Olympic Lifting for HEMA

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Research Corner

When you examine the physical demands of Olympic-fencing, you find that explosive leg power, rate of force development (RFD), and efficient change-of-direction (COD) are major differentiators between levels. For example, Determinants of Olympic Fencing Performance and Implications for Strength and Conditioning Training (Turner et al., 2014) found that lunging and COD speed are vital to fencing-performance and are underpinned by strength/power qualities.

Olympic lifting’s movements including the clean, jerk, and snatch (or their simpler variants like the power clean or high pull) are some of the most efficient ways to train those exact qualities.

Because of this, in some elite sports, time with a barbell doing olympic weightlifting movements is the norm. For instance, elite track athletes commonly include these movements in their strength training programs, despite that fact that on the surface running looks nothing like weightlifting. It’s become a part of their strength & conditioning culture, however. For athletes in some sports, however, it’s nearly unheard of, and even at the professional level you’ll only see athletes deadlift and squat. Why?

Quite simply, it often boils down to this: the clean, snatch, and jerk are skilled movements significantly more complex to learn how to do safely than the back squat & deadlift. Many athletes get far into their strength & conditioning and their sport without ever learning how to clean, snatch, or jerk, and therefore these movements never become a part of their toolbox.

It doesn’t mean every serious HEMA fencer needs to learn a full Olympic snatch tomorrow to develop power. It means that the principles of Olympic lifting (speed + strength + coordination) are worth learning from…although if you’re looking for inspiration in the gym, getting instruction in olympic weightlifting may be worth considering!

Turner A., James N., Dimitriou L., Greenhalgh A., Moody J., Fulcher D., Mias E., Kilduff L. (2014) J Strength Cond Res 28(10):3001–3011. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000478.

HEMA Hot Take:

There is a missing piece in many fencers’ conditioning programs. In fact it’s one of the most common things I add in when HEMAists who regularly go to the gym come to me for programming. If you’ve ever felt like your lunge is fast but opponents are often still sliiightly out of reach, or you have great endurance but you feel still stuck to the ground no matter how much footwork you do: it may be your power ceiling.

Power = Force × Velocity.
Many HEMAists spend too much time in the gym focusing on one of two things:

• Strength (slow, heavy gym work doing isolated movements to failure)

• Speed (light, high-rep footwork drills, and endless sprints and plyometrics)

Olympic lifting and its derivatives are powerful because they help bridge the gap between fast and strong. They aren’t the only option, but for those who know how to do them, they can be a secret weapon for deveoping power. They teach your body to produce maximum force in minimum time - which ultimately is exactly what a super-quick lunge or explosive footwork demands.

If you don’t know a clean from a snatch, however, don’t despair. You don’t need a barbell to start training for power. You just need to practice moving weight fast using whole-body techniques with good form and intent.

Coach’s Corner

Are you programming strength & conditioning sessions for yourself or your club and want to work on power? Start simple. Focus on movements that train speed under load, and scale them to your athletes’ experience and equipment available.

That might mean a weighted jump squat, a medicine-ball throw, or practicing explosive footwork with a weight vest and/or resistance bands. A kettlebell swing done explosively with good form is already an Olympic-lifting derivative, no barbbell required. I often post these types of exercises on social media (on purpose!) so be sure to follow me as well for additional ideas.

Example Progression:
1️⃣ bodyweight jumps like russian lunges, squat jumps, and sit-to-stand jumps
2️⃣ Add weight to #1 and introduce depth drop variations
3️⃣ Trap bar squat jumps and high pulls
4️⃣ Introduce olympic movements once technique is ready. Start with high cleans, clean-pulls and move on to power clean/snatches only once the athlete is confident and form is consistent.

Health & Fitness Tips

Many fencers worry Olympic lifting will “wreck their back” or “be too hard on the joints.” In reality, when coached properly, these lifts produce less joint stress per unit of power than grinding slow powerlifting-style reps. With olympic weightlifitng you’re teaching your body to move fast, not grind heavy.

If you have limited mobility or old injuries, use derivatives of olympic lifts like clean pulls, jump shrugs, or medicine-ball throws. You’ll get 90% of the benefit with almost no risk.

How these moves translate to fencing performance:

• Clean pulls build hip extension power → faster, stronger lunges.

• Split snatches mimic fencing’s staggered stance → better balance and postural control.

• Front squats reinforce upright posture → less back fatigue during long tournament weekends (or harnisfechten).

• Jump shrugs and loaded jumps improve RFD without complex technical demands.

Conditioning Move of the Week

Exploding Split Squats

Grab two dumbbells or kettlebells for this move - no weightlifting experience required!

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