The Use of Rack Work Exercise Versus Weight Lifting Movement Exercise for the Improvement of the Olympic Lift Total

The purpose of this study was to compare the amount of increase in the Olympic lift total, between one group of subjects using a rack work routine of exercises and another group of subjects using a weight lifting movement routine of exercises. From this comparison it could be decided which, if either, of the routines of exercising is significantly better for the improvement of the Olympic lifts total. Eighteen male high schoo1 students enrolled at Chanute Senior High School during the 1967-1968 school years were employed as subjects for this study. The subjects were those students enrolled in the weight lifting class at Chanute high school. The related group design was used to select two groups of subjects from the eighteen students employed in this study. Work out periods were conducted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 A.M. The Monday and Wednesday workouts were devoted to the specific exercise routines assigned to each group. The Friday work outs consisted of each subject lifting maximally, on the Olympic lifts, for a one repetition total. A six week experimental program was selected as this is the usual time a lifter allows in special preparation for a weight lifting contest. The statistical technique of analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and the t-test were used to analyze the data compiled in this study. The results showed a significant increase in the Olympic lift total for both the rack work group A and for the weight movement group B. From a consideration of these results it could be established that either of these exercise routines, that of weight movement and that of rack work exercises will significantly increase the lifters poundage in the Olympic lift total. The Null hypotheses must be accepted in this experiment because the t-test showed there was no significant difference between the means of increase of the two groups used in this study