Why Do The Lifts?

I have long been a proponent that the Olympic lifts are one the best developers of athleticism available to us.  Explosive power.  Agility.  Balance.  Coordination.  Speed.  Strength.  All of these things are developed through the lifts.  Often the best athletes make the best lifters. Why?  Because their ability to apply power at the right time in the right manner under control makes them good on their sports field and also makes them good in the weight room.  I have long stated that if Lebron or Reggie Bush or any of our Olympic Track and Field athletes had picked up weightlifting early on we would be dominant in the sport.
Furthermore, I have always believed that the best developer for middle school, high school, college, and adult athletes is the Olympic lifts.  When they are implemented well, taught properly, and performed often the athleticism developed is unparalleled by other training modes.
This is why we focus so much on the Olympic lifts at Deep and have since the beginning.  You want to be in better shape?  Do the lifts.  You want to be a better athlete?  Do the lifts.  You want to be the best Crossfitter you can be?  Do the Lifts.  And do them often.
However, with the recent exposure Crossfit has given to the snatch and clean and jerk we are seeing some adverse effects to everyone performing the lifts often.  Instead of the lifts being beneficial they are in fact working against you and in many cases becoming injurious.  The lifts are invaluable tools if they are performed well but if they are done poorly they can be just the opposite.

People often ask me why I would put on 3-day camps that ONLY focus on the Olympic lifts.  The answer is simple.  Because people don’t have time for 4 day camps.  The Texas Outlaw Olympic Lifting Specialty camps are designed for the exact purposes I have described above: to make sure that attendees are performing the lifts perfectly from each position and that the athletes performing the lifts are getting the desired results from their work.  Athletes like Matt Hathcock, Jeff Germond, Jason Hoggan, and Sarabeth Phillips, Natalie Mclain, and Ingrid Kantola attended one of our camps and saw immediate PR changes in their lifts.  We focus 3 days on the lifts because most people need every minute they can get.
For many of you the 2013 Games season is over and your 2014 prep work has begun.  That means it’s time to set your focus on maximal strength gain in the Olympic lifts.  It is a known fact that nobody can be a good Crossfitter without first being a good weightlifter.  The results at the Games speak for themselves.  That means the off-season is the time to hone your lifts in and begin getting ready for 2014.  You CANNOT be good at the sport of Crossfit without first being a good lifter.  Good enough to compete Nationally.  The ability to compete on that level comes from technical proficiency and a basic understanding of what is happening every time you pick the bar up off the floor.  If you want to go deeper in to the Games season next year… try working on the biggest developer for your sport; the Olympic lifts.
We are offering a couple camps at our place and at different areas.  If you are serious about getting good at the lifts and thus at Crossfit check one of them out.  Our staff is phenomenal and comes with over 15 years of experience lifting and 3 National level lifters.
The bottomline is this: the Olympic lifts develop overall fitness, athleticism, and achievement in sports.  To ignore technical faults or to never press for a proper understanding of the lifts is to leave untapped potential on the table.  Whether it is your desire to beat Froning or just be a better athletes, the snatch and clean and jerk are the premier tools to that end.  Take the time to learn them.

Upcoming Texas Outlaw Olympic Lifting Camps:
June 21-23: Tampa Bay Florida
August 2-4: Dallas Texas
September 20-22: Medford, Oregon
If you have any questions please email me at spencer@crossfitdeep.com Or check out the Texas Outlaw Website