THE SPORT OF WEIGHTLIFTING
Olympic weightlifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting, often simply referred to as weightlifting, is a sport in which the athlete attempts a maximum-weight single lift of a barbell loaded with weight plates.
In comparison with other strength sports, which test limit strength, weightlifting tests aspects of human ballistic limits (explosive strength); the lifts are therefore executed faster—and with more mobility and a greater range of motion during their execution—than other strength movements. The lifts performed in the sport of weightlifting are the snatch and clean & jerk, however, their component lifts (e.g. squats, deadlifts, presses), are commonly used by elite athletes in other sports to train for both explosive and functional strength.
THE SNATCH
The barbell is placed horizontally in front of the lifter’s legs. It is gripped, palms downwards, and pulled in a single movement from the platform to the full extent of both arms above the head, while either splitting or bending the legs.
During this continuous movement, the barbell may slide along the thighs and the lap. No part of the body other than the feet may touch the platform during the execution of the lift. The weight, which has been lifted, must be maintained in the final motionless position, arms and legs extended, the feet on the same line, until the Referees give the signal to replace the barbell on the platform. The lifter may recover in his or her own time, either from a split or a squat position, and finish with the feet on the same line, parallel to the plane of the trunk and the barbell. The Referees give the signal to lower the barbell as soon as the lifter becomes motionless in all parts of the body.
- International Weightlifting Federation, 2020
THE CLEAN AND JERK
The Clean
The barbell is placed horizontally in front of the lifter’s legs. It is gripped, palms downwards, and pulled in a single movement from the platform to the shoulders, while either splitting or bending the legs. During this continuous movement, the barbell may slide along the thighs and the lap. The barbell must not touch the chest before the final position. It then rests on the clavicles or on the chest above the nipples or on the arms fully bent. The feet return to the same line, legs straight before performing the Jerk. The lifter may make this recovery in his or her own time and finish with the feet on the same line, parallel to the plane of the trunk and the barbell.
The Jerk
The athlete bends the legs and extends them as well as the arms to bring the barbell to the full stretch of the arms vertically extended. He or she returns the feet to the same line; arms and legs fully extended and waits for the referees’ signal to replace the barbell on the platform. The Referees give the signal to lower the barbell as soon as the lifter becomes motionless in all parts of the body.
- International Weightlifting Federation, 2020
