Olympic Weightlifting, or Olympic-style
weightlifting (officially named Weightlifting), is a sport in which
athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the
ground to overhead, with each athlete vying to successfully lift the
heaviest weights. Athletes compete in two specific ways of lifting the
barbell overhead: these are the snatch and the clean and jerk. The snatch
is a wide-grip lift, in which the weighted barbell is lifted overhead in
one motion. The clean and jerk is a combination lift, in which the weight
is first taken from the ground to the front of the shoulders (the clean),
and then from the shoulders to overhead (the jerk). The clean and press,
wherein a clean was followed by an overhead press, was formerly also a
competition lift, but was discontinued due to difficulties in judging
proper form.
Each weightlifter gets three attempts at both the snatch and the clean and
jerk, with the snatch attempts being done first. An athlete's score is the
combined total of the highest successfully-lifted weight in kilograms for
each lift. Athletes compete in various weight classes, which are different
for each sex and have changed over time. Lifters who fail to successfully
complete at least one snatch and at least one clean and jerk fail to
total, and receive an "incomplete" entry for the competition.
Weightlifting is an olympic sport, and has been contested in every Summer
Olympic Games since 1920. Whilst the sport is officially named
"weightlifting", the terms "olympic weightlifting" and "olympic-style
weightlifting" are often used to distinguish it from the other sports and
events that involve the lifting of weights, such as powerlifting, weight
training, and strongman events. Similarly, the snatch and clean-and-jerk
are known as the "olympic lifts". While other strength sports test limit
strength, olympic-style weightlifting also tests aspects of human
ballistic limits (explosive strength): the olympic lifts are executed
faster, and with more mobility and a greater range of motion during their
execution, than other barbell lifts. The olympic lifts, and their
component lifts (e.g., cleans, squats) and their variations (e.g., power
snatch, power clean) are used by elite athletes in other sports to train
for both explosive and functional strength.
It's never too late to learn weightlifting! The best way to get started is to find a barbell club near you and sign up for their introductory class to try it out. Good luck and have fun!