Olympic weightlifting:
Snatch | Snatch/kg | Clean & Jerk | Clean & Jerk/kg | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Average % improvement in GROUP 1 | 15.8 | 10.5 | 13.3 | 7.9 |
Average % improvement in GROUP 2 | 12.3 | 9.1 | 10.7 | 7.2 |
Youngest personal best | 22 | - | 22 | - |
Oldest personal best | 30 | - | 30 | - |
Average year of personal best | 26.4 | - | 26.2 | - |
Weightlifters included in this study group are the best in their category and most of them have set world records.
Olympic weightlifting is a great example of how well explosive power and absolute concentric power work together. Explosive power is vital for lifting weights quickly off the floor and above one's head during snatch, or towards their shoulders during clean and jerk, whereas absolute concentric power is essential during one's transition from a squat into a standing position.
We looked at how much Olympic weightlifters progressed in lifting absolute weight from their first ever international result and how much their explosive power progressed in correlation to their body mass (relative body power). In other words, how much they progressed at unchanged body mass.
Weightlifters from GROUP 1 progressed at absolute weight at snatch by 15.8% and 13,3% in the Clean and Jerk exercise. Weightlifter from GROUP 2 improved by 12.3% at absolute weight at Snatch and 10,7% in clean and jerk.
From the table above we can also determine that weightlifters are able to lift heavier weights if they gain additional lean body mass. This thesis can therefore be transferred to other athletes, competing in absolute categories according to their body mass (weightlifting, martial arts, American football, rugby, also volleyball, basketball and soccer). With the increase of muscular mass they gain explosiveness targeted towards finishing or aiming objects or their opponents.
What is even more important is the increase of their explosive power measured per kilo of their body mass. Snatch improvement was 10.5% for GROUP 1 weightlifters and 9.1% for GROUP 2. Clean and jerk improvement was 7.9% for GROUP 1 and 7.2% for GROUP 2.
100m sprint and 200m sprint:
100 m | 200 m | |
---|---|---|
Average % improvement in GROUP 1 | 5.8 | 6.1 |
Average % improvement in GROUP 2 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
Youngest personal best | 23 | 22 |
Oldest personal best | 33 | 33 |
Average year of personal best | 27.2 | 25.7 |
The 100 m sprinters improved their results on average by 5.8% from their first international appearance (before they were 20; GROUP 1). The best result that followed this was their personal record. Results of 200 m sprinters in the same age group improved on average by 6.1%.
After 20 years of age (GROUP 2) sprinters' results improved on average by 4.9% (100 m) and 4% (200 m).
It is worth mentioning that 5-6% improvement in 100 m sprint discipline means the initial result of 10.5 s improved by 0.55-0.63 s. In 200 m sprint discipline 4-6% improvement has shortened the initial time of 21 s by 0.84-1.2 s. This means the improvement of athletes' times is extremely noticeable.
As before, the athletes chosen for this research already participated in specialized trainings which focused on improvement of their speed prior to their first international appearance.
High jump:
High jump | High jump – 90 cm | |
---|---|---|
Average % improvement of GROUP 1 | 11.7 | 20.3 |
Average % improvement of GROUP 2 | 5.5 | 9.2 |
Youngest personal best | 22 | |
Oldest personal best | 31 | |
Average year of personal best | 25.3 |
With high jump it is important to mention that the height of the jump is conditioned by vertical speed reached at the very moment the body leaves the ground and not by the weight of the athlete. The height of the jump depends on quadratic (squared) vertical speed. Therefore, if the athlete improves their vertical speed by 10%, they improve the height of their jump by 21%.
Based on this fact we expect to see better results at high jump that we do at sprinting itself.
The results of athletes who first appeared at an international competition before the age of 20 (GROUP 1) improved by 11.7% and athletes after they reached 20 years (GROUP 2) improved by 5.5%. This means that was the average improvement of their results; however it does not portray how much they improved their leap.
For more objective results of leap improvements we need to look at their improvement of the center of their body's gravity. It is a well-known fact high jumpers are of quite a tall statue (with a few exemptions). Theoretically in order to jump over a 90 cm high lath they would not even have to jump, but could just step over it. We will take this as the bottom line of their center of gravity (even though they could step over a lath 1 m in the air, we will use 90 cm for the purpose of keeping a conservative evaluation of the leap). To see how much they improved their leap we took away 90 cm off the height of the jump and focus on the leap phase itself.
Considering the elimination process above, we can see a much clearer picture of athletes' improvements. Those whose first international competition happened before they turned 20 (GROUP 1) improved by 20.3% and those athletes from the GROUP 2 improved by 9.2% (which is much more than in sprint).
Long jump:
Long jump | |
---|---|
Average % improvement of GROUP 1 | 15.2 |
Average % improvement of GROUP 2 | 7.4 |
Youngest personal best | 21 |
Oldest personal best | 32 |
Average year of personal best | 25 |
The distance reached at long jump is conditioned by both horizontal and vertical speed reached at the moment of the jump. Vertical component determines how long the athlete will stay in the air and horizontal component determines how far they will jump in that time. If one of the components is higher (or ideally both) the athlete will jump much further.
The results of athletes from GROUP 1 improved by 15.2% and those from GROUP 2 improved by 7.4%. If we look at the length of their jumps, it improved by more than 1 m.
Javelin:
Javelin | |
---|---|
Average % improvement of GROUP 1 | 23.1 |
Average % improvement of GROUP 2 | 16.3 |
Youngest personal best | 23 |
Oldest personal best | 31 |
Average year of personal best | 26.5 |
Javelin throw is a discipline closest to mimicking a throw or a swing of the ball. Muscular groups that are crucial for the success of the throw are mostly the same as muscular groups used during the throw of the ball in handball or during the swing of the ball at volleyball.
The length of the throw is conditioned by the starting speed and the angle of the throw. The most optimal angle for the successful throw is 45°.
The results in this discipline are most striking. The average improvement for athletes from GROUP 1 was 23.1% and for athletes from GROUP 2 was 16.5%. This means some athletes improved their throw for over 20 m since their very first international competition (the youngest was only 17 years old).