An 8 week study of high school male football players compared a group that used Olympic lifting (clean, snatch, jerk – my athletes perform these lifts so you should know what they are) vs. a group that used traditional weight lifting (squats, deadlift, etc.) on vertical jump height. The vertical jump is an indication of lower body power and explosiveness. The researchers determined that both groups improved their vertical jump height over an 8 week period, and Olympic lifts provided a modest advantage between the two.
Channell, B. & Barfield, J. (2008). Effect of Olympic and Traditional Resistance Training on Vertical Jump Improvement in High School Boys. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning, 22 (5).
So what does this mean…Essentially at the high school level both boys and girls need to improve their strength to see improvements in their sport. Young athletes with very little training background will see improvements with any type of lifting program. Olympic lifts are a great way to train rate of force development, or explosive actions, while traditional resistance training is a great way to improve relative strength. The group that trained with Olympic lifts had a modest advantage in the vertical jump heights for these high school boys because Olympic lifts are essentially vertical jump actions with weight in their hands. All three Olympic lifts (clean, snatch, and jerk) are performed in a jumping position at a high rate of speed. This also illustrates the principle of specificity – your body will adapt to the stimulus that you provide it.
Train Hard-Train Smart