There are many different types of weight lifting. One type is Olympic lifting, which uses 2 lifts- the snatch and the clean and jerk. Olympic lifting is good for building strength and power, however it requires extensive training in the proper technique.
Another type of weight lifting is powerlifting. Powerlifting has 3 lifts- squats, bench press, and deadlift. Powerlifting is really a misnomer because it builds strength, not power. It is a good way of developing strength and then power can be developed later though.
Also, there is bodybuilding. People lift weights in order to increase their muscle mass and for esthetic reasons. Bodybuilders often use lifts that isolate muscles in order to increase each muscle's size. They also do many more lifts that Olympic lifters and powerlifters and they do more reps and sets in order to pump up the muscle and grow in size (hypertrophy). Much of the "gym culture" is based upon bodybuilders because most of the people in the gym are mostly interested in looking better.
Then, there is general physical conditioning training. Programs like Crossfit, P90X, and Insanity fit into this broad category. The idea is to work various muscles and also build cardiovascular systems and generally the level of all-round balanced fitness, with no specific sport in mind. These are one-size fits all programs that work towards helping the person become more physically fit.
If you have read this far, you know that we have different goals than any of the above programs. Our goal is sports strength and conditioning and performance enhancement. We aren't focused on looking good at the beach or winning a powerlifting competition or making the Olympic weightlifting team. We are interested in specific sport performance, not just general conditioning.
So, our strength training program should reflect that. If you just do the same thing the other guys in the gym do, they probably have very different goals or even if they have similar goals, they may not know how to best achieve them, and they might just be going along with the crowd at the gym.
That does not mean that we can't draw on some of the techniques and lifts that people with ot.her goals use. Many athletes use Olympic and powerlifting, for example. And some of the general conditioning programs are also helpful. However, we need to keep in mind that we have different goals. Here is a link to an article that has 2 different sports coaches discussing which is better for athlete strength and conditioning- Olympic lifts or powerlifting:
Both Olympic lifts and powerlifting are used a great deal by athletes who are developing their strength and power. I do not recommend the Olympic lifts unless you have a good coach who can teach you the techniques though. They are excellent lifts to develop strength and power though. Powerlifting is excellent for developing strength, but then the power also needs to be trained also.
In summary, we are athletes who are trying to improve our performance. For optimum benefit, our strength and conditioning program should reflect that goal and therefore, the program should be different from what you see most of the other people in the gym doing. Our program should be more like the programs that other athletes are using, not like the programs of people who are mainly interested in how they look at the beach.
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