EP18 Snatch This! Training Tips from an Olympic Weightlifting Coach

Staying in the Game, A Plum Dragon Herbs Podcast

View the complete transcript of the show HERE.

“...when you focus on too many movements, what will ultimately happen is it's very difficult to get proficient in anything.”—Robert Ronan

Joining us today is the Olympic weightlifting coach Robert Ronan, who has traveled to mainland China several times to study the technique they use in this sport. Coach Ronan is one of only a handful of western weightlifting coaches invited to professional training facilities in China. Robert and the team at Austin Barbell work with athletes of all levels and ages, from beginners to national competitors. He was a competition coach for world master champion, Jianping Ma, in the 2019 IWF world master championships and is currently working with athletes to qualify for national events.

Show Notes:

1:04 An overview of what Olympic weightlifting is.

6:10 What really sets apart an athlete is how prepared they are for competition.

8:20 Athletes need to be realistic with cutting weight and recognize it takes weight to move weight.

9:52 What is different about the Chinese style of Olympic Weightlifting that Rob incorporate into his coaching.

17:25 The Chinese system have 5 principles for the Olympic Weightlifting sport: close, fast, low, stable and timing. These fundamental properties make a good athlete.

21:55 What a typical day in training looks like for Austin Barbell athletes.

24:04 What recovery methods his athletes use including myofascial release.

27:00 How often athletes typically compete and how their schedules have been adapted to accommodate COVID-19 restrictions.

31:00 In the minutes before the athlete goes out on stage, what coaching do they receive.

33:40 Olympic weight training is a very difficult sport; showing up every day for training is critical.

35:00 As a coach, it’s important to be compassionate and accommodating to the athletes.

37:00 The surprising traits that make a great Olympic weightlifter.

42:06 How to reach Robert Ronan.

Find out more about Robert Ronan:

https://www.instagram.com/ronan_i_am/

https://www.facebook.com/rronan

https://www.austinbarbell.com

https://www.instagram.com/austinbarbell/

https://www.facebook.com/AustinBarbellWL/

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Podcast Music Credit:

Motherlode Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/