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Dan
Dan Sullivan holds a BA in Communications, Psychology, and Business Economics as well as a Masters Degree in Exercise Physiology. He is a certified Crossfit instructor in addition to being a Certified Personal Trainer by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and has worked in the fitness industry since 1998.
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Attending the Crossfit Olympic Lifting Certification

by: Dan Sullivan

There is a misperception that Olympic Weightlifting is the sole domain of 300 pound men and women that compete once every four summers for Olympic gold. Few people appreciate the skill transfer from the snatch and clean and jerk to other sports. The speed and power produced by these movements will allow one to jump higher, run faster and throw farther. These movements will also develop a tremendous amount of kinesthetic awareness through improved balance, agility, accuracy and coordination.

In an effort to be broad, general, and inclusive in their exercise selection, CrossFit regularly incorporates Olympic Weightlifting into their exercise prescription. After all, these two movements are very intense and extremely functional. Not every CrossFitter should be doing these exercises right from the start. The snatch and clean and jerk are simple movements that require quite a bit of instruction and development to ensure that they are done correctly and safely. One cannot just "grip it and rip" it so to speak.

Enter Coach Mike Burgener and his Olympic Weightlifting trainer certification. Like a fine wine, coach Burgener’s program has gotten better over time. Coach Burgener has been coaching and refining his lifting certification for over 40 years. He is a Senior International Weightlifting Coach for the United States and has developed several Olympians in his tenure. Coach Burgener knows his stuff and is passionate about sharing it with others.

I must admit that when I first encountered Olympic Weightlifting, I had my own misconceptions. After this certification I can truly appreciate that if one can jump and shrug their shoulders then they can snatch and clean. Obviously there is more that goes into it to refine technique, and yes one must still learn to execute the push jerk properly.

Having spent a weekend with Coach Burgener, his coaches, and 60 other CrossFit coaches, I can personally say this was one of the most informative and interactive certifications I have ever attended. The weekend was broken up so that the entire first day was devoted to the snatch and the second day was devoted to the clean and jerk. Over the course of the weekend we focused on jumping position (for pulling and pressing), the landing position (for receiving and squatting) and the grip (the infamous hook grip).

We practiced a warm-up referred to as the junk yard dog, refined the Burgener warm-up which develops the skills needed for the snatch, and we practiced skill transfer exercises intended to identify weaknesses that need subsequent attention. In the end, we concluded with proper push jerk technique which is a far cry from the typical CrossFit approach and well worth learning.

One drawback to this certification for the average CrossFitter is that it is taught one lift at a time. Traditional Olympic Weightlifting is not done for timed sets of 30 reps. However, it is worth learning the proper technique for sake of efficiency. You will also come away from the weekend with a new appreciation for burpees. Yay Burpees!





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