why are most olympic lifters so weak

[Arlecchino]

How can you enjoy competition without winning?

I sure as hell have no idea. Winning is the world's most addictive drug. Only takes once.




Now I realize that not everyone is a hyper-competitive prick like me, but still.

[J.L.C.]

How can you enjoy competition without winning? Losing sucks a lot more than everything else like putting in time and effort to be the best so you don't have to deal with losing because losing is the worst.

You gotta take the risk to reap the reward

[GoJu]

How can you enjoy competition without winning? Losing sucks a lot more than everything else like putting in time and effort to be the best so you don't have to deal with losing because losing is the worst.

this xeleventybillion

[IGF-WON]

How can you enjoy competition without winning? Losing sucks a lot more than everything else like putting in time and effort to be the best so you don't have to deal with losing because losing is the worst.

so youve never played a game and lost but enjoyed playing it? interesting

[Poppy83]

I've read through most of the posts and this is an interesting thread.

I don't think strength can be properly compared across the board. I have powerlifted for a number of years now, have been training for strongman for the past 4-5 months, and have only dabbled in olympic style lifts. Powerlifting and strongman take a great deal of explosion, but I don't think it is anything compared to olympic lifting. All 3 sports are impressive in their own rights, but I love watching the technique and explosiveness of advanced/elite level olympic lifters. It really is a thing of beauty.

As far as olympic lifters not being able to deadlift a bunch of weight for whatever reasons, I did see a small guy (~5'11 and ~170lbs) at a strongman competition I went to back in October deadlifted 565 on an axle without straps. I was impressed.

Bottomline: Lifters in all 3 styles have their strengths and weaknesses and I don't think olympic lifting strength will automatically make a great powerlifter and vice versa. I love powerlifting and strongman, but I have tons of respect for olympic lifters. There's just something really impressive about taking a bunch of weight on the floor and putting it over your head!

Thought After Reading Page 3 - In relation to doing power lifts to increase your olympic lifts, then yes, it will help to make you stronger;however, if you want to improve a particular lift, then you focus on that lift. I have not worked on my log clean and press for about a month and a half because I have a contest in 3 weeks that requires an axle clean and press.

[crackyflipside]

We are so weak because we think too much!

[Arlecchino]

We are so weak because we think too much!

Hah! I r stronger than u, so this means . . .


not sure.

[r_graz]

so youve never played a game and lost but enjoyed playing it? interesting

Exactly.

I'm not a big fan of losing at things, but when it comes to weightlifting I think the majority of us have to accept it as a fact of life. Even at the relatively small meets I've been to, there were at least a few people at the near-elite level who were going to win, hands-down. That's a level that most of us will never approach, no matter how hard we work. So knowing that there will be people like that in my weight class at just about any meet (and that most of the competitors will be 20 years younger than me), should I stop competing? I guess if walking away with a medal is all that matters, I should.

Fortunately, that's not why I'm doing it. I do it because walking out on that platform is a rush, and because putting together a bigger total than I did last time is a personal victory.

Sh!t, by the "winning is all that matters" logic, I guess all but 10 people who run the NY or Boston marathons should just stay home with a bag of cheetos and watch it on TV.

[Arlecchino]

I'm not a big fan of losing at things, but when it comes to weightlifting I think the majority of us have to accept it as a fact of life.

Piss on that. If I have to chew through someone's a$$hole to get to their balls, I will go back for seconds if that means a better chance at winning. Mind you, I also played hockey for nearly 20 years, so my outlook is slightly more aggressive than the norm.





OP, after I quit competing in OL'ing and focused exclusively on PL'ing, my squat went up 50kgs/110lbs. My snatch and clean did not go up at all. Too lazy to look and see what my deadlift increased by.

[crackyflipside]

If I have to chew through someone's a$$hole to get to their balls, I will go back for seconds

Quote and sig material.

[Arlecchino]

****. At least use the entire quote.

[SquatzAndPuke]

****. At least use the entire quote.

lulz.

[gbg]

Quote and sig material.

I have a funny feeling you 2 are alike in more ways than one

[vanila gorila]

lol why are you so stupid?

olympic lifters in general are faster, more powerful, healthier, have better flexibility, better cardio shape, and usually fairly close in strength.

This.
Powerlifters will always be stiffer and less mobile than olympic lifters.
I made the transition from powerlifting to olympic lifting 6 months ago and i've lost strength whilst learning technique; but its worth it because i'll end up stronger than i could ever be if i continued powerlifting. And thats overall strength, not just my chest, back and legs.

[isaku900]

This.
Powerlifters will always be stiffer and less mobile than olympic lifters.
I made the transition from powerlifting to olympic lifting 6 months ago and i've lost strength whilst learning technique; but its worth it because i'll end up stronger than i could ever be if i continued powerlifting. And thats overall strength, not just my chest, back and legs.

...that statement is just as ignorant as the one that started the topic...

[gbg]

Why does everything have to come down to this one's stronger than that one? comparing apples and oranges here it's ridiculous.

[isaku900]

Why does everything have to come down to this one's stronger than that one? comparing apples and oranges here it's ridiculous.

yep. agreed wholeheartedly.

though i have noticed my quick lifts, especially the snatch get a LOT easier now that I deadlift over 600lbs.

[GoJu]

yep. agreed wholeheartedly.

though i have noticed my quick lifts, especially the snatch get a LOT easier now that I deadlift over 600lbs.

lol, on koklyeav's 200kg hang snatch video he picks the bar off the floor like its a stick, I'm fairly certain his 405kg deadlift doesn't hurt

[Arlecchino]

Why does everything have to come down to this one's stronger than that one? comparing apples and oranges here it's ridiculous.

Oranges?


I like turtles.

[gbg]

Oranges?


I like turtles.

