User:Delgreco15/sandbox

I hope to add the heading: weight lifting and athletic development to the article, and contribute the information listed below:

Weightlifting and athletic development:

Power is the amount of work produced per unit of time. In most sports, power is more important than force production. Power is important for athletes because sports performance is based upon the ability to develop power.

Weight lifting and power lifting for athletic development:

Powerlifting is the competitive sport of lifting as much weight as possible in 3 events: bench, squat, and deadlift. Powerlifting is incorrectly named because in weight lifting greater levels of power output occur than in powerlifting, Approx 12 watts per kg are produced in the slow lifts of powerlifting. But in the second pull of the snatch and the clean approx. 4 times more power is being generated averaging 52 watts per kg.

Weight lifters generate greater power and move at faster velocities than powerlifters across a load spectrum. But developing and assessing maximum strength recieves a great deal of attention in athletic development, while only a few athletic activites (power lifting being one) require maximal strength.

Training programs that emphasize high velocity training, such as those found in the sport of weightlifting, are believed to be superior for bringing about increases in power output and speed. This is based on the high levels of force development and improved contractile speed associated with high force, high velocity resistance training. The greatest advantage occurs in sports that require explosive dynamic movements. Most sports require strength at faster velocities than is experienced in powerlifting.

The use of weightlifting lifts in training has a positive effect on performance in sports such as football, basketball, volleyball, and track and field. Studies have found a correlation between weightlifting and vertical jump performance. One study compared the hang power snatch to the non-counter-movement vertical jump found similarities in maximal power, relative power, time to maximal power, maximal force, and time to maximal force.

Athletes participating in weightlifting had greater peak force in unloaded vertical jumps, jumps with an added 20 kg, and in jumps with an added 40 kg in comparison with athletes competing in powerlifting. Peak power in the vertical jump under all 3 loading conditions also was significantly greater for the weightlifters in comparison with the powerlifters. Even though the powerlifters were as strong as the weightlifters, they scored significantly lower in tests for power and explosive performance. The weightlifters had significantly greater peak velocities, power outputs, and jump heights than the powerlifters.

The benefits of weightlifting:

Aside from power development, weightlifting provides additional benefits to the trainee.

Biomechanical Benefits:

Movements found in sports general consist of closed kinetic chain actions. Training for such athletic movements should generate high power outputs in large muscles groups in a short time frame. The two lifts performed in weightlifting and their variations do just this.

The rapid acceleration of the weight without the requirement to decelerate the load is also of benefit to the athlete. Gravity slows the accelerated load down. Because both lifts are ground based they are an excellent method for training high-load speed strength. Contrast this with the bench press, where the lifter has to decelerate the load at the end range of motion to avoid injury and speed strength is not effectively trained.

Neuromuscular Benefits:

The weightlifting movements involve multiple joints and muscle groups, they require intra/inter sequential muscle coordination. This can have a positive effect on neural efficiency and balance. Changes in motor control result in the improved coordination of activation of muscle groups and motor units. Weightlifters are able to activate more fast twitch muscle fibers than nonweightlifters during submaximal contractions.

Fiber Adaptation

Power sport athletes possess high ratios of fast twitch muscle fibers than their endurance counterparts. Genetic factors contribute to this ratio but nongenetic factors (ie neural and endocrine environments as well as functional demands) can also influence muscle morphology. Skeletal muscle is adaptive and can be influenced by functional demands. Further study of trained individuals is needed to better evaluate different types of athletes and the training methods specific to their sport.

Muscle fiber adaptations occur as a result of resistance training. They include both conversion of fiber types and hypertrophy of fibers. With hypertrophy, the cross-sectional area of the muscle increases, which results in an increase in muscle force producing capacities. Differences in fiber cross-sectional area have been identified when comparing weightlifters and powerlifters. Weightlifters have slightly larger fiber areas for all the major fiber types, compared to their powerlifting counterparts. Compared with previous reports on powerlifters, weightlifters had slightly greater muscle area for type IIA fibers and less for type I fibers. The larger area of type IIA fibers may contribute to greater power generation required for weightlifting as compared to powerlifting.

Lean Body Mass Increases

For the untrained individual undergoing general preparation training cycles, lean body mass increases and body fat decreases can occur in as little as 5-8 weeks. The average body fat percentage in male weightlifters is between 6% and 12%. As hypertrophy occurs and the muscle cross-section is increased, the muscle's force production is enhanced. Weightlifting, as well as general weight training, can increase bone density and strength. Speed-strength exercises may be of importance in stimulating bone remodeling and enhancing bone tensile strength. Lean body mass increases are the result of increases in bone density and skeletal muscle adaptation.

Neuroendrocrine Benefits

Through prolonged training using weightlifting movements, a biochemical environment that supports enhanced performance can be harvested. Previous studies have shown an increase in testosterone levels during a 2-year training period in weightlifting. Increased testosterone levels correlate with one's ability to generate power. When comparing weightlifters of various training experiences, those with 2+ years were able to elicit greater testosterone levels in response to training over those with less training experience.

Balance, Coordination, Flexibility, and Kinesthetic Awareness

Balance, coordination, and flexibility can all be developed through the utilization of the weightlifting movements in training. Kinesthetic awareness can be developed by the weightlifting movements, and may also reduce injury in other sports as an added benefit. The weightlifting movements not only strengthen the muscles, tendons, and ligaments but also increase the athlete's overall coordination.