How many of you think that we are only capable of lifting weights that are lower than our body weight?
Well, you're about to get a surprise as we introduce you to the world of weightlifting, where individuals who weigh less than 100kg can successfully lift weights that are double or triple of their original body weight.
In this article, we will learn about the various weight classes and basic rules of weightlifting.
Brief History of Weightlifting In the Olympic Games
Weightlifting is one of the pioneer sports events introduced since the first modern Olympic Games started in 1896.
Back then, it was only an exclusive sport for male athletes. During the 1896 Games, there were only two contested events: One hand lift and two hand lift. Every athlete competed in the same event regardless of their weight.
The weightlifting event made a comeback 8 years later in the 1904 Summer Olympics in Missouri featuring two events: Two hand lift and all-around dumbell.
It was not until the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp that weightlifting was revamped to have several clear weight divisions and classes. On the other hand, women's weightlifting was only introduced during the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics.
The standard of the weight class has undergone several changes over the years. For the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, the following weight limits were used for the men's weightlifting event:
- Bantamweight [-61kg]
- Featherweight [61kg to 67 kg]
- Lightweight [67kg to 73kg]
- Middleweight [73kg to 81kg]
- Middle heavyweight [81kg to 96kg]
- Heavyweight [96kg to 109kg]
- Super heavyweight [+109kg]
Photo by Victor Freitas on Unsplash
For the women's weightlifting event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, there were also seven weight class divisions:
- 49 kg
- 55 kg
- 59 kg
- 64 kg
- 76 kg
- 87 kg
- +87 kg
Weight Class For Male and Female Athletes 2024 Paris Summer Olympics
In 2022, the International Olympic Council (IOC) announced that they would reduce the athlete quota for weightlifting. In the previous Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, the quota was only 196 and it will be reduced to 120 for the upcoming Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
As opposed to the 7-weight division during the Tokyo Summer Olympics for both genders, 4 weight divisions (2 respectively) will be removed, leaving five weight divisions to be contested.
That said, weight divisions play a pivotal role in ensuring that the whole competition proceeds smoothly. If you remember what we mentioned earlier, everyone competed in the same event, whether 67kg or 97 kg.
First and foremost, having clear-cut weight classes allow fair competition and diversity among athletes when they compete against others of similar body sizes. There's no need to worry about the concept of advantage or disadvantage over the athlete's original weight. Everyone gets a chance to prove their strength and excel in this sport despite having different weight classes.
Not only that, it also contributes to the athletes' safety when they are lifting the weights. By staying in their weight class category, they are less likely to attempt weights beyond their capabilities to win. For instance, they only need to compete with those in the same weight class for the maximum lifted weight.
Last but not least, these weight divisions allow athletes to optimise their weightlifting performance. They get to choose a weight class that fits them and slowly adjust their training for muscle mass and body composition to achieve their desired results.
Altogether there will be these new five weight classes for men's weightlifting:
- 61kg
- 73kg
- 89kg
- 102kg
- +102kg
Similarly, there are also five weight classes for women's weightlifting:
- 49kg
- 59kg
- 71kg
- 81kg
- +81kg
Discover these simple tips to master weightlifting consistently.
Rules For Snatch Weightlifting and Clean and Jerk Weightlifting
For each weight division, each athlete will compete in two lifts: snatch as well as clean and jerk. The snatch event will take place before the clean-and-jerk event.
The snatch event and clean-and-jerk event weightlifting format was introduced in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
The first lift that athletes need to do is the snatch. They need to lift the barbell from the ground right to overhead (as high as possible) in one continuous position.
What the athletes will do during the opening stage is to make sure they get their form right. They will stand shoulder width, bend down and have a wide grip on the barbell so that it can facilitate a strong shoulder mobility.
They will then do what we call a "hook grip" where they put their thumbs over the bar and their hands over the thumbs. That way, the barbell won't slip out as they're lifting. Next, they will gradually put their butt down with their chest facing upwards while ensuring a flat back (to prevent injury).
They then move on to the pulling process. Remember, it's pulling the legs and not the arms to gather the right force and speed once they get pass the knees. The force will then help them to receive the barbell upwards. Then they need to stand up and hold the weight uphead.
