Elevated platforms in OLY lifting

[Joe Hart]

What is the benefit of the plaform type towers that you see in some of the Oly gyms. The ones that look like they should be squat stands that have a platform for the plates rather than hooks for the bar. I could see using them so you don't wear spots into a good oly bar, but is there another purpose for them?

[Elliot Royce]

I've seen what I think are similar things in a gym I visited in Germany. From what I could see of what people were doing: If it's pretty high, then you can jerk and drop the weight onto the elevated platform. If it's a bit lower, then you can snatch from the platform. With squat racks you're not going to snatch from them or drop a weight into them.

[Don Stevenson]

If you want to work specifically on jerks you've got three main options

1. Jerk from racks and lower the weight yourself which can get hairy when you get north of 85% of your best jerk.

2. Jerk from racks and get lower downs from 2 training partners who are both A. roughly your height, B. Strongish, C. reliable and trustworthy

3. High jerk boxes that let you drop the bar from the overhead position and allow you to do repeated jerks without the need to reclean each time.

In our gym we use option 2 but repeated 95% jerks are going to count as one of my least favourite exercises to spot or be spotted on. One slip, one miscommunication and the lifter can cop it badly. Snatch balance is perhaps even worse and i've been the victim of some doffus turning away to answer his phone and dropping the bar on me that way.