Topic: Developing Leg Strength for Olympic Lifting

[GabrielNagy]

Don - just to clarify. An elite 77kg lifter would be squatting about 260 kg if I am currently doing 60% (this being 160kg)

Pete dont forget elite lifter is not clean lifter. :evil:

What functioned for me best to develop the SQ - do some cycles with around 5-6reps and then make some volume powerlifting cycles more sets about 5-6 (Russian - Ivanov, Sheiko...) with 2-3reps. But Im not elite my BSQ is 125kg with 69kg BW. And my progresses are very small allways.

Guys do you know some serious gyms in Cork, because my friend is working there and he was  :cry: because he found only machines and dumbells and no free weight for SQ/BP/DL.

[Pete_Stewart]

Hello Gabriel,

I am not entirely confident of where there are gyms to train in Cork, Ireland.  I do know we have a 105 kg lifter, a masters lifter and sometimes a couple of young people who make an appearance at competitions.  I think these people are all spread out over the city and surrounding area and therefore do not train together but I will send an email to a few Irish guys and see if I can find out more information for you.

Where is your friend situated in Cork so I can be more specific when asking.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Yes I am currently making gains on this programme but it is an old programme and there may have been advances in programme design.

Well, I don't use any standardized routines, but I would still recommend not fixing it if it isn't broke. If you are making good progress on this program then I don't think you should change it until the progress slows or stops.

I would also like to know what you consider a good weight for a 77kg lifter to do for a maximum single rep in back squat. I like to know roughly where I stand as it makes me train harder!

Tough question to answer, but if you tell me how much you want to snatch and clean and jerk, I can pretty much tell you, within a range, how much you will need to squat to achieve it. Bud Charniga reports, in the referenced article listed below, that elite weightlifters could back squat approximately (M ± SD) 127% ± 5.2% of their best clean and jerk. We have also done a recent study on the matter, and although the numbers are pretty close to Bud's, we could run them through it as well (and for snatch).

CHARNIGA, A. The relative value of the back squat in the training of weightlifters. 2000. Sportivny Press:
http://www.dynamic-eleiko.com/sportivny/library/farticles007.html

[Pete_Stewart]

I have been training since January after a year out but my recent PB's are:

Snatch:            100kg
Clean & Jerks:  130kg
Clean:              145kg

I hurt my collarbone in Jan which is why Jerk is a little weaker. Realistically speaking I would like to do a 120 snatch and a 150 clean and jerk at 77kg BW as these are 5kg above my best ever for both lifts.  So I suppose going by the formula a 190kg Back Squat would be the bare minimum.  

Thanks for the help everyone.

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Pete,

Sorry, I haven't run your numbers through our formula or even checked your math on Bud's formula yet as I have been dealing with a dead phone and other things. But, 190 sounds about right as a bare minimum, and thats with outstanding efficiency.

When I first clean and jerked 150, I had probably already back squated 200.

[Pete_Stewart]

Chris,

No rush, I will be training away in the meantime to even get to 190!

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

Pete,

I ran your numbers through our formulae, thanks to Rhys Lucero (first author) making a dandy little spreadsheet for me. Remember, these results are based on average relationships among national level competitors. We did see an increase in efficiency in the relationship associated with number of years training, but it is subtle. No one deviated significantly from the line of best fit. Based on this, my opinion is that a 190 back squat is not going to be sufficient to snatch 120kgs and clean and jerk 150kgs as it is pretty far from the line. These results are based on rounded numbers.

* The average back squat for a 120kg snatch is 205kgs.
* The average back squat for a 150kg clean and jerker is 206.56kgs.

I went ahead and ran the numbers for the front squat as well.

* The average front squat for a 120kg snatcher is 173kgs.
* The average front squat for a 150kg clean and jerker is 175.84kgs.

On a final note, I always knew I was a better front squater than back squater. Partly, I believe this is due to my ability to arch the back to a great degree allowing for a very upright front squat position. But, in comparing my numbers to these averages at a 150 clean and jerk, I found I am actually a way better front squater than back squater, to my slight surprise. I am pretty sure I back squating 200 on the nose right before I first clean and jerked 150, which is 5kgs below the back squat average. But, I am also fairly certain that I had front squated 180 by then, which is 7kgs over the average.

[Pete_Stewart]

Thanks for taking the time to do that Chris.  

It is quite surprising but my best ever clean was 150kg (best C&J 145 though) and at that time I am pretty sure I was not doing anymore than a 170kg max back squat.  My best ever back squat was 185 but this was when i took time out to concentrate on the squats more.

I am still doing a programme that is geared more to achieving better leg strength and will continue this for the forseeable future but hopefully i will see an improvement in my lifts while there is an increase in the squats.

Thanks once again.