" as well as their "explosive strength".  By making an athlete's max strength a priority, Powerlifting coaches believe that the explosive strength will develop as well. Powerlifts are significantly less technical than the Oly lifts, and as a result are easier to learn and perform properly.  Basically, Powerlifting will increase your max strength resulting in improved explosive strength without the specific focus that Oly lifting demands.  If you're wicked strong, you're probably going to be able to move heavy things fast.

Like I said before, train both.  I don't think that there is a good strength and conditioning coach around that wouldn't agree that both disciplines are necessary to the overall growth of an athlete.  To me, Olympic lifting is more fun to train.  The lifts are more intricate and difficult to master, and I have always felt Oly lifting helps an athlete better apply their strength.  On the other hand though, Powerlifting makes you strong, and everything is a lot easier when you're crazy strong.   I highly suggest you experiment and learn as much as you can on these two forms of lifting. There is so much to gain from each discipline, regardless of which you favour.

The CrossFit Whiteboard:
Constantly Varied - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]
Functional Movements - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]
High Intensity - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]