What is Weightlifting?

Weightlifting is a sport where athletes compete to lift the most weight over their head.  The two competition lifts, are the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk.  Each athlete has three attempts at the Snatch and another three attempts at the Clean & Jerk.  The best weight lifted in each is combined to derive your Total. 

Athletes are divided into weight classes to allow for fair competition.  The weight classes are as follows:

Men (in kg) – 56, 62, 69, 77, 85, 94, 105, and 105+.

Women (in kg) – 48, 53, 58, 63, 69, 75, and 75+

Athletes are ranked in their weight class based on their total.  In the event two people have the same total, the winner is the person who weighs the least.  In the rare event there is a tie in bodyweight as well, the winner is the person with the lower Lot Number.  A Lot Number is a randomly generated number assigned to each lifter to determine the order in which the athletes lift in the competition.

Athletes are also divided into age groups.  The groups are Juniors (20 and under), Seniors (over 20) and Masters (35 and over).  Masters are divided into further age groups for every five years (35-39, 40-44, 45-49, and so on). 

Why Become a Weightlifter?

Even if you do not wish to compete, training as a weightlifter will boost your overall athletic ability.  Weightlifting movements train people to be quicker, stronger, more powerful, more flexible, more coordinated, and more balanced.  All these components are needed by any athlete.  For these reasons, many pro athletes will use Olympic style weightlifting exercises over bodybuilding exercises to enhance their performance for their given sport.

Becoming a member of the AWA enables you receive quality coaching from certified coaches.  You would normally be paying up to $60/hour or more for a personal trainer who would not be able to give you the results of a certified weightlifting coach.  The majority of our coaches provide free coaching on a volunteer basis if you are a member of their club.  Club memberships range from $10-$30/month.  Weightlifters also receive competition travel subsidies based on the level they qualify at.

Pyrros Dimas,

Three time Olympic Gold Medalist