Weightlifting's a breeze for Great Britain's Olympic hope Michaela

Last Modified: 23 Jul 2008
By: Guest blogger

Michaela Breeze, Team GBs only female weightlifter at the Beijing Olympics, blogs about what weightlifting competitions involve.

Well, I've been asked by Channel 4 News to write a blog and to share with you all some of my thoughts and experiences of the Olympic Games this summer in Beijing.

What an honour, first of all, to be representing Team GB on the biggest sporting stage in the world. I only found out just over a week ago that I had a place on the team, so as you can imagine it's been a rather hectic week trying to organise everything and get myself on track for what promises to be a great event.

I obviously can't share much with you so far as I am yet to fly to China. My departure date is 30 July - so not long to go. Let me first of all explain a little about my sport.

The sport weightlifting is one of the few original Olympic sports and is made up of two lifts.

The "snatch" is where the bar is moved from the floor, directly overhead in one continuous movement. The grip on the bar for this lift is hands wide (about two shoulder widths).

The lifter drives the bar from the floor using the legs and receives it in a deep squat position overhead before standing up with the weight.

The lifter must then wait a couple of seconds before being given the "down" signal by the referees.

The seconds of the lifts is the "clean and jerk". Here the grip is shoulder width and the bar is driven by the legs from the floor to the shoulders, where the lifter again receives the bar in a deep squat position with elbows high and the bar resting across their shoulder.

The lifter stands up with the weight and momentarily stands still before dipping, driving and splitting the legs, receiving the bar overhead at arms length. Both feet must then be brought back in line before being given the down signal.

A few rules about weightlifting

The bar must move to arms length in one continuous movement, the elbows must stay locked, any bending will result in the lift being failed.
Only the feet are to be in contact with the platform.
Weightlifting shoes have a built up heel to help you sit in a deep squat position.
Lifter must wear an all in one lifting suit which does not cover the elbows or knees.
Knee supports can be worn but there should be a visible gap between leotard and knee supports.
A weightlifting belt must not exceed 12cm in thickness.
There are three referees in weightlifting, and for a lift to be successful the lifters must get a majority decision.

If you fancy a go at weightlifting then learn the technique before attempting heavy weights!