YOUTH WEIGHTLIFTING
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*Please get in contact with us at spectrumperformancerehab@gmail.com before attending practice
Our Youth Weightlifting Program is designed to teach athletes the fundamental techniques of the sport of weightlifting. We focus on increasing technical coordination, speed, explosiveness, and strength through the lifts of the snatch and clean & jerk.
Weightlifting presents an opportunity to act as both its own sport, as well as a form of off-season dryland training for other sports. Depending on age, we focus on different athletic qualities that are most appropriately trained at that time in a youth's development.
Weightlifting also assists in fostering key emotional qualities at a young age, such as perseverance, resilience, focus, communication, and cooperation.
​What is Olympic weightlifting?
​ Weightlifting is a sport that has been contested at the Olympics for over 100 years, and it is also a cross-training tool that countless athletes have used to improve their performance. The competition lifts are the snatch and the clean & jerk. The snatch comprises lifting the barbell from the floor to overhead with a wide grip in one fluid motion. The clean & jerk are two lifts in sequence, first lifting the barbell from the floor to the shoulders with a narrower grip than the snatch, and then from the shoulders to overhead after a brief pause. ​​
Common questions from parents...
Although "lifting" is in the name, Weightlifting is first and foremost a sport, just like soccer or basketball. Weightlifting has been shown to be safe for humans of all ages, and actually has signficantly lower injury rates than all team sports.
Is Weightlifting dangerous for youth? Will it stunt my child's growth?
The movements of Weightlifting are commonly used to train speed, strength, power, change of direction, whole-body coordination, posture, and the ability to learn new skills quicker.
What can Weightlifting do for other sports?
Specializing in a single sport at too early of an age can lead to various negative outcomes such as burnout and chronic overuse injuries. Similar to gymnastics, Weightlifting acts as a complementary sport to nearly every other sport, especially at a young age, because it focuses on basic motor patterns and postural coordination.
Why is it important to play multiple sports at a young age?
Standout Youth and Junior Weightlifters
Have questions or want to get started? Let us know!
6740 99 St NW
Edmonton, AB T6E 5B8