Oly Lifting for Athletics. Is it worth it?

[@zacktelander]

I will be cutting (very slowly) during these 12 weeks. I know this may seem like a silly time to do hypertrophy style of lifting during a cut, however I have never REALLY dialed in my nutrition while cutting and I want to see what the end aesthetics will be. If you are going to train alongside me, gaining, maintaining or cutting are all options.

[@quadplyr13]

Love you zack. You're stupid.. lol. You remind me of that kid at the gym that everybody gravitates towards for information. But is also a goofy person.

[@matt8earas]

Yes I will be gaining maintaining and cutting at the same time as you. Gaining fat maintaining weight and cutting muscle.

[@migueljayne8261]

Used your code man. Even though all you got is a little reach with those harambe arms and I could totally defeat you. I’m ready for this 👊🏼

[@zacktelander]

Miguel Jayne were all gonna make it bro

[@thedeleted1337]

@@zacktelander you said you're leaving humanity behind so are you turning in your natty card?

[@jolier1313]

After watching this video, I still don't know if Oly lifts for athletics are worth it.

[@carchecha]

Right he should’ve be reinforcing the actual question of the video instead he went on a long rant that didn’t focus on the question that well imo

[@cerhfhrow4122]

Short answer: yes, as long as u do it with good form

[@carchecha]

cerh fhrow 👍

[@sureshsportsperformancecon2362]

Specificity is sports discipline. Everything outside sports is GPP.

[@MellonVegan]

I'd say no for the clean and snatch bc those movements are controlled for most of their ROM and only truly accelerated fully in the final pull. For athletic training, I'd stick with banded/chain squats and deadlifts. But they're obviously not bad and do help. It's just that the other, simpler movements also, imo, yield better results.

[@User-gs1dk]

On the surface the "Olympic lifts are too technical to teach" for sports argument seem to make sense but when you stop and think about it does it really? It's not like you need Kuo Hsing Chun level of technique for it to be safe, especially considering snatch and clean and jerks are going to be very sub maximal lifts for athlete new to the lifts anyway. Considering any notable athlete is going to be lifting for YEARS, if not a decade to reach any decent level in a sport, does it really take all that long to teach someone to do a decent and safe hang clean or hang snatch? It took all of probably 15 minutes for a good coach to take me from an absolute dog sh*t snatch (we are talking about one of the worst things you've ever seen) to one that actually looked like a snatch (still bad by professional standards, but it was also 15 minutes). But what makes it more nonsensical to me is that I'm willing to bet there are far more coaches out there content with letting their kids do absolutely horrendous reps of the traditional big three lifts, that have a way bigger chance to send them to the so called "snap city", while calling the Olympic lifts "too technical to teach to make it safe". I don't know. Smells like lack of coaching knowledge to me versus actual valid arguments for/against the lifts.

[@GalickGon]

Def agree about the lack of coaching. It’s similar to the “I don’t squat because my knees hurt” with good coaching/observation that can be fixed. Same applies to most lifts.

[@Anon.G]

No reason to do the whole Oly lift. Things like hang power cleans are easy and useful.

[@harleyzeth]

The main argument against it is just that you could be doing something better with that time

[@harleyzeth]

What function would an Olympic lift serve to someone like a football player or a boxer that a heavy kettlebell swing wouldn't do better? The advantages the Oly lifts have are things that will he covered by other parts of the program I would think

[@leopoldakaleopoldalsoknown5050]

@harleyzeth The oly lift is definitely heavier which obviously means more training load. Furthermore you get great activation from your coordination centers in your brain (cerebellum, basal ganglia) during olylifts. Include the triple extension your lower limbs go through and you can translate the e.g. clean to acceleration and sprinting. There are some studies that show the benefits you get by oly lifting on jumping and sprinting. How it compares to Squat and Deadlift? I dont know tbh, I dont think those exercises were compared in the papers I read and I'm not gonna look it up atm cuz I'm sitting on my toilett lol... Anyways, greetings from Austria, Europe

[@michaelsenft3608]

Your mom and dad did a great job raising you. Your self awareness is exceptionally high for someone of your generation. And, you are differentials thoughtful, insightful with excellent ability to communicate what you know. Keep it up.

