MAIN Recreation Sports Weight Lifting

Weight lifting was first recognized as an organized sport around one hundred years ago.

The two lifts regularly featured on televised weightlifting competitions, the the snatch and the clean and jerk, are far from the only lifts popular with body builders.

Powerlifting adds the squat, the bench press and the deadlift.

Powerlifting held it's first championships in the 1970s and continues to grow in popularity.

There are about 30 other lifts classed as "odd lifts", or all-around lifts, that are less well known. These odd lifts, banished from major competition, still attract many fans around the world...

More about weight lifting around the Web:

Exercise for Beginners - Strength Training - Learn the basics of lifting weights with step-by-step guides to getting started, choosing the best workouts, with more on proper nutrition, related videos.

Weight Lifting & Weight Training - Facts and information for novice and experienced weightlifters, including glossary of terms, FAQ, feature articles, event calendar, and an extensive directory of related resources.

O WOW! Olympic Weightlifting on the Web - And a lot more, with one-stop browsing for facts, records and data on U.S., Canadian, and European weightlifting, plus additional resources related to training, safety, tips, routines, equipment & video guides.

NASA Powerlifting - Rules, forums and lots of other information primarily focused on USA teams and weight lifters. Check the picture section for some nice shots showing form and strength - including one little girl from Ohio who looks smaller than the weights!

International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) - The organization that makes the rules and organizes international competitions, with probably the best information about technical aspects of the sport available online.

Canadian Powerlifting Union - Rules, current competition information and more on powerlifting in Canada with a good section on the basics of getting started in powerlifting.

also see -> Olympic Weightlifting