Where are all the great American heavy Olympic lifters?They are playing defensive tackle in the NFL.In those countries,weight lifting and wrestling(and others)are respected sports and atract the great athletes.Here if you have that kind of talent its football ,basketball.If Reggie White were a russian he would have been a great lifter.If Alexeov were an American he would have been somebodys left tackle.
Alot of its got to do with the cultural situation these guys raised up in. Here in AUstralia, we pay so much attention to sports like rugby league, union, Aussie rules football and swimming. These are the sports that are regarded as mainstream here.
Heck, when people ask me if I lift weights and I tell them I do powerlifting as a interest and hobby, they get a sense of shock and inquisitiveness. Invariably they’ll always ask me something like ‘whats that involve?’
If I was in Eastern Europe, Russia or China I would imagine the same thing applies; I mean the results in the olympics speaks for themselves do they not?
I would imagine that for the Olympic lifters in these countries, their desire to train hard and succeed is driven by the fact that its a way out of their economic situation. I mean look at the 4 heavy boxing champions now the Hasim Rahman has been detrhoned. I feel that, is the biggest part of the equation out of them all.
There’s nothing more motivating than that.
[quote]irishpowerhouse wrote:
how is it a stupid question? If the answer is so simple then how come you are not a great olympic lifter, go figure. [/quote]
It is a stupid question. The answer is simple.
Just because people know the answer to something, doesn’t mean they want to do so, or are capable of doing so.
[quote]irishpowerhouse wrote:
supermick wrote:
irishpowerhouse wrote:
Just a question i have always wondered about these lifters. How the hell do they lift so much weight above their heads. I mean some guys are really small and not even really muscular yet they still lift some scary weights. forget about drugs i still cant understand how it is physically possible to do some of the lifts i have saw on videos. crazy!!
magic. shazam.
seriously mate, do some reading.
There is always someone with a smart answer, well done, good man!
[/quote]
well do some reading then one day, maybe, you might not need to ask silly questions, silly boy.
ok i know how they become so good, but it is still hard to understand how they can lift so much, does it fasinate anyone else?
[quote]Galvatron wrote:
Most of the really skinny lifters you see (the winner of the 77kg. category in the 2004 Olympics, for example) are very young, and this is something I have noticed over the years. That is, that an athlete’s strength will develop faster than his size will, however with age and consistent lifting they do pack on some size and thickness, so much so you would not believe they lifted at such a lighter weight at one time, even though the training methods don’t change all that much (Anatoli Khrapaty, for example).
It’s funny you mention that. I’ve known a number of powerlifters in their mid 30’s to mid 40’s, they are big, strong monsters. Whenever they talk of their records or their “glory days” it always seems they are talking about doing it in the 165 or 181 class and I’m like WTF?
http://www.dynamic-eleiko.com/sportivny/library/farticles004.html
This should explain it, somewhat. To summarize what I am trying to get at with that article, the successful guys aren’t nessecarilly strong as they are explosive. That’s how a I imagine a 120 pound woman can clean 250 pounds or that big Russian guy, Mikhail something-or-other can snatch his own bodyweight, or thereabouts, with such apparent ease (330 lbs btw).
[quote]irishpowerhouse wrote:
ok i know how they become so good, but it is still hard to understand how they can lift so much, does it fasinate anyone else? [/quote]
Yea, it is fascinating. I understand what they do, how they do it and all of that, but it is still so damn neat.
They lift so much because there are no rules on their sloppy sport. While lifting a weight, they can stomp around clumsily on the platform and otherwise express little bodily control. Sad to watch, really.
They move the weight a little and then they move themselves around the weight…
[quote]RickJames wrote:
They lift so much because there are no rules on their sloppy sport. While lifting a weight, they can stomp around clumsily on the platform and otherwise express little bodily control. Sad to watch, really.[/quote]
I know, they totally hitch the bar on their hips during the double knee bend.
I have no idea what the training looks like, but it is a truly amazing sport and I have great respect for those (pro or not) who compete in it.
Plus, it’s safe to say that your sport is pretty crazy when athletes from other sports use your sport (oly lifts) to become more explosive/stronger.
[quote]wressler125 wrote:
RickJames wrote:
They lift so much because there are no rules on their sloppy sport. While lifting a weight, they can stomp around clumsily on the platform and otherwise express little bodily control. Sad to watch, really.
I know, they totally hitch the bar on their hips during the double knee bend. [/quote]
haahaha.
Plus, they don’t have 6 spotters around them at all times, extremely dangerous.
[quote]jlesk68 wrote:
They move the weight a little and then they move themselves around the weight…[/quote]
hahahahah it’s funny cos it’s true.
Especially for the c&j, watch any top guy and you’ll see the bar barely moves above waist level until its racked on his shoulders.
It’s amazing fast.
[quote]RickJames wrote:
They lift so much because there are no rules on their sloppy sport. While lifting a weight, they can stomp around clumsily on the platform and otherwise express little bodily control. Sad to watch, really.[/quote]
Plus, they wear those suits that help them lift like 200+lbs more than normal. Sad, really.
Somewhere…an old O lifter weeps.
They have access to special “nutrionists”
[quote]T.J. wrote:
How does this guy, only 5’10" have over a 50 inch vertical?
[/quote]
First off: he is an amazing athlete and in a very high percentile with respect to jumping ability.
Yet I doubt a legitimate 50" vertical. When the video provided a good angle, I never once saw him get the top of his head even with the goal (which is where 50" would put his head), and that was with a full running start, let alone a standing vertical. Perhaps mid-40’s for a vertical, maybe not even that much. Upper 40’s probably with a running start.
[quote]IL Cazzo wrote:
RickJames wrote:
They lift so much because there are no rules on their sloppy sport. While lifting a weight, they can stomp around clumsily on the platform and otherwise express little bodily control. Sad to watch, really.
Plus, they wear those suits that help them lift like 200+lbs more than normal. Sad, really.
[/quote]
No, that’s powerlifting, dumbass.
It’s funny how when someone mentions an OLer, they think drugs right away. But pretty much the elite in any sport uses drugs. I know, I know, not everybody…