Guides
Weightlifting
Olympic weightlifting, built around the snatch and the clean & jerk.
Weightlifting (the Olympic sport) contests two lifts: the snatch and the clean & jerk. Both move a barbell from the floor to overhead explosively, rewarding power and precise technique over raw grinding strength.
What matters most
- The two lifts: training revolves around the snatch, the clean & jerk, and their partial variations (pulls, cleans, jerks, overhead squats).
- Power, not just strength: force has to be produced fast. Rate of force development matters as much as maximal strength.
- Mobility: receiving a bar overhead or in a deep front rack demands ankle, hip, and shoulder range that itself has to be trained.
- Technical consistency: the lifts are skill-dense; frequent quality practice is part of the training, not separate from it.
This is a starting stub. See Neuromuscular for the speed-strength connection and Anatomy and Physiology for the structures involved.