• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
The Healthy Home Economist

The Healthy Home Economist

embrace your right to a lifetime of health

Get Plus
  • Home
  • About
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Archives
  • Log in
  • Get Plus
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Get Plus
  • Log in
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Archives
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Recipes
  • Healthy Living
  • Natural Remedies
  • Green Living
  • Videos
  • Natural Remedies
  • Health
  • Green Living
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Fitness / Weightlifting!

Weightlifting!

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

By Guest Blogger Paula Jager CSCS
Time to hit the weights. . .
If your idea of a jerk is your ex and your favorite exercise is a biceps curl then you need to revamp a few things. “Weightlifting” as opposed to “weight training” or “weight lifting”, two words, refers to the Olympic lifts including the “snatch” and the “clean and jerk”. Olympic weightlifting develops strength (especially in the hips), speed and power like no other modality. And the benefits don’t end there; both the snatch and the clean and jerk develop coordination, agility, accuracy and balance and to no small degree. Both of these lifts are as meaningful and challenging as any movement in all of life or sport. A little known fact is that successful weightlifting requires substantial flexibility. Olympic weightlifters are as flexible as any athletes. Even moderate competency in these lifts will add prowess to any sport.

The foundation of the Olympic lifts is based on the deadlift, clean, squat and jerk. These movements are the starting point for any serious training program. In fact they should serve as the core of your strength training throughout your life.
Why these movements as opposed to others such as the leg press or chest press? These movements elicit a profound neuroendocrine response. In other words they alter you hormonally and neurologically which equates to change and significant gains in athletic development as well as overall physiological health. And yes, you look better too.
Curls, lateral raises, leg extensions, leg curls, flyes, inner/outer thigh work and other body building movements have no place in a serious strength and conditioning program primarily because they have a blunted neuroendocrine response. These relatively worthless movements have no function in everyday life and sport and work only one joint at a time. Compare to the deadlift, clean, squat and jerk which are functional and multi-joint movements.
Start with the basics (deadlift, clean, squat and jerk) and then introduce the clean and jerk and snatch. There are many excellent sources for learning the exercises. The movements I am recommending are very demanding and very athletic. They train people to effectively activate more muscle fibers more rapidly than through any other modality of training. The explosiveness that results is of vital necessity to every sport and life in general. Practicing the lifts teaches one to apply force to muscle groups in proper sequence–from the core to it extremities. In addition to imparting explosive force, the clean and jerk and the snatch condition the body to receive such forces from another moving body safely and effectively.
Numerous studies have demonstrated the Olympic lifts unique capacity to develop strength, muscle, power, speed, coordination, vertical leap, muscular endurance, bone strength and the physical capacity to withstand stress. They are also the only lifts shown to increase maximum oxygen uptake, the most important marker for cardiovascular fitness.
Sadly, they are seldom seen in the commercial fitness community because of their inherently complex and technical nature. My guess would be that many trainers do not want to take the time to learn the lifts themselves, let alone develop the ability to teach them. Again, that is unfortunate and a huge disservice to their clients. At CrossFit Jaguar everyone does the Olympic lifts from an 83 year old grandmother to a college athlete.
In order to safely and effectively teach the lifts we begin with a wooden dowel or a pvc pipe. There is detailed instruction, usually broken down into steps and one advances to a “light” bar only when proper form and technique can be demonstrated without weight. For those with a gym membership there are many excellent online videos demonstrating the proper form and technique for the lifts–again, the key is to start light. Enlist the help of a competent trainer if necessary. The benefits are innumerable and the results have been both consistent and astounding. All it takes is the patience and persistence to learn. After some competency is developed in the Olympic lifts unexpected fringe benefits are often found–you are no longer attracted to jerks and somehow your shirt sleeves are fitting a little tighter . . . go figureïŠ



Paula Jager CSCS and Level 1 CrossFit and CF Nutrition Certified is the owner of CrossFit Jaguar.
Her exercise and nutrition programs yield life changing results
www.crossfitjaguar.com
[email protected]

FacebookPinEmailPrint
Category: Fitness
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: the bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

You May Also Like

Warm Up and Stretching: Neglect Them at Your Peril

Weight Gain in Menopause: Aging or Lifestyle?

woman with endomorph body type lifting weights

How to Train Right For Your Body Type

The Power of Pilates

Fitness Friday: Pulling Out All The Stops!

push ups

Need a Push? (How to Incorporate Push Ups into Your Workout)

Going to the Doctor a Little Too Often?

Get a free chapter of my book Traditional Remedies for Modern Families + my newsletter and learn how to put Nature’s best remedies to work for you today!

We send no more than one email per week. You will never be spammed or your email sold, ever.
Loading

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

The Healthy Home Economist

Since 2002, Sarah has been a Health and Nutrition Educator dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. Read More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Check Out My Books

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

Contact the Healthy Home Economist. The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy.

Copyright © 2009–2023 · The Healthy Home Economist · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!