Why You Should Start Olympic Weightlifting in 2023
Olympic Weightlifting is a sport that involves lifting a barbell loaded with weights over your head in two movements: the snatch and the clean and jerk. It is one of the oldest and most challenging sports in the world, and it has many benefits for your health, fitness and well-being.
Why you should start Olympic Weightlifting in 2023
- It improves your strength, power and speed. Olympic Weightlifting trains your whole body to generate force quickly and efficiently. It develops your muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones, making you stronger and more resilient. It also enhances your athletic performance in other sports and activities that require explosive movements, such as sprinting, jumping and throwing.
- It boosts your metabolism and burns calories. Olympic Weightlifting is a high-intensity exercise that raises your heart rate and oxygen consumption. It stimulates your metabolism and helps you burn more calories during and after your workout. It also increases your muscle mass, which means you burn more calories at rest. This can help you lose fat and maintain a healthy body weight.
- It challenges your mind and builds your confidence. Olympic Weightlifting is not only a physical sport, but also a mental one. It requires concentration, coordination, technique and discipline. It teaches you how to overcome fear, doubt and frustration. It also gives you a sense of accomplishment and pride when you lift a weight that you never thought possible. It boosts your self-esteem and confidence in yourself and your abilities.
- It’s fun and rewarding. Olympic Weightlifting is a sport that you can enjoy at any age and level of experience. You can train with a coach or a group of friends who share your passion and goals. You can compete with yourself or others in local, national or international events. You can also watch the best lifters in the world at the Olympics or other major competitions. You can learn from them and be inspired by them.
If you are looking for a new challenge and a way to improve your health, fitness and well-being, Olympic Weightlifting might be the perfect sport for you. You don’t need any special equipment or facilities to start, just a barbell, some weights and a safe space to lift. You can find a coach or a club near you who can teach you the basics and help you progress. You can also find online resources and communities that can support you along your journey.
Strength Director’s take
Having trained for and competed in Olympic Weightlifting, I can attest to all of the above from hands-on experience over the course of 2 years. Coming from a primarily powerlifting background it was challenging to transition to moving more dynamically; unlike powerlifting, weightlifting isn’t as straight forward as A > B. This however, made it more rewarding for me once I was able to move more efficiently, or understand a coaching cue.
Putting it all together is the most challenging yet satisfying part of Olympic Weightlifting from my personal experience; throw in the above benefits and you’ve got yourself a cocktail of goodness, which can absolutely change the course of your life. The only thing that slowed me down was a history of injury, so make sure you invest in a good coach, and don’t ignore the niggles!
Olympic Weightlifting is a sport that can change your life for the better. Why not give it a try in 2023? You might be surprised by what you can achieve.
Want to test-drive Olympic Weightlifting in Liverpool? Take advantage of our 2-week trial here.
