Last Friday I mentioned some of the benefits of Olympic lifting.

I talked about studies comparing Olympic athletes, and how the weightlifters ranked near the top…

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the actual studies; I only had stories and rumors. This meant I couldn’t claim the results as ‘facts.’ (it also had me questioning my gumshoe skills)

The lack of facts didn’t stop me from sharing my own experiences in training with the quick lifts.

But that wasn’t enough…

So I did some more digging, and found an interview with Tommy Kono, one of the greatest weightlifters of all time.

It just so happened that the interviewer asked Mr. Kono about the same studies I mentioned last time.

The interviewer also said that he couldn’t find the original studies either, (this saved me from crossing out ‘becoming a sleuth’ from my ‘when I grow up list’…you gotta keep your dreams alive, ya know?)

Turns out that Kono’s personal results from Olympic lifting back up the mythical studies I keep hearing about.

Here’s what he had to say:

‘At 5′6 I used to stand bare feet under a basketball rim and jump and touch the rim to win bets. I used no running start but just a quick squat down while swinging my right arm upwards and touching the rim. For the basketball players of 6′2 this is nothing but for someone my height jumping 10 ft. high is proof that lifting improved my vertical jump. I was adept at the long jump too.’

If anyone ever questions Olympic lifting’s ability to improve a person’s explosiveness, those words should give him something to chew on…

I would guess that Kono had around a 40” vertical, which ranks him among the highest verticals in the NBA. To put this into perspective, Vince Carter supposedly has a 43” vertical, and he jump over and dunked on a 7 footer at the Olympics…

That my friend is mad ups!

Most would need a stick of TNT lit; and shoved where the sun don’t shine to get their butt anywhere near that high off of the ground.

But you can save yourself from the ensuing Preparation H expenses. Just start doing some serious cleaning and snatches, (and yes, the ‘and’ is extremely important in that sentence…)

And if you’re a ‘Ready to Rumble’ type, increasing your explosiveness can add to your striking power and speed. It’ll also give you the ‘pop’ needed to send your opponent though the ground when you throw him…

There ain’t a need to say much more…

Now it’s about applying what you’ve learned, letting the rubber meet the road and all of that good stuff…

So start training, be it at the commercial gym down the road, or in your basement, garage, or outside and let the iron fly…

Train Smart, Train Hard

Ray Toulany

PS: Those weights aren’t going very high if you don’t have the right fuel in your tank. Learn what you need what need to eat to get the most from your training without all of the mumbo jumbo…

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