[patriarcaangela]

because it was a huge generalization without much to back it up.

Why do all powerlifters look like fat blobs with thick forearms? See? I can say stupid stuff too.

lol

[powmongo]

Ive been reading a lot of olympic journals on this board and others and i find that most olympic weightlifters amature cant squat 405, cant row 200lbs...

i find it funny how so many powerlifters who got strong on basic lifts can switch to olympic lifts and if they have decent form they can out lift most amature olympic lifters who only focus on the olympic lifts with very little focus on heavy assistance.

i guess my point is why dont olympic lifters focus heavily on the basic powerlifting compounds that WILL make them stronger for olympic lifts?

i'm sorry if this post came out wrong

Olympic weightlifters don't do powerlifting movements (at least not as often or as heavy) because powerlifting is SLOW and Olympic lifitng is FAST. If your comparing striclty U.S. lifters then only 1 has had some success and that was shane hammond. Shane did as well as he did (but never medaled at Worlds or Olympics) because he had a lot of natural athleticism. Remember Merk Henry....did not do well. If you were to compare the worlds's best powerlifters to the world's best Olympic lifters and stripped down all the support gear then Olympic lifters would easily back squat and deadlift more than any powerlifter. Alexander Kurlovitch, Leonid Taranenko, Antonio Krastev, Hossein Rezazadeh, Andrei Chemerkin all had monster squats and deadlifts without support gear. Look up the differences between strength and power and it will become clearer to you why Olympic lifters don't do slow movements. there are Olympic lifters who do a lot of strength work during certain cycles and there pictures of a 152 pound chinese lifter doing 110 pound one arm dumbell rows. That's pretty strong.

[laxshack]

I agree with OP, i realize their are 2 types of lifters(pros included): #1 people who come into the sport with no athletic background nor history, seeking "exercise" to thus become more "healthy and active" coaches who need money will take anyone on. the 2nd athletes who have crossed over to weightlifting due either to the fact that they did not make it to pros and seeking something else to do, or did it as more supplementary exercise and later converted to the sport we all love WEIGHTLIFTING! usually the more power geared athletes turn out better than some i.e. football, rugby, powerlifters, strong man, hockey etc. mind you no one really intends on getting into this sport as first choice, not even the pros, lu young (chinese lifter) was previously a track athlete, sprinter to be exact, and had great genetics and sport background. Another being pat mendes & Rob Adell who both got out of football for weightlifting.................. i think doing the actual lifts themselves works to an extent, but than again what works for me or you may not work for others

[glennpendlay]

I am glad to see people on here other than OLers who "get it". Every time I hear something like the OP said, I assume they have been spending too much time on the "Starting Strength" forum.

Olers work just as hard (in some instances harder) to get a big squat as PLers. They pull, often not deadlifting, but they pull from the ground often and hard. They put big weights overhead, as opposed to PLers benching. Both groups try as hard as possible to get stronger.

How strong an individual in either group is depends on genetic talent, time in the sport, size and weight, and, although I hate to say it, use of anabolics. These things probably matter more when it comes to how much they can squat or deadlift than what sport they chose.

And that, pretty much, is that.

[Squinky]

Olympic weightlifters don't do powerlifting movements (at least not as often or as heavy) because powerlifting is SLOW and Olympic lifitng is FAST. If your comparing striclty U.S. lifters then only 1 has had some success and that was shane hammond. Shane did as well as he did (but never medaled at Worlds or Olympics) because he had a lot of natural athleticism. Remember Merk Henry....did not do well. If you were to compare the worlds's best powerlifters to the world's best Olympic lifters and stripped down all the support gear then Olympic lifters would easily back squat and deadlift more than any powerlifter. Alexander Kurlovitch, Leonid Taranenko, Antonio Krastev, Hossein Rezazadeh, Andrei Chemerkin all had monster squats and deadlifts without support gear. Look up the differences between strength and power and it will become clearer to you why Olympic lifters don't do slow movements. there are Olympic lifters who do a lot of strength work during certain cycles and there pictures of a 152 pound chinese lifter doing 110 pound one arm dumbell rows. That's pretty strong.

Weightlifters do slow movements.

[gbg]

Strong bump, the good ol' days.

[PeonLover]

The strength of olympic lifters cannot be argued as it has been demonstrated by the strength of this bump

[GoJu]

Olympic weightlifters don't do powerlifting movements (at least not as often or as heavy) because powerlifting is SLOW and Olympic lifitng is FAST.If your comparing striclty U.S. lifters then only 1 has had some success and that was shane hammond. Shane did as well as he did (but never medaled at Worlds or Olympics) because he had a lot of natural athleticism. Remember Merk Henry....did not do well. If you were to compare the worlds's best powerlifters to the world's best Olympic lifters and stripped down all the support gear then Olympic lifters would easily back squat and deadlift more than any powerlifter. Alexander Kurlovitch, Leonid Taranenko, Antonio Krastev, Hossein Rezazadeh, Andrei Chemerkin all had monster squats and deadlifts without support gear. Look up the differences between strength and power and it will become clearer to you why Olympic lifters don't do slow movements. there are Olympic lifters who do a lot of strength work during certain cycles and there pictures of a 152 pound chinese lifter doing 110 pound one arm dumbell rows. That's pretty strong.

[eyeoftheworld]

I don't know why, but despite not being able to squat 405lbs yet, I am leaner and more explosive. I'm also stronger, more flexible and possibly better-looking and more well-hung.

I still like power-lifting, at least IPF rules. I have tremendous amounts of respect for the gorillas who squat ****-tons of weight, even in gear. Brad Gillingham even knows the superiority of the hook-grip .

[TheGunShow777]

Yeah typically olympic lifters are panzies....





EDIT: Thats 682 pounds converted