Why do the Olypmic lifts (snatch, clean & jerk)?

Why do we do the Olympic lifts?  Yes, they are fun and challenging, but what else are they good for?

If you are interested in general fitness, strength, and conditioning, the Olympic lifts are an excellent way of developing strength, speed, agility and balance -- four keys to being fit, and remaining mobile and health as you grow older.  They are technically challenging -- which can be initially difficult, but brings with it its own intrinsic rewards as you slowly develop mastery and speed. 

Pui with a successful jerk cheered on by Miriam...

The Olympic lifts require good overall mobility, as they involve our hips and shoulders -- two of the most important joints in the body -- but it is mobility coupled with control and strength. As CrossFit athletes, we want to develop strength AND mobility -- being strong and lacking mobility isn't good, nor do we want to be mobile or flexible but weak.  The Olympic lifts help develop both these key aspects of fitness.

If you are involved in other sports -- from basketball, ultimate frisbee to golf or running -- the Olympic lifts and their variants can be tremendously helpful as well.  Jace Derwin has a great post up on Lift Big, Eat Big on Olympic weightlifting that is worth a read: Olympic Weightlifting For Sports Performance:

Olympic Weightlifting is not only an incredible sport in and of itself, but its use as a training aid to other sports may be the most transferable form of time spent in a weight room.  The point of emphasis for athletes shouldn’t have to be within the competition standard (though it doesn’t hurt) but instead on the RATE OF FORCE DEVELOPMENT.  RFD simply means the speed at which force can be produced.  Stronger athletes can produce more force, but the SPEED at which this takes place is the more important figure, specifically in sports where sprinting, jumping and throwing are used.  This is where O-Lifting reigns supreme, for it is the best way to move the most amount of resistance in the fastest way possible.  You have to train fast to be fast...

If you are involved with a form of competition outside the world of strength sports, consider adding in Olympic variations to your training to help optimize your performance.   Whether you are a high school athlete, weekend golfer, or just want to experience running faster and jumping higher, use Olympic lifting to help maximize your athleticism.  Don’t treat O-lifting as a means to an end, but choose to get better at it and develop the skills of the sport to reach a new potential.  Weightlifting is one of the few skills that nearly every top athletics organization uses with its best athletes.  To be very clear, being good at weightlifting won’t make you and all-star at any sport, but it will give you more tools to work with and open your potential to be better at what you do as an athlete.