Weightlifting

Weightlifting is a well-known Olympic sport. In this type of sport the main objective is to lift a bar from the ground to pass over the head. Athletes who practice this type of sport are called halterophiles. It includes great mental and physical strength from athletes who practice it, a lot of technique, speed and precision. The body must be trained in a functional way to achieve movements with an explosive force that helps them lift large amounts of weight with an excellent technique.

Accessories

Rings, bar and discs

What is weightlifting?

Weightlifting is a sport that consists of lifting as much weight as possible on a bar at the ends of which several discs or weights are attached, which are the ones that determine the final weight to be lifted. This whole set is called barbell and needs mental and physical strength to do it.

History of weightlifting

Giving an answer to the question of when man began to practice weightlifting is almost impossible to provide, because weightlifting is as ancient as mankind. It is considered that Hellenic people, in their sporting splendor, regulated the first exercises with weights, although many evidences have been found that prove that ancient peoples like Chinese and Sumerians also practiced this sport in the same way since several centuries ago. It developed more boom in Europe during the nineteenth century and in 1905 was created the International Federation of Weightlifting, which is the entity responsible for regulating the sport. Weightlifting was incorporated into Olympic sports in 1896, in Athens Olympians, and in 1904 in Saint Louis. During 1908 it stopped being practiced but was again reintroduced in the 1920 during the Antwerp Games. Women’s category entered the program of Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Weightlifting exercises

• Snatch: This is the first exercise given in the competition. The person must raise the bar from the position on the floor above the head with a full arm extension while doing a squat, all in a single movement. It is considered to be the most technical exercise of the entire competition. The bar is placed in front of the lifter who must hold it with his hands in a pronation position and lift it off the ground in one movement.
• Two times: This exercise consists in the lifter first lifting the bar from the floor to the shoulders while at the same time doing a squat and then recovering to reach the standing position. After this step, you must perform a leg flexion by pushing the bar over your head, which is popularly known as Jerk, then place your feet in a parallel position and lower the bar to the ground again. It may also be possible to place your feet in different planes and keep your legs flexed throughout the exercise.

Weightlifting training

Weightlifting training primarily seeks to work and increase athlete’s physical and mental strength, as well as speed and weightlifting technique. To train strength, the athlete must do a strength routine based primarily on low repetition compound exercises with large breaks in order to move the greatest amount of weight in each repetition and series. Training should focus on the grip as it is key to lifting weights correctly, with a good grip can mobilize a greater weight.

Categories

There are two types of categories in this sport and are male and female and these, at the same time, are divided into other types depending on the participants’ weight. Male category has 8 different types: 56 kg, 62 kg, 69 kg, 77 kg, 85 kg, 94 kg, 105 kg and more than 105 kg; and female category has 7 different types: 48 kg, 53 kg, 58 kg, 63 kg, 69 kg, 75 kg and more than 75 kg.

Material to practice weightlifting

• The shoes are usually made of leather and have a flat heel to provide greater stability to the person who wears them.
• The jersey can be one or two pieces, but it has to be well adjusted to the body and cannot cover the elbows or knees.
• Kneepads are very important because they are responsible for preventing any possible injury and gives protection to the knees.
• The belt or girdle can be used to avoid overloading the back.
• Wristbands to protect wrists.
• Kneepads are used to prevent injuries.
• Magnesium powder is spread on parts of the body, mainly on hands and shoulders to avoid friction.