The second lift that athletes will go through is the clean and jerk event. They will lift the barbell in two different movements : clean and jerk.
This time around for the clean movement, instead of a wide grip on the barbell, they will go for a narrower grip so that they can turn their arms out more — and getting their elbows in an upward and comfortable position to rest on the shoulders.
Image by katemangostar on Freepik
Similarly to the snatch, they will have a hook grip and pull the weight with their legs. They then lift the weight up the knees and swing the bar in close, leading the bar to rest comfortably on their shoulders. During this stage, it's normal to have a squat and slowly lift up the bar on a resting position.
Right now, it's the jerk movement. Some athletes opt for the split jerk technique where they have a jump and push their legs overhead into a split, and take small sturdy steps until the body achieves balance. On the other hand, there are athletes who prefer the power jerk technique and just lift the weight overhead (behind and not forward).
Every competition athlete will be given three snatch attempts and three clean-and-jerk attempts. Their best attempt for these two events will then be added. The ultimate winners will be selected based on the highest weight combination.
So what happens when a few athletes have the same lifted weight combination? This is where the weight comes in. The athlete with a less bodyweight will be declared as the winner.
If a similar scenario happens where two athletes with the same bodyweight have the same lifted weight combination, the judges will then look at who requires less attempt to lift the weight.
During the competition, athletes will be given one minute to lift the barbell as soon as their names are called. Once they have successfully lift the barbell the first attempt, they can proceed to increase the weight during the next attempt. They need to hold the barbell until they hear the buzzer.
If you're interested to master weightlifting as a beginner, make sure you are guided on the right way to use the equipment for competitive weightlifting.
Amazing Male and Female Weightlifting Athletes and Their Records
As we talked about the rules of snatch and clean and jerk, we certainly cannot miss out the weighlifting athletes who have left their mark in the sport.
Here are two examples:
The Pocket Hercules — Naim Süleymanoğlu [Turkey]
Born in 1967, Naim was a three time Olympic gold medallist, having won the gold medals during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, 1992 Barcelona Olympics and 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
He became well known for his 190kg clean-and jerk lift during the final round of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, which was nearly three times his body weight (60kg), setting a whole new world record of 342.5 kg.
Regarded as one of the greatest weightlifers of all time, he sadly passed away in 2017 at the age of 50.
Triple Olympic Charm — Jang Mi Ran [South Korea]
Born in 1983, Jang was also a three time Olympic medallist, having won the gold, silver and bronze medal in three different Olympics.
During the 2004 Athens Olympics, she won the silver medal, followed by the gold medal in 2008 Beijing Olympics and the bronze medal during the 2012 London Olympics for the +75kg weight class.
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she created a new world record by lifting 140kg for the snatch, sealing her final victory with a final weight combination of 326kg.
Currently, Jang is a professor in physical education, teaching in Yong In University.
Review some of these benefits that you can enjoy once you have mastered weightlifting.
Improve Your Weightlifting Records With A Private Tutor/Coach
You know this fact by now, competitive weightlifting is no joke. Can you imagine lifting weights twice of even thrice your original body weight?
Well, some athletes have proved that it's possible. That said, their success is certainly not a result of solo effort when it comes to setting the amount of practice to strengthen their muscles and build their mental resilience to lift different weight.
They'll need an experienced and dedicated tutor/coach to guide them through, whether it's providing personalised training regimen or offering feedback on the right weightlifting techniques.
Image by pressfoto on Freepik
If you are looking to improve your weightlifting records, we highly recommend you to find an experienced weightlifting tutor/coach via Superprof.
Superprof is a reliable tutoring platform that directs you to a wide selection of tutors from different cities in Malaysia. In just a few easy steps, you can find the perfect tutor based on your preferred location, teaching methodology, teaching qualification and hourly rates.
To kickstart your tutor-hunting journey, head to the Superprof Malaysia homepage and start browsing. Private tutoring with Superprof is super efficient and flexible too. You can have an overview on how to master weightlifting at your own pace.
We hope this article has enlightened you on the beautiful dynamics of Olympic weighlifting. It's certainly more than a demonstration of strength but a wonderful celebration of techniques and the art of persistence.
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