Over 3x More Power Generated By The Olympic Lifts vs. the Deadlift

If you’re an athlete, you need to be explosive… unless of course you’re a marathon runner, in which case you can just slowly jog away from this article right now because this doesn’t apply to you.

But if you’re involved in any other sport that is worth watching, like MMA, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, etc, then explosive power is what makes those exciting plays happen.

You know, when someone lands a big knockout punch or takedown, a running back breaks through the middle of the line, or Blake Griffin soars through the air and throws down a big dunk.

Well there’s no better way than adding in the Olympic lifts.

In fact, science has proven it.

In a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in 1993 called “A Review of Power Output Studies of Olympic and Powerlifting: Methodology, Performance Prediction, and Evaluation Tests”, author John Garhammer performed a biomechanical analysis of the Snatch, Clean and Jerk, Deadlift, Squat and Bench Press to determine how much power was being generated during each exercise.

Before we get into the results of the study, you must understand how power is calculated.

Power is calculated by the following equation (it’s math lesson time – yay!):

Power = Force x Velocity

While velocity is simply how fast you move the weight, Force = Mass x Acceleration, how much weight you move multiplied by how much you accelerate the weight.

That’s why with respect to power output, lifting heavier doesn’t always mean lifting more powerfully, because whenever you add weight, you will be slowing down the lift.

Now let’s take a look at the results of Garhammer’s study…

Garhammer analyzed video of elite lifters and calculated their power outputs through some really intense mathematical analysis.

If you’re a science geek who wants to see the details, click here to download the entire study.

Basically, what Garhammer found was that during the Clean exercise, a 100 kg lifter generated 4191 watts of power, while during the Deadlift, 1274 watts of power were generated!

The reason why over 3x more power is generated by the Clean is because the lift is performed so much faster and over a much bigger range of motion – it takes about 1 second to get the barbell from the floor to the front rack position during a heavy Clean, while it can take anywhere from 4-6 seconds to get the barbell from the floor to the thighs in a Deadlift.

Plus, because you cannot perform the Olympic lifts slowly, you’re forced to be explosive!

Just check out this video of Chinese lifter Liao Hui, lifting 198 kg (435 lbs) in the Clean and Jerk… at a bodyweight of only 69 kg (151 lbs)!

So if you’re looking to improve your explosive power for your sport, jump higher, or just learn these highly technical exercises because you’ll get a kick out of seeing the looks on people’s faces as you do these in the gym while they’re sitting on the leg extension, check out my friend Eric Wong’s (trains UFC fighters) Olympic Lifting Mastery Course to learn more about the Olympic lifts and becoming a more explosive athlete or powerful lifter.

Who Else Wants To Quickly Master The Most
Explosive Exercises On The Planet?
Click Here

Flavia and Vince Del Monte Wedding Trip

My wife and I just returned from Niagra Falls, Canada where our friends Flavia Dragos and Vince Del Monte just got married.

Congratulations to the happy couple. They both come from great families. It was a time to celebrate and rejoice and to thank the Lord for bringing them together.

The food was amazing. After the ceremony which took place at the Niagra Parks Botanical Garden we headed over to Club Italia which was founded by Vince’s grandfather.

We got there at 5:30 and didn’t stop eating until 10:30pm. It was awesome. The wedding was a blast. Check out the video below to see the wedding parties do a dance routine during the introductions. That was really cool. We also heard some really really passionate and well prepared wedding speeches along with a video presentations. Good times all around.

I got to meet up with some of my fitness buddies like Lee Hayward, Dave Ruel, Adam Steer, Mike Geary, John Romaniello, Joel Marion, Eric Wong, Patrick McGuire, Craig Ballantyne and a crew of other people.

I didn’t realize it but Niagra Falls, Canada is like a mini-Vegas. Lots of stuff to do from boat rides, helicopter rides, tours, bike paths, a wine trail, casinos, bars, clubs, a space needle building, a sky wheel, haunted houses and more. We didn’t have time to do half the activities we wanted, but there’s always next time.

Here are some pictures from the trip.

Vince Del Monte and Flavia Dragos introduced as Mr and Mrs. Del Monte for the first time. Very entertaining wedding party dance routine. The girls dance to Beyonce’s Single Ladies. Check out Joel Marion’s dance moves in the background.

 

They both looked phenomenal for their special day. They’re off on their honeymoon in Europe right now and totally enjoying themselves because they both have been busting their butts in the gym to get ready for the wedding and the honeymoon.

Do you have an event that you’re trying to get in shape for?

If so check out Vince’s The Best Of Series. It features all of his best muscle building and fat loss exercises on DVD.

The cool thing is you can keep using the same workout your on right now and just use some of these exercises in your program.

My Bench Meet – FL State Meet 2-27-10

Whelp I benched at the APF Fl State Met in Orlando Saturday Feb. 27th, 2010.

I cut weight to weigh in at 241 pounds.

The day of the meet I was back up to around 248 pounds.

My opener was 600 pounds and felt pretty good.

2nd attempt was 630 pounds.  I got it! This was an 8 lb PR for me.  The lockout was a struggle as you can see from the video below.

My 3rd attempt I missed 650.  Just couldn’t lock it out.

It was fun hanging out with lots of good people as well as support the rest of the Tampa Barbell team.  CriticalBench.com sponsored lifters Clint Smith and Brian Carroll had tremendous days putting on a clinic!

I felt my strongest during my training cycle when I got up to 255 pounds.  Lockout was the problem for me this cycle.  I’ll make some adjustments and come back stronger next time.

It was a little frustrating to go an entire year and only come out with an 8 pound personal record, but like they always say, a PR is a PR is a PR.

Want to give a special thanks to Rhino for all his help during practice.  Great hand offs from Trent Nelson.  I enjoyed training with Richard McKeefer and Decatur, those dudes are really strong and pushed me past my comfort level which is where I need to be.  And of course to Tommy Fannon for providing the gym and coaching.

If you’re wondering why I just benched like a little bitch, it’s because I tweaked my lower back a month before the meet.  I don’t have it figured out exactly why, but I do throw out my back from time to time.  I always have.

Oh I almost forgot, the Tuesday after the meet I did a 405 raw rep test.  I hit 5 reps which was a PR for me by 3 reps. This video kinda sucks, I forgot my flipcam and had to use my phone to record it.

What’s next?  Well I’m out of gear for a little bit to get some of my conditioning back, drop some unneeded pounds and get my lower back rehabbed and stronger.

I’m looking into the Bullet Proof Back program right now and plan on incorporating a lot of the helpful stretches, exercises, and tips recommend by Eric Wong.  Eric’s an MMA fighter and has made a full recovery from a major back surgery he had.  I love hearing success stories like that.

If you have back pain you’re trying to get rid of you might want to check this out as well.  Click Here to Go to the BulletProof Back site.

Later, Mike