I made an observation. Many world class powerlifters don’t hit their prime until their mid thirties to forties. They are also capable of lifting heavy weights well into old age. Weightlifters-olympic style, however, do not share this longevity and are often burnt out by age 30…What gives?
a couple of things
(1) Olympic lifting is a much faster style of lifter and therefore involves ballistically exploding the weight-this adds up to stress and micro-injuries on the joints and connective tissue, which you really start to feel after a few years of lifting in this style
(2) Olympic lifting requires more speed, flexibility and what you might call “athletic ability” ( ie, timing, reflexes, recruitment, etc) and these things have a way of fading somewhat as a person ages-especially if they are plagued with the stress micro-traumas mentioned in number one. This is why you dont see a lot of old gymnasts, etc
just my opinion though
Keith W…