I’ve picked up Olympic lifting later in life after years powerlifting. I’m turning 34 soon and I’ve dedicated all my lifting programing towards increasing strength in the Olympic lifts for the past year or so. I was just burnt out powerlifting and I fell in love with doing high pulls per your articles, so I decided to pick up Olympic lifting since I knew it would be a huge challenge and I absolutely love it, especially snatches.
With that being said, I was wondering if you plan on Olympic lifting heavy now that you are in your 30’s as well? I just get discouraged when I hear my lifting buddies say I’m too old for it now and it will just lead to injuries if I continue to lift heavier and heavier weights in the Olympic lifts and their variations. I guess I just wanted to here your thoughts on the subject.
I’m not CT, but I’m pretty sure Dan John is still an avid Olympic lifter, and he’s in his fifties(?).
I think technique failure is a bigger contributed to injury than age is, with Oly lifts
I started coaching an Olympic lifter who started in his mid 40’s and he his still lifting as he turned 50 and will compete in the Master’s Worlds in Denmark this September. He’s won four prior Worlds in his age and weight class, in addition to 3 Pan Ams and 5 National championships as well. Be encouraged by his example and train hard.
[quote]bkbetz wrote:
I’ve picked up Olympic lifting later in life after years powerlifting. I’m turning 34 soon and I’ve dedicated all my lifting programing towards increasing strength in the Olympic lifts for the past year or so. I was just burnt out powerlifting and I fell in love with doing high pulls per your articles, so I decided to pick up Olympic lifting since I knew it would be a huge challenge and I absolutely love it, especially snatches.
With that being said, I was wondering if you plan on Olympic lifting heavy now that you are in your 30’s as well? I just get discouraged when I hear my lifting buddies say I’m too old for it now and it will just lead to injuries if I continue to lift heavier and heavier weights in the Olympic lifts and their variations. I guess I just wanted to here your thoughts on the subject. [/quote]
Yes I plan on reaching my top lifts again, or at least I’m training with that in mind. Heck, when I trained for competitions about 10-12 years ago we had two master lifters in the club. One was actually world champion in his age group/class… he 67 years old. His lifts were pretty good… 127.5kg clean & jerk and 92.5kg snatch (he also behind the neck push jerked 140kg) but what was more impressive is that he started lifting when he was 50.
His partner at the time was 69 years old. He could still power clean 100kg for 5 reps. Both guys lifted hard twice a day, and the later even went to do sprinting sessions between both workouts!!!
@bkbetz: I’m the same age as you and come from the same background. Just do it! Age is just a limiting belief that will hold you back if you buy into it. I’m doing them and they feel wonderful and the Olympic lifts really help my other lifts quite a bit. I really enjoy having much more mobility than I had before too.
I’m rapidly approaching 60 and my experience is that the power and pull versions of the Olympic lifts from the hang or blocks are the fountain of youth, if there is such a thing. Power cleans, power snatches, push presses, snatch grip high pulls, muscle cleans and even dumbbell cleans and presses. They keep the body strong and flexible, testosterone high, the waist down and the nerves sharp.
I am about to be 43. I just started doing SGHP a year or so ago and it has become my favorite lift. Knock on wood but I have had no injuries thus far. I like the SGHP so much that I am going to incorporate the power snatch into the layer program I started back on today and see how I like that.