The purpose of ‘Lift, Learn, Evolve’ will be to create a program and environment to build the Olympic Weightlifting community in this area. Casual lifters, competing lifters, and Affinity members looking to develop their weightlifting skills will find themselves at home in ‘Lift, Learn, Evolve’, in a space where knowledge is passed along to all ability levels. We’re serious about our Weightlifting, and this will be demonstrated by our partnership with the British Weightlifting Association.
The sessions will focus primarily on instructing and improving technical execution of the snatch, clean & jerk and related lifts. Only Olympic and auxiliary lifts will be practiced at this time. Individuals with little or no prior experience with the Olympic lifts may be required to attend private coaching sessions if training and technical work is beyond what can be accomplished during the class time.
If you are an athlete who:
• is looking to help improve explosiveness and power for his/her sport;
• is looking for a better baseline level of overall strength;
• would like better technique, efficiency and coordination with the snatch, clean & jerk and other related lifts;
• is a CrossFit UVA Member and would like to compliment their weekly metabolic conditioning workouts with pure strength training.
• is a competitive or recreational Olympic Style Weightlifter.
The Programming will vary on a weekly basis and is done for the class as a whole, with the exception of needed modifications for individual athletes. Please arrive early to warm-up, mobilize, and gear-up before class. In each class athletes can expect to snatch, clean & jerk, perform dynamic pulling drills, perform upper body strength and/or dynamic work, perform squats for strength and/or speed, and finish with abs.
WHAT IS OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING ?
The Sport of Olympic Weightlifting is one of the world’s most misunderstood and under appreciated sports. Part of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, Weightlifting is the only Olympic Sport in which heavy weights are used.
There are two recognized Weightlifting events, the “Snatch” and the “Clean and Jerk”. In the Snatch, the bar is pulled in one explosive motion from the floor to full arm’s length overhead. The combined attributes of great strength and blinding speed are needed to accomplish this challenging event effectively. The best lifters in the world in the lighter bodyweight classes can lift as much as 2.5 times their bodyweight in the Snatch. The best super-heavyweight weightlifters in history have lifted nearly 500lbs/227.5 kg. in this lift.In the Clean and Jerk, the bar is also lifted to full arm’s length overhead. However, although it is considered one event, the Clean and Jerk is really two lifts that must be completed immediately after the other. In the clean, the bar is raised (pulled) in an explosive motion from the floor to a point of rest approximately at the level of the shoulders. The second part of the Clean and Jerk, the Jerk, consists of bending the legs and then extending both the arms and the legs to bring the bar to full arm’s length over the head in one explosive motion, In order to make the lift easier to perform, athletes typically drop into a “split” position, or merely bend their legs quickly while the bar is rising in order to catch the bar at arm’s length. Since the athlete is lifting the bar in two stages in the Clean and Jerk, heavier weights can be lifted in the Clean and Jerk than in the Snatch.The best lifters in the world in the lighter bodyweight classes can lift as much as three times their bodyweight in the Clean and Jerk. The best super-heavyweight lifters in history have lifted nearly 600lb/272.5kg in this lift.
WHY OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING IS IMPORTANT TO GENERAL FITNESS AND THE ATHLETIC DEVELOPMENT OF YOU
Olympic Weightlifting is a safe and time efficient way to develop multiple athletic capacities within:
1. cardiovascular/respiratory endurance
2. stamina
3. strength
4. flexibility
5. power
6. speed
7. agility
8. balance
9. coordination
10. accuracy
Olympic Weightlifting consists of a “ground based” series of movements designed to create strength and power.
Full body development of our athletes is also a benefit of these lifts, including:
• Developing Kinesthetic awareness.
•Increasing muscle fiber diameter.
•Increasing neural adaptations.
•Improving inter-muscular coordination.
•Increased “Core” strength, stability, and control.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN DURING A ‘LIFT, LEARN, EVOLVE’ OLYMPIC WEIGHTLIFTING SESSIONS?Each of our Olympic Weightlifting sessions are under the supervision of a British Weightlifting LVL1 Certified Coaches. All ability levels are welcome to attend these sessions as long as you have completed our CrossFit UVA Introduction Course!
Each class consists of:
• Dynamic warm-up, and flexibility.
• Skill-Transfer and Skill-Development movements pertaining to the Snatch and Clean and Jerk.
• Hands-on feedback from the Coach.
• A progressive program for all ability levels.
Whether you’re training for a competition, new to the lifts, developing your athletic capacity for another sport, or just enjoy the feeling of moving something heavy over-head, this session will be for you!
The UVA Barbell Club
A pure Strength and Conditioning Coach led session focusing on “The Big Three” lifts; Bench press, Back Squat and Deadlift. Over Monday, Thursday and Friday each session will be programmed over a 17 week period to work all muscle groups for optimal overall strength and mass gains.
AFFINITY WELLBEING 