[@spacegupta71]

Thanks bro

[@danaaxelson6200]

Oh ya, I am weightlfter. I my son and I trained with Seija Tinnerman from Finland and won 3X women’s world championship in a row. She was great coach and helped win gold in local shows. She sometimes bring Dragomir to Saturday practice and was amazing to get his input. Times, in my retired old life that I will always remember. I am happy to coach young athletes today. Love your channel.

[@stevenvejil2954]

Dude pls just cuss in your vids my parents are wondering why there’s feminine moans coming from my room

[@stevenvejil2954]

MNI Andes yes. In every instance. Hearing “shit” is a lot less alarming than moans

[@vagabondwastrel2361]

If there is swearing in your videos you instantly lose at least 50% of it's reach on youtube.

[@stevenvejil2954]

Vagabond Wastrel you must not watch a lot of KZbin

[@kademcgill2599]

9:19 The casual hang power clean drop catch re-rack combo. Never seen that before.

[@EA-iq3dv]

150kg hip snatch, ezpz

[@GalickGon]

I came to make this comment/look for someone else in awe of it

[@anakinyu7459]

@@GalickGon wassup

[@authenticbaguette6673]

Kade McGill with 150 ... damn

[@Sierra-su9xf]

So to break the news buddy but unlike zyzz and Rich ... Harambe wasnt natty

[@AfferbeckBeats]

He was on that tree bologna for sure

[@maxwell2116]

Totally aggree with you! Obviously high level athletes won't have the needed time to learn a perfect full snatch, but power snatching is a great way to develop strength and explosiveness, which is requiered in a lot of sports!

[@MrSmurf459]

And there are much simpler exercises that develop strength and explosiveness!

[@Hirooshii1]

Good fucking morning goddammid, this corona isnt going to stop us.. RIGHT BABE. Fuck, just imagined how rich his vids would be if he were alive right now, R.I.P Rich

[@madmaxski]

Do rich piana's 8 hour arm workout

[@OmarBKar-sw1ij]

@Sawyer R do u even Bulgarian bro

[@gabrielaskew1415]

Zack you and Matty the mattress should go on tour. great video as always, good luck becoming a fat free chop salad

[@Sylvo2004]

Editing in this video was (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)👌.

[@ivandelac764]

I think as a coach that a big part is in the athlete himself. I've had "naturally not explosive" soccer players do OLY and progress into becoming very explosive but also had soccer players who didn't want to commit to the learning process and basically eventually I've switched to other strength movements and plyometrics because it came to the point where they didn't give a sht about oly training and didn't progress their technique which also means they weren't able to put more weight on the bar which meant no increase in explosiveness.

[@tehArgento]

I haven't maxed for more than 4 months, LONGEST QUARANTINE IN THE WORLD BABY IT'S SICK ITS PISS!! So yeah, I'm not gonna be doing the program

[@LatimusChadimus]

I think for powerlifters trying to increase they're power output and speed, cleans will surely help within accessory work. Both the snatch and jerk can help with over head rigidity, as well as core rigidity. Even log lifters can feel a similarity with the back angle to hip shift from the snatch. Certainly can be worth it. I've added in Oly lifting to my accessory days over a year ago, but with this covid crap, to keep my CNS ready and not fully fried, I've been doing a lot more Olympic weightlifting, and calisthenics

[@hamishmorris8376]

it's the time required to learn the skill to a meaningful degree so that you can increase real speed and power that is the main struggle. when variations of the power lifts can be used just as well

[@im_reyz8780]

high velocity training is not specific to powerlifting

[@emetostrengthandperformance]

Im_Reyz 87 I guess you’ve never heard of the dynamic effort method..

[@MrSmurf459]

Why would I waste time doing cleans when I can just do dynamic effort?!?!?!?

[@berrydinglejr]

I’m glad you mentioned Blaine McConnell. That dude is very resourceful has a very underrated Instagram where he’s posting near weekly Q&As and he posts his FULL week of workouts here on KZbin that you can follow along with for free. He’s pretty awesome.

