WHAT IS WEIGHTLIFTING?

You, or someone you know, have either gone to a gym or still go to a gym to work out a few times a week. They might do some cardio on the treadmill and in addition they might “lift weights” to build strength, but this is not what the rest of the world knows as “Weightlifting”. Lifting weights is what most people do at a gym when they have some sets of bicep curls and lunges. Weightlifting is an international sport done by people worldwide, and it is featured at the Summer Olympic Games.

So why is it so different?

Weightlifting as the modern version of the sport has come a long way from in many cultures throughout the world. For thousands of years in countries all over the world testing and developing strength was something men and women did quite regularly. Whether it was done to train for war, tend to farming or daily work, or even just to improve one’s body, the act of lifting heavy objects like stones, sandbags, or pushing sleds was for some a daily routine. Fast forward to the mid-1800s in Europe and the invention of the barbell comes about. The barbell was designed to be like an extended dumbbell which is two weights connected by a short handle. The barbell was the next evolution of that. With a longer and more sturdy bar a greater amount of weight could be lifted and greater outputs of strength could be demonstrated. This is how weightlifting came about. In 1891 the world weightlifting championships were featured in London. Five years later in 1896 the modern Olympic Games was established and this is where weightlifting was first featured at the Games. Once the 1920s came around it was a regularly featured sport in every Olympic Quad.

So how does the sport work?

From the 1920s up until 1972 there were 3 competition lifts. The lifts included the snatch, the clean and jerk, and the clean and press.

Snatch: the lifter must move the bar from the ground to over their head in one continuous movement

Clean and Jerk: The lifter must move the bar from the ground to the shoulder in one movement followed by a dip and thrust of the lower body to move the bar overhead

Clean and Press: similar to the clean and jerk only once the bar is at the shoulders the lifter must use ONLY the upper body to move the bar overhead, no leg drive is allowed.

In 1972 the clean and press was removed because it was deemed too hard to judge the lift due to the no leg drive rule.

Unfortunately, it took until 1987 for women’s weightlifting to become an international sport. Finally, in 2000, women’s Weightlifting was featured at the Olympics. Thankfully, since that point, many women have made a prominent name for themselves in the sport, and they were given the right to represent their countries proudly at the Olympic Games.

Competition

So, as we know it now, the sport of Weightlifting is the two lifts, the snatch and the clean and jerk. In a competition setting these lifts are performed by lifters all in one weight class. The classes change over the years but as it stands now there are 10 classes for men and 10 for women. During a competition, each lifter has 3 attempts to lift as much weight as possible. All of the lifters use the same competition bar on stage for their attempts while the amount of weight on the bar constantly goes up. In total, the lifter has 6 attempts total between the snatch and clean and jerk (I know it's kind of a low number, right?).

 Due to the maximal amount of weight being lifted it requires hundreds if not thousands of practicing attempts to lift weight over your head with such precision. Some of the best men and women in the world are lifting more than twice their body weight over their head. It is truly a spectacle to see. While the sport is just those two lifts during training many lifters use other lifts like the squat, bench, and deadlift and other bodybuilding like movements to increase their strength and power. Weightlifting is an amazing combination of all strength sports that is oddly graceful and athletic all at the same time. If you want to see it live this year in Pittsburgh you’re in luck! The annual USA Weightlifting Senior National Championships will be here in the Convention Center. Go check it out!

And if you’re interested in weightlifting, check out the PFP Barbell Club!