Olympic Weightlifting For The Kids Part 1: Misconceptions About Olympic Weightlifting
Olympic Weightlifting consists of the snatch, clean & jerk — all of which well proven to be great developers of physiological capabilities with special regards to neuromuscular power
Parents big concern for training youth athletes is that olympic weightlifting is going to damage epiphyseal growth plates
How can a kid can handle the high forces that come from playing sport, but can’t handle the forces from a closed skill, predictable environment?
A few studies with supporting evidence from Lloyd et al. (2012)
Pierce et al. showed during a year long olympic weightlifting training program with a sample of 70 kids aged 7-16 had no missed training days from injury
Byrd et al. saw an increase in absolute & relative strength for 12-15 year olds who went through a long term olympic weightlifting program. Also noted was that there no injuries reported that caused athletes to miss training
In sport or training, landing from a jump can cause forces 7 times an athletes body mass
The catching of an olympic lift will actually help the body adapt to withstanding those forces in a more controlled environment & help prevent injury in open skills environments like sports
The key 🔑 is that Olympic weightlifting technique needs to be taught correctly, and volume & intensity need to be periodized in a smart way over time so kids aren’t put in situations where there is a risk of injury from weightlifting
Olympic Weightlifting For The Kids Part 2: Long Term Periodization
Olympic Weightlifting has obvious performance benefits, however youth strength & conditioning must be thought of in the long term with a periodized program (Lloyd et al., 2012)
Prepubertal Training
Physical literacy through fundamental movement must be the emphasis at this time
The brain is developing quickly allowing skills to be engrained — during this stage practice basic olympic weightlifting technique
Circa Pubertal Training
As the kid grows, they may have some issues with coordination during this period
Continue to work on technique and progress in load if technique is suitable — technique still the main focus during periods of “adolescent awkwardness”
Postpubertal Training
The kids will be going through hormonal changes allowing for increased muscle mass
Athletes should be technically sound by now so use this stage to their advantage & progress to increased load over time to develop strength & power
There are 4 stages of olympic weightlifting skill development that each athlete will go through to develop into a proficient weightlifter
Stage 1: Fundamental Weightlifting Skills (Age 6-9)
Again this stage is about physical literacy & fundamental movements
Kids should be learning to coordinate & balance their body weight & have spatial awareness through fun activities - running, jumping, climbing, crawling, etc.
Stage 2: Learning Weightlifting (Age 9-12)
This is the age range where training starts to become more structured towards weightlifting movements
This should be the stage where basic progressions of olympic weightlifting techniques are introduced & a base of strength is built
Stage 3: Training Weightlifting (Age 12-16)
This is the stage where PHV will most likely be present — coming along with the possibility of the athlete feeling uncoordinated from longer limbs
Load should only be progressed if the athlete remains comfortable with technique
Stage 4: Performance Weightlifting (Age 16+)
This is the age where the body has started to mature & there can be an advancement of the training program through periodized volume & intensity progressions
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