[@jacekblachsiewierski7140]

i havent watched the whole video yet, but i know that 1:00 is the most glorious moment

[@tylerlofgren1775]

I've watched that part probably 40 times already. The 'YEAH!' almost made me crap myself.

[@hyoshida55]

my feeling is that coaches know they don’t know how to teach the movement. so they are better off getting their athletes doing med ball throws etc for power. It’s a lot less technical

[@camboyrdee]

Agree. Wendler said this exactly awhile back. If you don’t feel comfortable coaching it, coach what you know.

[@willbrewster976]

they should just have us do hang cleans

[@davidec.4021]

Super happy you are working with Mike and RP, not to mention Juggernaut. Good job man

[@stuart9514]

Hey Zack Not a lifter or a bro but you an exceptionally knowledgable and lucid commentator on weight movement and motion. I admire your message and commitment. Don’t go changing. 👍

[@germanrud9904]

Oly had a surprisingly big impact on my cardio. I'm a runner, but something about tossing heavy weight rep after rep really helped my endurance, especially for bursts of explosion

[@fnscaa]

Bobby Schmurda reference in a ZT vid = a win for the boys

[@TDace25]

That Rich Piana Music 💪

[@nickcustodi592]

That clean was absolutely amazing

[@IgnatiusCheese]

Bro best lifting channel ever! Love the vibe 👊💪

[@smolboyi]

The explosiveness of the lifts is one very relevant aspect. Also the balance, and dexterity is insane, it seems usually strength is not the limiting factor. Pulling the snatch to the proper height is so much technique

[@jater10]

Another note, a lot of "weightlifting fail" videos show SBD especially the half squats. Goes to show there is not much knowledge of the differences of weightlifting, powerlifting, and CrossFit.

[@shawnspann6844]

What’s SBD?

[@war_josh1550]

@@shawnspann6844 squat bench deadlift

[@jeraisnaturalfitness9313]

Is that Mattie Rogers with you thier Zack

[@UnknownEntity675]

That song came on and it got me 😂 C'mon whatever it takes God damnit💪💪💪💪

[@paddychamp6069]

Regular youtubers: poorly placed acoustic tiles. Zed Tee: Cleans his mattress off the bed and props it up against the wall. Noice.

[@jboblifts]

Third eye of truth getting a grand shout out

[@patrickvanmeter2922]

I do all of it. Powerlifting, bodybuilding and body weight exercise. Olympic lifting is the gymnastic side of power lifting with speed, technique and coordination along with unreal strength. Everyone should try it IMO.

[@guliverovi]

Do you ever get bored of throwing the bar down in weightlifting, seems so satisfying haha

[@madworld109]

Honestly that's the most exciting part. Means you made the lift

[@georgeharrisonOK]

we must imagine sisyphus happy

[@allstrongfitness]

Never gets old tbh

[@realggteam]

@@georgeharrisonOK perfect

[@scorpleeon]

2020 is the year to leave the average po💩 humanity behind. ZT game getting unreal on this channel. I’m old af and thinking let’s goooo!

[@kauerpc]

"I dont respect myself as a person" team!

[@Luke-id1cp]

Your 600 pound deadlift on Juji and Tom's video was the sickest. Nothing is more hardcore than lifting till your busy blood vessels in your eyes

[@joelarson6884]

We do hang cleans at my high school. It’s a great lift to improve explosiveness in the hips. Some of my peers are able to benefit due to their inherent flexibility. However most people, including myself, lack the flexibility to get in the front rack position and have poor ankle mobility which slants the torso forward when trying to sink down and catch the lift. This results in damage to my wrists and not a lot of benefit from the lift. Despite working hard on my flexibility some people just can’t do the lifts properly.

[@superasain1699]

If you cannot hold a front rack position chances are you havs bigger issues than not being able to clean.

[@slamrock17]

Good for you man! Don't go too crazy.

