Olympic Lifts vs. Power Lifts

Olympic Lifts vs. Power Lifts - Know them! Thanks for the laymans blog post by Trinity Training Group.

Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting are possibly two of the most misused terms in all of fitness training and competition. The CrossFit system of conditioning has brought much attention to the Oly (OH'-lee) styles of weight training, as well as the Powerlifts. Both have their place in a GPP program. Their differences are vast. Functional programs include movements from both Oly and Powerlighting categories.

Olympic

1. snatch
2. clean & jerk

 Power

1. bench press
2. backsquat
3. deadlift

 That is it.

I say that the terms are misused because there is actually more power (scientifically speaking) during Oly lifting. Powerlifting is a misnomer because while scientifically "power" measurements requires a time component, Powerlifting is in fact a relatively timeless sport. It is however a maximal effort event that requires serious work to be performed.

There are many sub-lifts that fall into certain Oly skill-building categories. Here are some of them. Many go by various names, and there are others I'm surely forgetting too.

SNATCH

• Power Snatch
• Squat Snatch
• Snatch-grip Deadlifts
• Snatch-grip High Pulls
• Snatch Balance
• Overhead Squat
• Hang Snatch

 CLEAN-AND-JERK

• Power Clean
• Squat Clean
• Hang Power Clean
• Hang Squat Clean
• Front Squat
• Push Jerk
• Split Jerk
• Clean-grip High Pulls

Each of the above sub-lifts have places in one's Olympic weightlifting skill and strength development. Read the complete post...