Summary of an article on effects of Olympic weightlifting and plyometrics on performance when compared to the traditional resistance training in young healthy males (10-12 years old).
Who
63 healthy boys 10-12 years old from youth judo and wrestling development centers (Tunisia) restraining from other training during the study.
Design
Randomised controlled trial.
Olympic weightlifting group (OWL)
- Olympic-style lift exercises (with ballistic concentric contraction)
- 2 times per week (nonconsecutive)
- 12 weeks
Plyometrics group
- structured plyometric training using body weight (with ballistic concentric contraction)
- 2 times per week (nonconsecutive)
- 12 weeks
Traditional resistance training (RT) group
- free weights with slower speed movements (no enforced pacing for the concentric or eccentric portion)
- 2 times per week (nonconsecutive)
- 12 weeks
Control group
- no training
- 12 weeks
Outcome measures
Isokinetic strength (maximal voluntary isokinetic concentric strength of the dominant leg at 60 and 300 deg/sec): Force60, Force300, Power60, Power300, countermovement jump height, standing horizontal jump, acceleration and maximal running speed (5-m sprint and flying 20-m sprint), static balance (Stork stand test)
Main results
- OWL group was better than the Plyometric (3.2 cm) and Traditional RT (4.1 cm) groups in the countermovement jump. OWL group was 13.5 cm better than the Plyometric group in the horizontal jump.
- OWL (5.5 seconds) and Plyometric (9.1 seconds) groups were holding their balance longer than the Traditional RT group.
- Gains in BMI were higher (0.6 kg/m2) in the Traditional RT group than in Plyometric or OWL groups.
- Plyometric group was better in Force60 than the Traditional RT group and OWL group (13 and 13.8 kg, respectively), and better (6.7 kg) in Force300 than the Traditional RT.
- Traditional RT group was 13.2 W better in Power60 than the Plyometric group.
- OWL (20.7 W difference) and Plyometric (15.8 W difference) groups were better at Power300 than the Traditional RT group.
- Plyometric group was the worst in 5-m sprint (0.05 seconds slower than Traditional RT and 0.04 slower than OWL group) and 20-m sprint (0.12 seconds slower than Traditional RT and 0.14 slower than OWL group).
Take home message
Original article
Chaouachi A, Hammami R, Kaabi S, Chamari K, Drinkwater EJ, Behm DG. Olympic weightlifting and plyometric training with children provides similar or greater performance improvements than traditional resistance training. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. 2014 Jun 1;28(6):1483-96.