Fitness Q & A:  Should I Try “Olympic Lifts”?

Question: My personal trainer has been trying to get me to do Olympic lifts, but I’m a little apprehensive. What do you think?

Answer: First of all, for those who may not know what “Olympic lifts” are, they include the deadlift, snatch, and clean.  If you have a good trainer, like our team at Anytime Fitness Bishop Arts, and he/ she thinks you’re ready for some Olympic lifts, I say go for it. Olympic lifts are great because most of them are multi-joint, full-body exercises. The movements used by most recreational weight lifters are isolation exercises, so you should relish the opportunity to utilize the muscles of the entire body in a coordinated fashion.

Our certified trainers at Anytime Fitness appreciate Olympic lifts because they are designed to help increase strength and power (think strength at high speed), and amazingly enough, they positively affect your cardiovascular system too. Another benefit is the fact that significant volume (sets x reps) is not needed, meaning you can do an effective workout in less time compared to more traditional forms of strength training. It is important to be properly trained on form, however, since these lifts typically involve heavier weights and overhead training. That said, I assume your trainer is well prepared to teach you these lifts (at least I hope so). Like I said, give ‘em a shot. I think you’ll find that they’re quite fun to do!   

About the author: Renee Reed is the club co-owner and NSCA Certified Personal Trainer  at Anytime Fitness in the Bishop Arts District of North Oak Cliff. To submit a question for future articles or to visit Anytime Fitness, please contact Renee at DallasTX@anytimefitness.com.

If you would like to have a free personal training session with someone on our team at Anytime Fitness, please contact me at DallasTX@anytimefitness.com