The Sport of Weightlifting

Weightlifting or Olympic weightlifting is a strength sport which puts your explosive strength and power to the test, while also challenging mobility, coordination and concentration. As well as being its own sport, the training that is carried out by people for weightlifting is also used by all other strength and conditioning coaches to improve the fitness qualities of their athletes.

The sport is one of the seven disciplines that were present in the first Modern Olympic Games of 1896. Today the sport consists of two competition lifts, the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk, two barbell lifts which take the bar from the floor to overhead. The training necessary for developing the fitness aspects needed to perform these lifts involves carefully programmed weight training, which as mentioned can be used to develop the qualities of other athletes as well as improve the health and fitness of those who do not partake in a sport.

Weightlifting offers unrivaled power, speed, mobility, coordination, focus and total body strength and muscle development, even your cardiovascular conditioning. The training and the competition lifts develop your motor skills as well as your mind much more than other strength sports and weight training. Although weightlifting is a sport focused on strength, power and control, it can also help you to develop your physique when combined with a healthy diet due to the increase in lean muscle mass that you’d experience from weight training.

Despite there being an injury risk from all sport, weightlifting is actually considered to be one of the safest. Incidences of injury are very low due to the controlled nature of the lifts and careful coaching. The sport can also appeal to everyone as the competitions cover all age groups, and have many weight categories covering 55-109+kg for men and 45-87+kg for women, so it certainly doesn’t discriminate shape and size. So no matter who you are, your level of experience in the gym, or even whatever your sport you will be able to experience the amazing health benefits of weightlifting

International Federation:

International Weightlifting Federation (IWF): http://www.iwf.net/

European Federation:

European Weightlifting Federation (EWF): http://ewfed.com/

National Governing Body:

British Weight Lifting (BWL): http://britishweightlifting.org/

Snatch:

The snatch is the first of the two competition lifts, in which the bar is pulled from the ground to overhead in one powerful movement, ending in a full overhead squat! Of the two lifts this is the more technical and complex.

Clean and Jerk:

The clean and jerk, as the name suggests, comprises of 2 movements. It is the second of the weightlifting competition lifts. The clean portion takes the bar from the ground to the shoulders, and the jerk moves the bar to overhead.

Pictures and videos coming soon!

Competition Weight Categories:

The IWF accepted new competition weight categories on 5/7/18.

To fit in to the category your weight must be above that of the previous category and up to the weight of the category you wish to fit in to, so for example the women's 64kg category can be seen as 'up to' 64kg, and includes all weights from 59.01kg - 64kg. An athlete who weighed in at 64.01kg would be moved up to the 71kg category.

New Weight Categories

Women's Senior: 45kg, 49kg, 55kg, 59kg, 64kg, 71kg, 76kg, 81kg, 87kg, 87kg+

Women's Youth (U17): 40kg, 45kg, 49kg, 55kg, 59kg, 64kg, 71kg, 76kg, 81kg, 81kg+

Men's Senior: 55kg, 61kg, 67kg, 73kg, 81kg, 89kg, 96kg, 102kg, 109kg, 109kg+

Men's Youth (U17): 49kg, 55kg, 61kg, 67kg, 73kg, 81kg, 89kg, 96kg, 102kg, 102kg+

New Categories for the Olympic Games

Women's: 49kg, 55kg, 59kg, 64kg, 76kg, 87kg, 87kg+

Men's: 61kg, 67kg, 73kg, 81kg, 96kg, 109kg, 109kg+

This article about weightlifting is an on-going project, please let us know if there is anything you'd like added to it!