In this blog I’ll share 5 benefits of Olympic Weightlifting that are either unique or at least more apparent than for other forms of weight training or exercise. As usual, these benefits are multi-faceted and extend beyond simply physical benefits to psychological and social.
The aim of this is not to tell you that you should try or take up Olympic Weightlifting but merely to share the benefits and give you some insight so that you can make the decision yourself if it is right for you. Like any high-skill movement, Olympic Weightlifting should be performed with the expert guidance of a coach. In-person is always better but there is guidance, tutorials and advice available online which means if you aren’t able to find a local coach then there are still options to get involved. The Bench Press is probably the single exercise that most people who have set foot in a gym have performed. That said, it is often done poorly or without much thought. Read on to find out some key tips and to see if it is something that will benefit you. It doesn’t require a great deal of mobility or pre-requisite strength. If you can lift the bar in a controlled manner for the bench press then you are ready to get started.
The Bent Over Row is a major upper body pulling compound exercise. It’s easily performed with a barbell the muscles in the upper back like the lats and rhomboids as well as the biceps and forearms. As far as skill goes, this row is pretty simply to get to grips with. The toughest part generally for beginners is simply maintaining and holding the bent over position. When this is the limiting factor, I’d use simpler more supported variations of the row while working on the hip hinge position and strength through the hips and back. Requiring minimal equipment, the Bent Over Row is effective in building a strong back that will serve as your solid base for benching from, will help with developing the strength to bang out those chin-ups you have been working on and will generally strengthen those often neglected and dormant postural muscles of the back.
If your goal is to look more toned, more defined or reduce your bodyweight for health purposes then you need to focus on fat loss as the outcome. This week I’ll share 5 of my top diet tips for shedding that excess body-fat. The primary determining factor with any diet goal is adherence – Can you actually stick to what you have planned? Personally, I think the biggest reason why most people fail to get the results they are after is because they focus their efforts in the wrong places and then become demotivated when they don’t succeed. If you apply these 5 tips then I’m confident that you will set yourself up successfully for losing body-fat, no matter how you choose to approach it. Layer on general principles like eating slowly, eating slightly smaller portions than you would normally choose and adding more green vegetables to your plate then losing fat should become simple and seem like less of a chore.
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AuthorAllan Young is a Personal Trainer and coach educator in Glasgow who operates Strength Coach Glasgow and is a 4x Scottish Champion Olympic Weightlifter. Archives
March 2021
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