There’s hype everywhere about Olympic weightlifting, I don’t blame you, I’m excited as well. Here’s what you need to know if you want to give it a go.

The Two Major Lifts contested in the sport of Olympic Weight Lifting are the Snatch and The Clean and Jerk

The Snatch

The objective of the snatch is to lift the barbell from the ground to overhead in one continuous motion.

There are four main Styles of the Snatch used

• THE SQUAT SNATCH – The lifter lifts the barbell overhead and pulls themselves under into a squat position keeping the barbell overhead arms extended, the lifter stands up
• THE SPLIT SQUAT – Similar to the Squat Snatch, the lifter lifts the barbell overhead pulling themselves under with one foot in front and the other behind

These are the two most common styles used during a competition

• POWER SNATCH – The lifter lifts the barbell overhead with only a slight bend in the hips and knees
• MUSCLE SNATCH – In the Muscle Snatch the lifter lifts the barbell overhead, arms locked out and the hip and knee fully extended

These two techniques are mainly used for Training purposes

The Clean and Jerk

This is the second main Lift contested in the Sport of Olympic Weight Lifting

• The Clean – To execute the Clean the lifter must grasp the barbell just outside the legs (typically using a hook grip). The barbell is lifted from the ground and once at the knees, the lifter extends the arms explosively raising the barbell as high as possible before quickly dropping into a Squat and receiving the barbell in the Front Racked Position (against the neck and resting on the shoulders)
• The Jerk – The Jerk begins where the clean ended. Front Rack Position, the lifter dips a little by bending at the knees, keeping the back vertical, then explosively extends the knees lifting the barbell upwards off the shoulders and then quickly dropping under the barbell by pushing upwards with their arms and splitting the legs into the lunge position. Once the bar is received overhead on straight arms and once stable, the lifter will recover from the split position bringing the legs back into the same plane as the rest of the body

Here are some Tips to help you become better at Olympic Weight Lifting

• Use your Hips More – By utilizing your hips by fully extending them will help with the whole flow of the movement
• Squat More – Front Squat is an important exercise to master to help with your lifts by not only increasing leg strength, but also increasing confidence using the barbell
• Keep The Barbell Close – You want the barbell to make contact with your thighs, brush past your top - this helps with overall balance and may be why you are having trouble going up in weight
• Focus and remain consistent with technique – this is very important – you can’t cut corners here – learning the correct technique keeps you safe from injury. Consistency is important every time you lift.
• Do Your lifts often – Although assistant lifts are important they are a means to an end, so it is important to try do your lifts as often as you can, as this will improve confidence and progress will be made
• Seek Expert Guidance – Practice does not make perfect. Perfect Practice makes perfect. Guidance from an expert early on in your training can teach you good habits, plus the added bonus of having someone push you in the right direction.