Use the Force - Olympic Style Weightlifting and Sprint Performance

Use the Force

Olympic Style Weightlifting and Sprint Performance

Let’s face it; Sprinting is an explosive power event…just like Olympic Style Weightlifting.  Does Olympic Style Weightlifting aid sprint performance?  The simple answer is yes, without a doubt.  The next question should be how?  Let me illustrate the similarities to you and you can answer that question.

What are some of the characteristics of great sprinters?  This is a small list:   powerful, explosive, strong, high levels of coordination and body control.   Now let’s look at some of the characteristics of great Olympic Style Weightlifters.  Things that you will notice about this group are their power, explosiveness, their strength, coordination, and body control.  It’s easy to see how these two groups are similar regardless of their performance application.

The development of a sprinter’s lower posterior chain, coordination, force production, muscle contraction sequencing,  and acceleration are all critical aspects to the performance capabilities of that sprinter.  Let’s take a closer look at each of these aspects.  

Let’s get started, the Lower Posterior Chain, what’s this?  Great question, glad you asked.   This is the group of muscles made up of the lower back, glutes, hamstring, and calf.  Each of these sub groups of muscles must be developed efficiently and correctly in order to allow the sprint athlete to achieve greater results.  The Lower Posterior Chain has a specific contraction pattern for allowing optimum force production.  The correct sequence is lower back, glutes, hamstrings, and calf, respectively.  We all know that in order to sprint we must produce force against the ground to propel ourselves in a desired direction.  The most appropriate way to do this is to ensure that the contraction of the muscles associated with the lower posterior chain contract in a sequential, coordinated fashion.  The most appropriate way to ensure that is to train in an explosive, ground based manor.  What I mean by this is to use Olympic Style Weightlifting to develop that timing, coordination, and power that is required to sprint at top speed.  As an athlete completes an Olympic Style lift, that athlete must push into the ground creating a downward force with the lower posterior chain.  The return of this force travels in an upward direction along what is known as a triple extension (hip, knee, and ankle joints are all extended and create a straight line) allowing the athlete to accelerate the bar in an upward direction. This is where Newton’s Third Law (every action has an equal and opposite reaction) pays off for sprint athletes, as well as athletes of all sports.  Without this development, the movement pattern of the sprinter would be choppy, inefficient, and slower than the true full speed potential of the sprint athlete. 

As a sprint athlete trains their body with Olympic Style lifts, their adaptability to the required force production is increased.  All this means is that the stronger the athlete the more force they can produce – which means, the faster (more ground covered by each step) that athlete can sprint.  I know, you’re about to tell me that you know several athletes that can squat lots of weight, but aren’t fast.  I know them too.  You first have to understand that the Squat isn’t a power exercise.  The Squat is a strength exercise.  It is a great lift and very much needed in the development of a sprint athlete, but not as a tool for explosive power output.

Okay, we have all heard that features tell and benefits sell.  Well, let me explain to you the benefits of Olympic Style Weightlifting.  As I do this, think about the sprinter on your team that needs the most improvement to be able to compete and help your team win track meets.  Do you have that person in mind yet?

When your sprint athlete is coached by a certified Olympic Style Weightlifting Coach they will develop the following: 

An increase in body control and awareness

An increased basic strength to maintain sprint mechanics 

An increase in their ability to produce force into the ground

An increase in frequency rate

An increase in balance and timing

An increase in coordinated sequential muscle contractions

An increase in acceleration capability

An increase in explosiveness 

An increase in power output capability

Okay Coach, thinking about your sprinter that needs the most improvement, now apply all these increases to that sprinter.  Would that change the outcome of any of the track meets you’ve participated in recently?  You bet it would!  How would it benefit your best sprinter?  In the same way.

Almost seems unfair how good you could make your track team.  Rest assured that it’s completely fair, and necessary to the development of your athletes and your track program.

My name is Adam Settle, M. Ed., USAW, and I would be thrilled to assist you in the development of your track athletes.