Olympic Training Pics

[Justin Hurley]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dehwang/

[Doc D]

Wow! Amazing stuff. I know that I'm weak, but there's no need to rub it in:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dehwang/150741965/

[Justin Hurley]

I think she is front squatting 210kg.

That is very, very, very impressive.

[Doc D]

That was what I calculated too - unless it's 5kg less, with a 15kg women's bar. And even if she's not squatting it, but just supporting it after a take-out, it's still incredible. G'damn!

[Justin Hurley]

They keep mentioning the chinese style of lifting.

They keep there head forward and incline their body to recruit lateral delts, traps, and upper back. Look how solid Zhang Guozheng makes the technique look: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dehwang/150747211/in/photostream/

[Justin Hurley]

Another thing to mention. Look at the facilities and support the Chinese Olympic lifters get, it's laughable when you compare it to this countries. Though the facilities have improved in this country as of late with the Olympics being held in 2012, but still, we are leagues behind.

[Rob Thomas]

Their discipline is also something else isn't it! Look at how they are all "marching" to a training session - different world!

[cornelius parkin]

They remind me of worker ants just ridiculasly strong and what goes through their mind is any ones guess:icon_puz: but i recon lift=surviving attitude may have a little to do with their power:p

[Boar]

Kids from the countryside can endure suffering better than city kids.

strikes a chord - lifting is their lives.The facilities look amazing , wonder how many they get to choose from for the olympics ?

[Ben "tricky" Burgess]

sorry to drop the inspirational tone,

but

"Perfect balance, hairy armpits" made me piss me pants

[JohnOvManchester]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dehwang/
last page it says begins with streching
... I used to start with streching at my old boxing club (after some warming up) but it seems in weights most ppl seems to say any streching should be done *after* training.

Thoughts?

[Justin Hurley]

It's well known now, that stretching before weight training, reduces your output and increases the chance of injury. Just warm up with lighter weights, and some light cardio if you like.

[JohnOvManchester]

I agree, but why do the chinese still do it... it's not like they don't know what they are doing.

[SCG]

Nearly all Weightlifters will do some mobility and flexibilty work before they start lifting to prepare the body for the extreme ranges of motion necessary in the sport.

Much of the research which shows flexibilty training decreasing strength output was done on small samples of untrained college aged students, with test exercises such as a single leg extension in a Nautlis machine and simply isn't relevant in the real world.

I suspect the Chinese Weightlifting coaches with tens of thousands of subjects know more about the practical effects of stretching on strength (in terms of weightlifting) than most of the Western experts.

Powerlifting with its much more limited range of motion and controlled movements certainly doesn't need the same amount of mobilty exercises before hand and it is probably much better to do any flexibility training after lifting.

[Phil E]

There's also a difference between doing static stretching and mobility work. Isn't it the former that is supposed to reduce performance?

[Ben "tricky" Burgess]

^^^ Nail on head. Static stretching pre lifting = bad. Dynamic Stretching or Movement Prep pre lifting = good.

[snatchnjerk]

awesome pics, pre stretching training the way they are right or wrong who cares look what they are lifting maybe we are doing it wrong!!!!


paul

[Nick R]

Great pics motivatin stuff!

Have to agree with snatch and SCG on this one, any work into static or dynamic stretching is typically carried out and published in academic literature by sports scientists who would be the first to say that nothing is exact or fully proven in research, the results of research whether negative or positive are only applicable to the given tested population for the study.

Personally i think as long as it doesnt affect the psychi of the athlete then i'd be happy for them to use stretching as long as they feel it doesnt affect their training or performance. They sure do seem to be having alot of success, difficult to question any part of their training philosophy if its combining to work so well.

Nick

[Justin Hurley]

Powerlifting and Olympic lifting are very different in that respect.

Olympic lifting takes as much if not more technique than raw power to perform. A heavily muscled strong person could do an ugly nasty snatch and just use raw power and little technique, but someone half his size could do the same weight with good technique and of course certain amount of power and strength.

Each of the Olympic movements takes a lot of flexibility to perform; I think stretching is a must for Olympic Lifters.

Powerlifters are different all together; each of the movements is in one plane. A muscle that is cold and unsubtle is obviously going to take more to stretch and in return the stretch reflex will be higher, therefore the muscle will produce more power in contraction. It is always wise to warm a muscle, tendon and ligaments to certain extent and of course stoke the CNS, this can be done with warm up sets of the movement you are performing, but stretching will make the muscle more subtle which will reduce the stretch reflex, thus the muscle will produce less power.

[jonnymills]

What do you guys think about inversion therapy (or hanging upside down) to decompress the spine. Is there any merit in this? I may have to give this a go to help with my glass back.

[Doc D]

What do you guys think about inversion therapy (or hanging upside down) to decompress the spine. Is there any merit in this? I may have to give this a go to help with my glass back.

I picked up some inversion boots for this purpose and tried them out in the local park when playing with my daughter (to her amusement). First half minute or so of hanging was OK, although no miracles transpired. This encouraged me to try another bout - which left me feeling as sick as a dog, to my daughter's greater amusement. I haven't risked it again yet, although I may do when my power rack arrives. I have found that I can get better decompression by going on dipping bars, locking my arms, and then consciously relaxing the spinal erectors (to much crunching and clicking). The other thing worth trying is the back raises over a GHR that I described in an earlier thread:
http://www.powerliftinguk.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3360

[jonnymills]

Cheers Doc. I'll try that and wait for your power rack to arrive for you to provide a verdict on the inversion boots (if you wouldn't so mind :D ).

Cheers

[Alex Wheatman]

I picked up some inversion boots for this purpose and tried them out in the local park when playing with my daughter (to her amusement). First half minute or so of hanging was OK, although no miracles transpired. This encouraged me to try another bout - which left me feeling as sick as a dog, to my daughter's greater amusement. I haven't risked it again yet, although I may do when my power rack arrives. I have found that I can get better decompression by going on dipping bars, locking my arms, and then consciously relaxing the spinal erectors (to much crunching and clicking). The other thing worth trying is the back raises over a GHR that I described in an earlier thread:
http://www.powerliftinguk.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3360

Where did you get your boots from doc? I said to my girlfriend the other about getting some and she just laughed at me. Fucking bitch!:-D

[Justin Hurley]

I bought a set from fitness superstore about six years ago, I use them for ab training. They cut into your feet after a while and cut the blood off, kind of get uncomfortable if you hang for too long.