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Olympic Weightlifting

Olympic Weightlifting for Beginners

The first Olympic weight lifting competition was held in 1896. The clean and jerk along with the ‘snatch’ have been reported to be the fastest movements of the body in the whole of the Olympic games. It is without a doubt the ultimate test of self-confidence and ability.

The two movements are very specific and need years in perfecting the technique which has absolutely nothing to do with weightlifting in the gym or bodybuilding as these are completely unrelated. The only relationship between the two is the development of the core strength of an individual.

In the snatch, the weightlifter lifts the barbell from the floor to overhead in a single movement. In the clean & jerk, the weightlifter lifts the barbell first from the floor to the shoulders (the clean) and then from the shoulders to overhead (the jerk).

In most of the weightlifting competitions including the Olympics each weightlifter gets three attempts in the snatch and three attempts in the clean & jerk. The weight of the best of each lifts is added to create the weightlifter’s total, and the best total wins.

There are a few variations of the two primary lifts of the snatch and the clean and jerk. They are called the power snatch, power clean, power jerk, hang snatch, hang clean and more are often used by athletes to develop strength and explosiveness to improve performance in their sports.

If you are interested in dong Olympic weightlifting then you need to find a gym that specifically coaches for that and has the right equipment like a lifting platform etc. But finding a coach is important as Olympic weightlifting is all about technique and needs lots of practice.

There are also some DVD’s and books that you can find on the subject and they will explain how you can start by increasing your explosive strength which is what Olympic weightlifting is all about. It is the ability to generate the maximum amount of force that you can in the shortest possible time.

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