Even though all strength sports revolve around the same principle, they differ substantially in terms of technique. So, Strongman and Olympic Weightlifting are not interchangeable, despite the fact that the goal is to lift extremely heavy weights in both sports. Eddie Hall is the living proof of this, as the 2016 WSM champion definitely does not lack strength, but he still found himself in quite a predicament when he tried Olympic Weightlifting for the first time.
Eddie Hall recently partnered up with a professional Strongwoman, Chloe Brennan, who has some experience in weightlifting. So, her task was to introduce Hall to the basics of the sport and see how well he could perform. Hall recorded the whole process and posted it on his YouTube channel on June 25th. It displayed him attempting both the Snatch and Clean & Jerk events.
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Eddie Hall’s First Time Doing Olympic Weightlifting
The first event in which Eddie Hall had to test his skills was the snatch, but he first had to learn some basic movements since Olympic Weightlifting relies on proper technique and explosive power.
To get used to the movement, Eddie Hall first stretched, after which he performed some overhead squats and hip snatches.
“It’s harder than it looks (the overhead squats)… It is very hard.”
After finding out that Chloe Brennan’s PR on the snatch was 60 kilograms (132 pounds), Eddie Hall set his sights on lifting at least that much weight. He ended up snatching 80 kilograms (176 pounds) with a decent technique, but revealed how difficult it is.
“I’m just feeling my shoulder there, envisioning dislocating the shoulder. I just don’t want that in my life today.”
For reference, Lasha Talakhadze holds the World Record in the Snatch event, which stands at 225 kilograms (496 pounds). Upon finding out about this, Eddie Hall was visibly impressed by Lasha’s lift.
“I’d be lucky to deadlift 225 kilograms (496 pounds) right now, let alone get it above my head.”
Surprisingly, Eddie Hall encountered more trouble in the Clean & Jerk due to mobility. Eddie could not properly grasp the barbell in a front squat position due to his stiffness.
“That is why I do the strict press, just to avoid this nonsense.”
It quickly became apparent that Eddie Hall was unable to perform a front squat with the correct form needed for this event. So, he decided to skip practicing the Clean portion of the exercise and focus solely on the Jerk.
The Jerk practice started off poorly for Eddie, but he quickly got on track and nailed the movement.
“It’s safe to say, It’s not for me… Not successful, but the snatch was alright… I can appreciate that (Snatch), but the Clean & Jerk, I think I can work on that for a very long time and not go anywhere.”
Watch the video here:
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It is not surprising that Eddie Hall was more comfortable with the snatch since he already has experience with a similar movement. In fact, he holds the World Record for the fastest time to lift 30 repetitions of a 60-kilogram (132-pound) barbell from floor to overhead. To set this record, Hall utilized a motion similar to Snatches, but he used his strength to achieve it instead of the proper technique.
Eddie Hall obviously enjoys venturing out into different sports, as this Olympic Weightlifting training session is just a one-off from his Bodybuilding training. Despite being a former Strongman, Eddie Hall plans to compete in a bodybuilding competition in 2024. So, he will continue preparing for his debut with his usual training sessions and leave Olympic Weightlifting behind.