Olympic Lifting for Team Sport Athletes: Smart Programming or Risky Business? - Lewis Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab

Olympic lifting has long been a debated topic in the strength and conditioning world, especially when it comes to team sport athletes. While movements like the power clean can build tremendous explosiveness, there are also limitations and risks that athletes and coaches need to consider.

What You’ll Learn in This Blog

• Why coaches turn to Olympic lifts for power development

• The technical learning curve and time investment required

• Safer and more efficient alternatives for athletes

• Which sports may benefit from Olympic lifting — and which should probably avoid it

• How to decide if Olympic lifting fits your training program

Why Coaches Use Olympic Lifts

Olympic lifts like the clean are designed to create a high central nervous system (CNS) demand, driving recruitment and power output. For football players, especially linemen, this can carry over directly to their sport.

The Technical Problem

These lifts are highly technical. For beginners, it can take at least 1 years of consistent practice to reach proficiency where they can move significant weight to drive adaptation — which isn’t realistic for most team sport athletes in short training windows. Attempting heavy lifts without proper form can also lead to unnecessary injuries.

Safer Alternatives

If the goal is explosiveness, there are plenty of other tools available:

• Plyometrics (jumps, bounds, depth drops, etc)

• Explosive, high-intensity medicine ball throws

• Sprint training

These allow athletes to start building power immediately, without years of technical refinement. It should be noted that even these movements do require consistency to achieve technical proficiency.

Sport-Specific Considerations

• Football linemen → Olympic lifts may make sense due to demands of power in close contact.

• Baseball/overhead athletes → Olympic lifts may not be worth the risk that the catch positions places their medial elbow in forearm in, making alternatives a better option.

The Bottom Line

Olympic lifting is a great adjunct to a well-round performance program. However, I feel that it does depend on when and who you implement it with. Coaches must weigh the risk vs. reward, the demands of the sport, and the time available. Many athletes can reach the same explosive outcomes with simpler, safer methods.

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🎥 Watch on YouTube

🎥 Watch the full breakdown on how we recommend to implement olympic lifting on YouTube.
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🎙 Listen to This Episode on The Lewis Physical Therapy & Sports Rehab Podcast

Catch the full breakdown of Olympic lifting for team sport athletes and how to program smarter alternatives.

🎧 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4A6iBs0CzkAwSu9rUVPfGX?si=lrea2AaWQSy5USIT90KXhQ