I am often asked by students and other fitness professionals how one can increase their knowledge of performing the Olympic lifts; the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk. The Olympic lifts are an excellent way to increase strength, power, and explosive performance, when they are performed correctly. I was very fortunate that early in my career I was introduced to the Olympic lifts by a coach that stressed the technical aspects of the lifts. I spent about 2 years as an intern, then student-assistant, strength and conditioning coach at a NCAA Division I university teaching athletes from every sport how to correctly perform the lifts…or so I thought. Following my undergrad I was offered a position as an Associate Director of a USA Weightlifting Regional Development Center, with responsibilities involving sport science and coaching of beginning weightlifters and general athletes, and working with Glenn Pendlay, an established coach within the ranks of USA Weightlifitng. My vast knowledge of the Olympic lifts was quickly put to the test, and come to find out I didn’t really know as much as I thought. Teaching the Olympic lifts to athletes and working with athletes who compete in the Olympic lifts (competition Olympic weightlifters) are too very different things. While I do not think you have to be an expert on the lifts to correctly teach them, it sure helps to know what a perfect lift is and what athletes should be striving to perform.

A common myth that has been reported by websites, fitness trainers, and strength coaches is the concept of a specific time frame in which to complete a training session.  As the myth goes, all training sessions should be completed within 45-minutes, as after this point the body has a drastic reduction in testosterone.  The myth has taken on various forms over the years and sometimes extends up to 60-minutes; with some authors also claiming that the body actually stops producing testosterone. However, the general theory persists that after a certain point the training session is no longer beneficial because of a decrease in testosterone.  There is usually a statement following the time recommendation that suggests that this is based on extensive research performed on the Bulgarian national weightlifting team or a similar Eastern European weightlifting powerhouse.  The reality of this myth is that there is NO published research to suggest that a decrease in testosterone occurs at 45-minutes, or that a short-term decrease in testosterone would have any effect on immediate performance or long-term training adaptations.