[@NaturalHypertrophy]

I'm lucky enough that my football team didn't have access to a gym because power cleans would have probably done a number on my skinny 160lbs self

[@Sealed_Chamber]

160 pounds is extraordinarily heavy for a human, it is so heavy that it is almost beyond the realm of explanation. It is so heavy that it may even be considered _not of this world._

[@authenticbaguette6673]

Sealed Chamber don't be a douche bro .. a lot of people weigh that much and can't really change it , even if they can that doesn't diminish their value one bit as people ..

[@Sealed_Chamber]

@@authenticbaguette6673 I never implied such a thing, nor was I being disparaging. 160 pounds is a healthy weight.

[@authenticbaguette6673]

Sealed Chamber well then , pardon me !

[@spacegupta71]

I think all three of you misconstrued each others comments lmao lets all just go home

[@willsimmons9098]

the kids name is wesley steiner and he lives the town over from me and he’s also a state champ discus thrower. here in georgia the power clean is an essential football movement and they train for it

[@kyleshalati5658]

Football players don’t “train in weightlifting” but they do train in their own football world. And however that means they do train a few oly lifts like cleans.

[@MrPerfectius]

I like Zach. He's honest and calls himself a piece of shit, which is nice since I am also a piece of shit myself.

[@RepsUpBFT]

The unhinged KZbinr energy is intoxicating

[@parkla4098]

Good for you dude. You are a strength beast now get some eye candy to wrap it up!

[@TheChiefPlaysXbox]

Fuarrrkkk zach boutta make it brahh

[@DennisPing]

That sleepy mattress ~_~

[@TheThirteen1313]

I would have liked more focus on the central question of the video (which doesn't really start until 10:50). I had a cup of coffee at a D1 for track, which was the first time I (and most people on the team) had ever done a clean or snatch. We'd do it after practice, when we were already exhausted, and everyone's technique sucked. The S&C spent so much time trying to coach everyone's technique that I'm not sure how much training benefit we got from it. On the other hand, had we scrapped those lifts and just did trap bar jumps, I think we'd have spent more time getting explosive and way less time being horrible weightlifters.

[@Xplora213]

Olympic lifts are going to be a great aspect of dynamic effort method applied to athletic development but the ultimate question is ALWAYS risk/reward. I would always prefer bands and chains with a box squat to a clean of any kind because my body can’t handle the flexibility and dynamic skills to do it. Now, will those skills transfer to the football field? Will the muscle transfer to the baseball diamond? Why not use a weighted box jump instead for the same kind of approach? If you can’t rapidly develop the basics of a rack position (let alone a catch) then you are kicking your arse for nothing. What happens if you are a kid who can do trick shit for IG like Bradley Martyn? Well fuck why wouldn’t you pimp that shit?! I just know that if I never bench 225 but I have a reasonable chest, if I have a strong pelvis and a healthy back then I don’t need to deadlift 600 pounds... oly lifting is a solution looking for a problem for a lot of people, and of rack position stopped you progressing on the football field then your coach would get fired because tackling does not require a barbell rack position. TLDR. Hope your eyes are OK after that pull at Jujis place!

[@MrSmurf459]

Xplora213 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏you basically summed why the majority of athletes shouldn’t do the O lifts! They’ll see guys like Saquon Barkley do a clean and press with decent form, not knowing he’s in the minority when it comes to performing the lift! I think Zach should actually discourage ATHLETES from doing O lifts!

[@awmlawoffice]

Years ago I asked the local High School strength coach if he ever considered bringing in a good weightlifting coach or, at least, teach the snatch and clean & jerk as a speed strength movement; and, maybe, in doing so, maybe, help a kid realize he has potential in weightlifting. I explained my hypothesis that there are probably a good many CJ Cummings caliber lifters out there, but they will never realize their potential because they're never exposed to the movement. He basically said, just getting large groups of teenagers to do simple back squats correctly and safely is super challenging and, rather candidly, he explained that he really wouldn't want to lose a great football player to weightlifting.

[@BadWolfMMANashville]

At one point our wrestling team, Ohio University, used an Olympic lifting based strength program. I did not like it because the question became "am I getting stronger or is my technique getting better?"

