Olympic Lifting in Dubai

There are many gyms in the UAE, some high-end, some not so expensive, some extremely commercial - but there are some gyms, which are rather few - that really focus on just quality training.

For the past three weeks, I have spent my Friday's going to a camp, Olympic Weight Lifting in Dubai, coached by Derrick Branford, an oly lifter himself. Personally, I really enjoyed the camp and have learnt a lot regarding the mechanics of the movement - as most of the time we focused on practicing with just the barbell. Warning: ehm ehm, expect a lot of bruises though, man enough?

Being new to doing regular Olympic weightlifting, literally about 6 weeks old, how much I can lift is not yet a major concern in particular, but rather get the movement. It doesn't hurt getting personal bests (PBs) every week though ;).

The nature of the sport requires a lot patience, timing, speed, power - and I would say, a bit of instinct, as well. We mainly focused on the Clean exercise and the different ways to progress to it, as well as the snatch, clean & jerk, and overhead squat.

I am the kind of person who would learn a lot from watching than being told how to do something, and what I like is how Derrick's coaching focuses on "animated" movements, if I may say - which I find helps me get the feel of how the bar should travel up your shins with patience, and then reach the upper thigh before exploding the hips for the pull, then the drop with the front squat (click on link above to see the movement.) Sometimes, it looks too easy and too fast, but once you're there and trying it - it's a whole new level.

There are honestly a lot of training centers in the UAE, and personal trainers - but I always appreciate working around people who are passionate at what they do - believe in it - and believe others can do it, too.

I may not, honestly, know much about the Olympics in the sense of history, competitors, how to get there - but I know I enjoy Olympic weightlifting, and after competing in crossfit next year, I will seriously consider the sport and pursue it to the fullest.

For those interested, Olympic Weight lifting camps will resume in November, I believe.

Yours Truly,
GymFreak @999fitness

p.s. This is my personal view and is not influenced by any factors.