Olympic-Style Weightlifting

Olympic-Style Weightlifting (or "Weightlifting", as the sport is called in the Olympic Games) is the oldest and most universally practiced sport in the world involving barbells and tests of strength. Part of the Olympic Games at the inception of the modern Olympic Games in 1896, the Olympic Champions in Weightlifting have proudly earned the title of the Strongest Man an Woman in the World (and also the most powerful - power being a function of speed and strength). Weightlifting is the only sport involving weights in the Olympic Games.

In addition to being the strongest athletes in the world, overall, weightlifters must possess speed, coordination, flexibility and skill in order to perform their amazing feats. It is an unusually strong man who can lift his bodyweight overhead (a women lifting 60% of her bodyweight is just as rare).  Yet the very best weightlifters in the world have lifted more than 3 times their bodyweights overhead (women more than double their bodyweights).

Weightlifters often fail to receive the credit they deserve for the strength the develop. Because there are many bodyweight classes in weightlifting competition, and because the focus is on strength development of the entire body, weightlifters may not look anywhere near as strong as others who lift weights (e.g., bodybuilders like Arnold Schwarzenegger). But don't let their relatively normal looking muscles fool you, the power of those muscles is enormous, often much greater that athletes who look much bigger.

While natural strength is an asset, anyone can become much stronger than the strength level at which they began. It is not unusual for an athlete to improve his/her strength 3 to 5 times above what is was when the athlete began training. Therefore, there is an opportunity for everyone to improved dramatically with appropriate training.

Modern weightlifting requires skill as well as strength. The challenge of developing that skill makes the sport even more interesting as continuous improvement is possible over many years, and the challenge of improving ones technique adds much interest to ones workouts. One can truly have a good workout from a skill standpoint, even though he or she may not be particularly strong on that day.

It is virtually never to early or late to begin gradually progressive training. It has been said that anyone can run a marathon with training. Similarly, anyone can develop considerable strength with regular and proper training.

Olympic-Style Weightlifting, especially in the US,  has done more to eradicate drug use than any other sport. After many years of developing its drug testing program, today the USA Weightlifting (USAW) has the strictest possible urine tests performed on athletes at every major National event by an independent organization (USADA). There is also year round, unannounced, out-of-competition testing. Under this program, athletes can be tested at school, work, home or in the gym, with no notice. Such testing is expensive and inconvenient but our athletes and administrators accept this as the cost of keeping the sport clean.