This is the first of a proposed series of posts dedicated to teaching the Olympic lifts to athletes who are new to the movements.  When a new athlete enters the gym, one of my primary goals is to teach and implement the Olympic lifts into their training as soon as possible.  Now, no two athletes are ever the same, and in some cases Olympic lifts may be the last thing a specific athlete needs to improve performance, but in general, I feel most athletes can benefit from performing the Olympic lifts as an effective means of increasing power production.  My basic approach in teaching the lifts is the same on Day 1 of training for most athletes.  I always start with an empty barbell and attempt to have the athlete perform two basic movements.  Depending on their performance in these movements I generally have a good idea of what we need to work on, or if we can progress to leaning the Olympic lifts.  If someone is unable to perform these movements, that indicates that we need to spend a little time working on other areas before they can experience the full benefit of the lifts.

The first movement my athletes learn is the Snatch-Grip Romanian Deadlift (SG RDL).   The SG RDL is a great tool to determine if an athlete has the necessary flexibility to begin performing the Olympic lifts.  I determine the proper grip on the bar by having them bend over at the waist and place the bar at the hip crease.  Once the bar is positioned they take an overhand grip on the bar. An athlete should be able to keep their lower back tight, keep the bar close to the body, and maintain the correct positions throughout the exercise.  At this point I am most interested in the athlete lowering the bar just passed the knee to demonstrate the necessary flexibility to progress to learning the lifts.  Most of my teaching is top-down so this is a position my athletes need to learn and be comfortable performing.

The second movement is the Front Squat (FS).  The FS is another great tool to determine if an athlete has the necessary flexibility to begin performing the Olympic lifts.  The athlete should be able to assume the rack position (bar across the clavicle, elbows held high) and comfortably perform the movement.  Teaching this movement also lets the athlete know that is acceptable to let the barbell rest in the finger tips when performing the clean.  Very often athletes keep a death grip on the bar and have difficulty raking the bar.  In this introduction I make the athlete squat as deep as comfortably possible, ensuring the chest is held high and the lower back remains tight. 

Once we progress through the SG RDL and FS, I am able to make a decision to proceed teaching the lifts or to go through more remedial steps to ensure they can perform the lifts correctly.  For many young athletes (12-16 years), who have some general training experience and no preexisting limitations, performing these exercises can be done reasonably well within a few repetitions and coaching cues.  For many other athletes, the process may take a little longer.  In future posts I will talk about what steps to take with both groups. Feel free to comment with any specific questions.