What to know about Olympic Weight Lifting Trend

Have you ever asked yourself about Olympic weight lifting and what equipment is a must.? If you have no idea, here are some of the things to know about it.

First of all, Olympic weight lifting is a sport where competitors tries to lift some of the weights which are normally mounted on the barbells. This type of sport normally consists of two main lifts:

The Snatch

The barbell is usually lifted right from the floor to a certain overhead position in a single motion.

Clean and Jerk

It consists of two main stages. The 1st stage is known as the clean stage. Actually, it is a lift whereby the barbell is normally picked right from the floor and then it is placed on the athlete’s shoulders in a single motion. After a short pause, the athlete should go to the 2nd stage. In this stage, the athlete will have to lift the barbell into an overhead position at the same time placing his/her legs specifically in a lunge position.

Olympic weight lifting rules

In this particular sport, each and every athlete is given 3 attempts basically at each and every selected weight for each and every lift. There are three referees judging the lift. If in case the lift is seen to be successful, the referee will immediately hit a button(white) and there is a white light which is normally turned on. This indicates the lift to be successful. In that case, the weight is recorded.

On the other side, if in case the lift is recorded to be unsuccessful in the process or in other case deemed invalid, the referee will have to hit the button(red) and a red button normally turns off. The maximum recorded score for each and every lift is the recommended one that is used as the actual official weight specifically for the lift.

After the highest weight has been recorded for each and every lift, the recorded total weight which was recorded in the snatch is then combined with the total weight which was lifted in Clean and Jerk. Once all that process is over, the lifter having the highest recorded weight lifted is declared the champion.

Equipment

The core of Olympic lifting is a good Olympic weight set. It includes the following:

The Barbell 

This equipment consists mainly of a certain steel bar which has different rubber- coated weights which are shaped in a disc form fastened onto it. Normally, in weight lifting competitions, the competitors should lift the barbell which is piled to a certain weight and more so under strictly and specified conditions.

Collar

It is a metal cylinder weighing 2.5 kg each that usually plays a role of securing the weights in place.

Cylindrical Weight Plates or Bumpers

It is actually an individual type of cylindrical weight plate that is on the bar. To add on that, the discs basically goes from about .5kg to 25kg. Therefore, the bar is normally loaded with similar weight amount of plates on both sides hence it adds to total weight which was chosen by the attempting athlete for that particular lifting attempt.

Weight belt

It is a belt having a width of about 120mm.It is normally purposely to provide support to the trunk.

Lifting shoes

Olympic Lifting Shoes are the key to success in this sport. Great shoes gives the user a strong base, which is a must when you are lifting large weight.

Misc Items

Have additional training and support items will ensure that you get the most from the sport. Some of these items include, Knee and wrist support, an Adjustable Weight Bench,  Chalk and Proper Mats for you floors.

The sport continues to gain momentum and is one of the hide trends that is growing in popularity, so give it a try.