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weightlifting

 
Dictionary: weight·lift·ing   (wāt'lĭf'tĭng) pronunciation
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n.
The lifting of heavy weights in a prescribed manner as an exercise or in athletic competition.


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Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: weight lifting
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Sport in which barbells are lifted competitively or as an exercise. The two main events are (1) the snatch, in which the barbell is lifted from the floor to arm's length overhead in a single, continuous motion; and (2) the clean and jerk, in which it is lifted first to the shoulders and then, after a pause, to arm's length overhead. Contestants are divided into 10 body-weight categories ranging from flyweight to superheavyweight. Lifts may range to over 1,000 lbs (455 kg) in the heavyweight divisions. The origins of modern competition are to be found in 18th- and 19th-century strongman contests. The first three Olympic Games (1896, 1900, 1904) included weight lifting, as have all games after 1920.

For more information on weight lifting, visit Britannica.com.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: weight lifting
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weight lifting, international sport, also a training technique for athletes in other sports. From the earliest times men have lifted weights as a test of strength. Long popular as a competitive sport in Europe, Egypt, Turkey, and Japan, weight lifting became increasingly popular in the United States after 1900.

Weight classes govern competition, which is won by the lifter with the greatest total of weight for two standard lifts-the clean-and-jerk, in which the lifter hoists the bar temporarily to the shoulders, pauses, and then thrusts it overhead, and the snatch, in which the lifter squats, then draws the bar overhead in a single motion. These Olympic lifts require delicate technique as well as great strength. A world championship for women was first held in 1987, and female lifters competed in the Olympics for the first time in 2000.

In recent decades, the use of illegal strength-building drugs-anabolic steroids-by some competitors has marred the sport's reputation. Their use is also widespread among power lifters who compete in a less technically demanding variation in which the dead lift, bench press, and squat determine weight totals. Bodybuilders, although not competitive lifters, rely almost solely upon weight training to shape their bodies. The number of women bodybuilders, like women weight lifters, rose dramatically in the late 20th cent.

Wikipedia: Olympic weightlifting
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This article is about the sport of weightlifting. For the muscle-building activity involving weights, see weight training. For using weights to develop physique, see bodybuilding.
Greek commemorative coin featuring modern and ancient weightlifting (latter picture taken from Grecian vase).

Olympic weightlifting, also called Olympic-style weightlifting or weightlifting, is a sport in which participants attempt a maximum weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates.

The two lifts competed are the clean and jerk and the snatch. Clean and press was another weightlifting technique, discontinued due to difficulties in judging proper form.

The compound word "weightlifting" is also often used to refer to weight training.

In comparison with powerlifting which tests limit strength (with or without lifting aids), weightlifting tests ballistic limits (explosive strength) with smaller weights, such that the lifts must be executed faster and with more mobility, because of a greater range of motion during the lifts. However, parts of the lift, especially in the clean and jerk, do test for absolute strength, as power is not an issue in executing that part of the lift.

While there are relatively few competitive Olympic lifters, the lifts and their components are commonly used by elite athletes to train for explosive and functional strength.

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Competition

The competitive sport is controlled by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF). Based in Budapest, it was founded in 1905.

Competitors compete in one of eight (seven for women) divisions determined by their body mass. These classes are: men's: 56 kg (123 lb), 62 kg (137 lb), 69 kg (152 lb), 77 kg (170 lb), 85 kg (187 lb), 94 kg (207 lb), 105 kg (231 lb), and over 105 kg; and women's: 48 kg (106 lb), 53 kg (117 lb), 58 kg (128 lb), 63 kg (139 lb), 69 kg (152 lb), 75 kg (165 lb), and over 75 kg.[1] In each weight division, competitors compete in both the snatch and clean and jerk, and prizes are usually given for the heaviest weights lifted in the snatch, clean and jerk, and the two combined.

The order of the competition is up to the lifters – the competitor who chooses to attempt the lowest weight goes first. If they are unsuccessful at that weight, they have the option of reattempting that lift or trying a heavier weight later (after any other competitors have made attempts at that weight or any intermediate weights). Weights are set in 1 kilogram increments and each lifter can have a maximum of three lifts, regardless of whether lifts are successful or not.[1]

The title "best lifter" is commonly awarded at local competitions. The award is based on the lifters' Sinclair Coefficients, which calculate strength-to-weight ratio of the lifters.[2] Typically, the winner of the heaviest weight class will have lifted the most weight, but a lifter in a lighter weight class will have lifted more in proportion to his bodyweight.

References

  1. ^ a b "IWF Technical and Competition Rules" (PDF). International Weightlifting Federation. http://www.iwf.net/doc/Technical&CompRules2009-2012.pdf. Retrieved 2009-08-10. 
  2. ^ "The Sinclair Coefficients for the Olympiad". International Weightlifting Federation. http://www.iwf.net/iwf/weightlifting_sport/sinclair.php. Retrieved 2009-07-24. 

See also

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Olympic weightlifting
Search Wiktionary Look up olympic weightlifting in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Translations: Weightlifting
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - vægtløfting

Nederlands (Dutch)
gewichtheffen

Français (French)
n. - haltérophilie

Deutsch (German)
n. - Gewichtheben

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (αθλητ.) άρση βαρών

Italiano (Italian)
sollevamento pesi

Português (Portuguese)
n. - levantamento de pesos (m)

Русский (Russian)
тяжелая атлетика

Español (Spanish)
n. - levantamiento de pesas

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - tyngdlyftning

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
举重

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 舉重

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 역도

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 重量挙げ

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) رفع الأثقال‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮הרמת-משקולות‬

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Olympic weightlifting".  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more