Power Clean For Mass

Training Bodybuilding
41

[quote]Major Dan wrote:
Its nice to see an Olympic lifter squatting a lot of weight. Nobody said they are weak. Do you think that guy squats a lot because he does Olympic lifts or that he has built up his squat so he is a more effective Olympic lifter? [/quote]
I think he squats a lot because he works on squats.

We can speculate about this and offer our opinions but there also examples of olympic lifters outpeforming powerlifters in events like the world’s strongest man events. People usually find examples that support their views, but if we are objective will we find examples that support both sides?

[quote]
Again, I think powercleans are a great way to build power and athleticism. I think they belong in athlete’s lifting programs. I think their primary purpose it to develop power (speed strength)
I don’t think they are the PRIMARY way to develop mass or limit strength.

I also don’t think anything posted in this thread so far contradicts these conclustions.[/quote]

I agee that cleans aren’t a primary way for increasing mass or limit strength, but I think they are an excellent way of increasing the size of one’s traps.

For overall bodymass cleans are limited, for trap size they are right up there with the best in my opinion.

42

There are a lot of confused lifters on this forum. I don’t know where to start.

  1. The OL and the PL lifts are events in a strength sport. The clean and snatch are power events. They were NOT invented to strengthen or develop any specific bodypart (traps, glutes, hams, quad, erectors, etc) or traits (power, size, strength), they are a means of lifting a weight off the ground and into an overhead position. Any specific hypertrophy or gains power etc. are positive side effects. Remember they are events. The same is true of PL, there are easier and more effective ways the induce hypertrophy in the chest muscles than heavy BP in a bench shirt. But the goal is the more maximal weight not look good. The three PL lifts are events.

  2. Louie Simmons comparison of clean and box squat are not valid. He should have been comparing speed front squats with the power clean. I guarantee the lifter who is PCing can BS a lot more than he is cleaning.

  3. Bodybuilders who are using OL and PL techniques are looking too much at the means and not the ends. OLer “practice” the C & J and snatch, not necessary train them, because they are their chosen events. There are probably are easier and more effective ways to increase power, but these are the classic lifts which are their two events. The same in true of PLers, but with strength as the goal.

  4. If you are striving to look good naked then there is a specific way of doing that. A PL, an OL, a strongman, a football all have specific ways of training. Please don’t bastardize someone else’s method for a goal isn’t specific to that training.

43

You can find cheap (a relative term if ever there was one) bumper plates at the following locations:

  1. Biggerfasterstronger.com
  2. Sorinex.com
  3. Ironmind.com (The York ones that they sell are less expensive than the Eleiko ones they sell, obviously)

Hope that helps.

44

[quote]Major Dan wrote:
consider that Shane Hammen (sp?) was an elite powerlifter before he turned to the Olympic lifts. He found them technically challenging, true. He got what, a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics.?
He was very late to the Olympic lifts, yet he outperformed all the other American Olympic lifters in every weight class. How did he get so good in such technical lifts while having such limited background?
Because he was really strong. Why don’t the rest of the American Ol lifters do as well? are any of them elite powerlifters?
[/quote]

Actually, Shane placed 7th in Athens. An American man hasn’t medaled in the Olympics since '84 and only because the USSR boycotted those Games. We didn’t put anyone on the podium, in any sex or weight class, in Athens.

That’s not to take anything away from his accomplishment. Considering how late he came to the sport he’s had a hell of a ride, but he still gets handed his ass on the world stage.

I think a lot of the disparaging comments directed at OL, especially from Louie, have a lot more to do with the state of Olympic lifting in the US rather than the lifts themselves. Westside powerlifting would not be what it is without drawing from the experience of Soviet weightlifters, coaches and sports scientists. It’s just that the state of OL in the US is pretty sad.

Nick

45

On what Xen Nova wrote:

Im a huge fan of the olympic lifts also… So this is not to be argumentative but can you show me any actual data or reference or anything really of this mexico olympics study?

Its soooo often spoken of but Ive never really seen it cited…