[@danaaxelson6200]

What, you couldn’t get Towelie from South Park. Lol

[@lu-pf9tf]

3:10 shout out bobby n the whole gs9 crew

[@TheMatze461]

Powerlifter + bodybulilder = powerbuilder...Wightlifter + bodybulilder = Liftbuilder ? greatings from germany mr Telander!

[@102thingstodo]

I like these kind of videos

[@Blainemcconnell]

Thanks for the shoutout!

[@catedoge3206]

Had a checkup and I'm now diabetic and have hypothyroidism as well as high blood pressure. I have lost 18 pounds so far. I miss powerlifting. :(

[@calaesthetics2297]

You’re not lonely because we are all lonely bro ✌️

[@CA-vx4sn]

Commenting for the algorithm

[@harryli5979]

It’s worth it and good to do but realistically it’s not vital. For most athletes they spend time practicing their sport, not working out in the gym. High school and college athletes already have very little time to workout and it takes a while to teach oly weightlifting, especially with these sport coaches that don’t know how to teach the movement. Honestly I feel for most sports it’s not needed but if you have the resources/time go ahead.

[@nickeliseman9472]

I feel like the topic in the title wasn't covered (or I missed it) The question of "is it worth it for athletes to do oly lifting" imo, shouldn't be about teaching/knowing technique, form, etc as a main point. I think it should be more along the lines of what benefit is gained by oly lifting that isn't gained by simpler and/or more common lifts? explosiveness is a main quality of oly lifting, but is it the right kind for various athletic sports? etc. Maybe it's just me, but thats what I was expecting when I read the title. I wrestled and ran track but never even had the coaches mention oly lifting and now i'm curious if that was a good or bad thing.

[@PowerPerPound]

I usually like your videos but the intro on this one was painfully long and it seemed like it could have easily been cut to half the time. Also you never even went into what the benefits of oly lifting for a sport athlete would be which is what I would assume the video would be about considering the title.

[@basicballing7269]

That Natty Anthem song after you said aesthetics 😂. Looking forward to see how swole you get!

[@Wolf626man]

Why did I listen to you and check out that zero4six place... why why why? I hurt now? My eyes hurt, my back hurts, my spine is going to kill me now if I look at a barbell and bumper plates.

[@eugenepoon]

Matty was asleep the whole time... hope you weren't disturbing him/her too much

[@alextheguy1858]

Matty was only pretending. Matty has assistance for Zack during this hypertrophy phase.

[@bekimgripshi592]

bro you are the colest weightlifter youtuber ever

[@Ahmed-vk8pv]

I would love one like this but for aesthetics. Not the aesthetics of weightlifters but using the lifts for bodybuilders

[@gracefool]

@Ricardo Diaz bodybuilders should care more about straight arm strength and shoulder mobility, for longevity.

[@gybx4094]

Can you show me videos of Mike Tyson and any other boxing or MMA legends increasing their abilities by Olympic lifting?

[@bbqseitan7106]

If I didn’t have to learn how to Oly lift this late into my grappling journey I’d already be doing atleast Cleans

[@LatimusChadimus]

5:52 never watched Clarence Kennedy, nor know of him

[@liftingiq8658]

Totally agree man-- you really have to leave your ego at the door if you truly want to improve.

[@celo_gutierrez]

The preparation necessary to create transference for special strength of non-barbell sports will not necessitate Olympic lifts. Sports such as athletics, track cycling, American football deem OLY lift top slow in terms of velocity because the sports action occur 3-5x faster than a CJ or snatch. As competition approaches, the training must be similar to meet/match day conditions. Only weightlifting will NEED weightlifting. The general prep for sports mentioned above are better off utilizing simpler exercises in regards to technicality and risk of injury. A simple overhead backwards throw of a medicine ball for velocity or box squats above parallel will induce great neurological stimulation in a faster time than an OLY lift. Such sportsmen aren’t training to compete in the IWF. Preparation must lead to specific transference. Otherwise, general prep only needs to prep the anatomy/physiology for future SPP blocks.

[@joshgodinez874]

“It’s amazing how good you can look if you just don’t eat like an a$$h*le” -ZT to me, Quarantine 2020.

