I will first address your questions. But I have some physiological aspects to add via the muscle contractions & reflexes that entail execution of the said lifts.

First:

Would I agree that much of an Oly lifters explosive abilities are about their supplementary training?

First lets define Supplementary training as “all other training other than that specifically pertaining to the execution of the competition skill”

Thus my answer would be, Yes and No. This is a very specific question that requires a specific answer. Here’s a few thoughts.

Yes. There are certain parts of their Supplementary training that would be directed to increasing their explosive abilities. Jumping exercises (Box Jumps, Vertical Jumps, Bounds, etc) & any exercise, drill, etc. that is done via Dynamic Effort (see Zatorisky for definition) are two means that you will find in most lifters General Preparatory (and Special when pertaining to the Competition lifts) Exercises. The jumping exercises is in all likelihood something they utilized in their youth to set a base of the pinnacle for them to attain Sports Mastery.

No. Keep in mind that not all supplementary training is targeted at developing Explosive strength. Some may be directed at increasing muscle cross section via repetition or sub-maximal effort for a specific area of the human anatomical musculature (weak hip or knee extensors, scapular elevators, etc.), targeting of a specific weakness in the execution of the competition lift via Maximal or Sub-Maximal Effort (a la High, Clean, or Snatch Pulls/Shrugs, etc.) These means will also lay a base for the pinnacle of reaching Sports Mastery via the execution of the Olympic lifts.

Now onto Genetics.

Yes. There is definitely a reason that these athletes are performing at a high level in their specific sport discipline. Their are a plethora of factors that could play into the reasoning behind why they are a model athlete for Olympic Weightlifting. Predispositions could be optimal height, anthropometric measurements, bio-mechanical leverages, weight (although there are various weight classes), body composition, muscle elasticity, high amount of Type II muscle fibers, high level of performance in Special Developmental and Preparatory Exercises, etc. All these factors again lay a solid base for the pinnacle of Sports Mastery.

Now lets quickly go over what the Olympic lifts do physiologically.

First the lifts activate what is called the Stretch-Shortening Cycle. Before execution of the first pull of either lift, there is a short moment in which the muscles of the lower extremities are stretched (eccentric or pliometric muscle contraction), then once full extension is achieved after the completion of the second pull the muscles be come shortened (concentric or miometric).

After the “scoop”/full extension has been achieved, another lengthening occurs of the leg extensors. There is a spinal reflex that is activated by the muscle spindles, a la Stretch Reflex. The muscle spindle is a proprioceptor that reacts to the magnitude, speed, etc. of this stretch. The Olympic lifts take advantage of this reflex. A high proprioceptive stretch reflex will be observed in anyone who has the ability to display Explosive abilities. Thus, the proper execution of the Olympic lifts train the muscle spindles.

This is all just off the top of my head, I imagine this gives you a pretty good idea of what my opinion is. If you have any further questions, rebuttals, your own opinion or other things to add (that goes for anybody reading this), please feel free to do so.

Thanks,
Ryan

Would you agree that much of an Oly lifters explosive abilities are about their supplementary training and
genetics than the Oly lifts themselves?
Brandon

Thanks for the words, I’m glad you enjoyed the article.

Excellent point regarding the need to as a coach have the knowledge, experience, and practical application to teach the Olympic lifts.

Same could be said for any sporting form, why have a coach who specializes in one sport and isn’t qualified to teach the technical and tactical parts of the sporting form, try and teach another sporting form? Doesn’t make much sense.

Best of luck with your athletes,
Ryan

great article. Another point to consider is whether or not the coach is qualified to teach and therefore use the Olympic lifts. I don’t use them with my guys because quite frankly I do not have the expertise or experience to teach them correctly. I know a lot fo coaches probably feel this way too.

Cheers

Jack