Olympic Weight Lifting is something the general population tends to think is only reserved for olympic athletes, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Olympic lifting can show us many things and because of this it becomes a very useful tool not only for athletes but for those looking to become stronger, more mobile and move faster and there a couple of other great reason to do it too, like improved cognitive function, co-ordination and it is also really great fun too!

When it comes to getting stronger olympic lifting involves lifting weights, which is a form of resistance training. Lifting load whether its an external load or your own body weight helps us get stronger and by getting stronger we as an athlete means we can lift more weight but from a health perspective it not only improves the length but also the quality of our lives too.

Olympic lifting requires our bodies to move through a full range of motion. Whether it is lifting something from the ground, standing a weight up at the bottom of a squat or holding a weight overhead. It encourages us to work a full range of motion, helping to maintain our mobility or show us what we need to work on to improve our mobility too.

Olympic lifting is all about moving weight from A to B as fast as possible. This is also know as power. If we are an athlete the more powerful we are the more weight we can shift at speed, which is necessary to perform well. For someone who wants to improve their health and fitness this is also great too as we age the rate at which our ability to move fast declines too, olympic lifting slows this process down.

Olympic lifting is a technical skill you learn and develop over time through continual and deliberate practice. It requires a high level of co-ordination and body awareness to be able to move a weight around your body in the most efficient was possible.

Lastly, olympic lifting is so much fun. It opens the window to a raft of ways to train and increases your exercise repertoire in many ways.