[@Bessmaster2000]

Zacks pretty cool.

[@McMeatBag]

We know those plates are full of air

[@jolier1313]

Honestly, the title of this video is just a rhetorical question, and it's click-baity. Of course Zack's answer is going to be "yes." That's like asking an English Lit professor if we should read Shakespeare. I guess I clicked on the video to know what justifications Zack had for his answer, but he went on a rant instead. In my opinion, the answer is "yes, to some extent" but mostly "no, not really." If we think about what's necessary for Oly lifting, e.g. mobility and flexibility, strength, power/speed, and technical mastery, training in Oly lifting can help shed light on an athlete's deficiencies. But, do those deficiencies necessarily need to be overcome in one's sport, and are there better/more efficient methods of targeting those deficiencies that don't require the same amount time and energy to master the technical movements of Oly lifting? I say the amount of time and energy it takes for an athlete to become technically proficient ultimately distracts from the specifiticy that is necessary in that athlete's sport. Long story short, can oly lifting help an athlete in their sport, "maybe." Are the technical movements of Oly lifting useful for other sports, "not really." Is Oly lifting necessary, "no, look at Michael Jordan, Lionel Messi, Anderson Silva, Mike Tyson, Tom Brady, (the list can go on...) who have probably done little to no Olympic training in their careers and still been great."

[@maxeye9164]

I like this :)

[@ShouldHaveKnownYT]

This man looks like a video game character lol

[@xpwnx1337]

Curls man

[@ninsquad]

Freakin finally. I’ve only been harassing you for years about this. Get yoked lanky boi

[@devvv4616]

Chad neck

[@klalakomacoi]

What's the mattress for? Is it an echo reducer?

[@aa7x3]

It's pronounced "ZEEEEEZ" I'm fuckin ZEEEEEZ brah fuark

[@Luke-id1cp]

Subbed for memes

[@SachAlvarez]

OUR BOY BOBBY IS COMING OUT IN 2024 PIN THIS COMMENT SO WE DON'T FORGET

[@PhaTs00p]

Somebody's been spending a lot of time with Juji it seems.

[@petrvales9869]

Lol this young dude shown who was cleaning 405 lbs had to train for that I dont think you can come up to the bar without training or knowing the technique and clean it out of nowhere just because you are a football player... I highly doubt that.

[@migueljayne8261]

Do you take on a certain approach with your weightlifting programming? Like Chinese or Russian?

[@martov4330]

Yo ZT, didn't you say in your last video that you don't want to train fo hypertrophy because that stops you from achieving PRs ? (Or you might have featured in another video about your get together in Jujis playground)

[@lonle6506]

In the long run it's better

[@cramz101]

If you want to be competitive in a strength sport, it’s generally a good idea to maximize the amount of muscle you can carry for your weight class.

[@aidanmcferren4423]

Would you recommend oly lifts for baseball players?

[@ti8864]

Athletes are good at weightlifting but weightlifters are mostly not good at athletics

[@gybx4094]

Well stated. Weights are just one tool out of many that athletes use.

[@idontknow3108]

1:00 original name of natty anthem pls help

[@ethanbaird5058]

"people want to demonize the snatch and the clean and jerk" olympic lifting is literally banned from my university. sad world we live in

[@robertchang3969]

Assuming the athletes can learn the technique would it be worth it then?

[@assetactivities]

wow are you arnold ferigno

[@ABC-yh5vf]

Zack, I prefer sleeping like your mattress behind and doing nothing.

[@darthmuaddib5115]

Free my nigga Bobby

[@justuspinckney2234]

How accessible will this program be to someone with limited weights and no gyms open?

[@bbqseitan7106]

Honestly dude just go for an advanced bodyweight program

[@urgamecshk]

All you need is barbell and plate

[@gracefool]

@@urgamecshk not even, just a pair of gymnastic rings.

[@greglindstrom1705]

its interesting how america doesnt seem to care about olympic sports... for the rest of the world thats the dream.

[@anthonyjohnson6]

Any of y’all just find it cool ash if someone you know or has competed against ends up on one your youtuber’s channels😭😂