Weightlifting for Sports Performance
Weightlifting exercises (i.e., the snatch and the clean and jerk) and their derivatives (e.g., the hang power clean, power snatch) have been incorporated into athlete training programmes for over 50 years. With strength and conditioning coaches observing the rapid force production during the exercises and noting the high forces, power and rate of force production reported in the Weightlifting research. However, limited research identifying the force production characteristics of weightlifting exercises and their derivatives, commonly used for the development of force production characteristics in other sports had been evaluated until ~2010. As such we sought to compare the kinetics and kinematics of different weightlifting derivatives, along with the effect of different loading paradigms on the force and velocity characteristics of these exercises.
Our research has highlighted that there are notable kinetic and kinematic differences between exercises. In summary more ballistic weightlifting derivatives (e.g., jump shrug, hang high pull) emphasize velocity, especially when using low to moderate loads (e.g., 30-60% 1RM of hang power clean), while pulling derivatives (e.g., mid-thigh pull, hang pull) emphasize force and rate of force development when performed with higher load (e.g., ≥100% 1RM power clean). Chronic improvements in athletic characteristics have also been observed after periods of training which involves these exercises appropriately loaded to emphasise movement velocity or maximal force production.
Some of this research was funded by an international collaboration grant from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, awarded to Prof. Paul Comfort (University of Salford) and Dr Tim Suchomel (Carrol University, Wisconsin, USA). As a result of this numerous strength and conditioning coaches across the world have amended how they programme weightlifting exercises for their athletes. Furthermore, in 2022 Prof. Comfort was selected by the NSCA to co-ordinate a team of experts to write the NSCA’s first position statement of the use of weightlifting to enhance sports performance.
Team
University of Salford Staff
PhD students
Dr Marcos Soriano
Dr David Meechan
External collaborators include
Dr Tim Suchomel (Carrol University, USA)
Dr Kristof Kipp (Marquette University, USA)
Stuart McErlain-Naylor (Loughborough University, UK)
Prof. Jason Lake (University of Chichester, UK)
Prof. G. Greg Haff (Edith Cowan University, Western Australia)
Prof. Michael. H. Stone (East Tennessee State University, USA)