Weightlifting or Olympic athletics is one of the oldest strength sports out there. Although what we know today as weightlifting began to be regulated in the 19th century, weightlifting as a show of strength dates back to classical Greece.
Although the sport has always been a minority, lately, it has gained popularity thanks to CrossFit disciplines. This article tells you what this sport consists of and what benefits it can bring to the body.
Table of Contents
What Is Weightlifting
Weightlifting is a strength sport in which an athlete stands next to a bar with discs on each side. This bar should be raised above the athlete’s head; This set, made up of the bar and the athlete, is called a bar.
These exercises require monstrous whole-body strength and highly developed explosive strength, coordination, and flexibility. These lifters can lift a bar loaded by a multi-pound lifter in seconds overhead. This sport consists of two lifts:
Snatch or snatch :
This is an incredibly explosive move where, while holding the bar with a wide grip, you push the ground over your head in one motion. The lift requires the athlete to “crawl” under the bar at lightning speed after a strong pull. Once under the bar, you should do an overhead squat. The lift ends with the athlete fully seated and carrying the bar on top of him.
Two times or clean and jerk :
It is the sum of two movements. In this case, the first movement, the brush, lower the bar from the ground to the shoulders. After rotating the bar at the shoulders, a second movement begins, which is called a push and consists of a vertical push, in which the bar is moved from a previous position to an overhead position. Usually, a divided push is used, in which the scissor position is adopted, and the feet are collected so that they are completely vertical and with the bar on top.
What Are The Benefits Of Weightlifting
As we said, weightlifting is a sport that requires great strength, explosive strength, and mobility. Olympic athletes usually begin their journey at a young age, when they are still children. But this does not mean that none of us can start practising this sport, especially because of the enormous benefits it brings us in building a functional and healthy body.
In addition, these types of lifts are becoming popular in sports like CrossFit, which incorporate them into their training programs.
Strength Development
After a few months, if we start weightlifting, we will notice a spectacular increase in strength, especially in the lower body. Squats that were weighed before will now be converted to warm-up weights. This is due to the great participation of the quadriceps in each of the movements described.
Another area to tone and strengthen is the back. All movements other than the quadriceps will develop the back as it adapts to the training due to the deadlift with so much weight.
We cannot forget about the core because, with so many multi-joint exercises, this middle part of the body will stabilize the lift.
We must bear in mind that fast fibres dominate muscle development in this discipline, so while muscle growth is not very obvious at first, it is not the type of hypertrophy that makes you look overworked and bloated. It is functional and capable of hypertrophy. To create great force.
Development Of Flexibility And Mobility
These exercises require a lot of flexibility. This can be a weak point for many athletes, especially if they have participated in strength sports before and have a high muscle development level.
However, with proper exercise and patience, you can achieve more than acceptable flexibility. The areas where we need more flexibility are the ankle, hip, and upper back, including the shoulders and the rotator cuff.
Improvement At The Level Of The Nervous System
These exercises are high-tech and require deep learning that can take years. An athlete who is starting in this discipline must know that he will have to acquire knowledge about his own body, about which models make him move more efficiently and explosively.
All this helps us understand how we move and what gestures are beneficial when lifting weights, but above all, they help us avoid others who can harm us and harm us in the long run. By following these guidelines, with gradual progress and good technique, we can reap this discipline’s tremendous benefits.
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