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Tests of power and strength are recorded throughout history. There have been records of weightlifting in Ancient Egypt, China, and Greece. In modern days, there is a large range of sports in which competitors attempt to lift, carry or throw heavy weights.

Weight lifting is used in fitness training by many sportspeople to improve muscle strength, and many of the lifts used in training have been adapted for competition.

Weightlifting made its first Olympic appearance at the 1896 games, including an event called the "One-Hand Lift". Olympic weightlifting is now one of the most popular Olympic sports, with events for both men and women in many weight categories. Olympic weightlifting includes two lifts, the clean and jerk and the snatch.

The weight training lifts of bench press, deadlift and squat exercise form the basis of the sport of powerlifting. Another weightlifting sport, kettlebell lifting, evolved from a training exercise in Russia to become an emerging worldwide sport.

There are also many traditional weightlifting sports that are still found today. You might find strongman events of the Stone Lift or Carry and Weight Throw.

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Weight Lifting Sports

• Olympic Weightlifting — competitors attempt to lift weights mounted on barbells to above the head.
• Power Lifting — tests of strength on three lifts: dead lift, bench press and squat.
• Weight Throw — a family of heavy weight throwing events, in which the objective is to either throw the weight as far as possible or as high as possible.
• Strongman — a sport that tests competitors' strength in a variety of different events.
• Hammer throw — an Olympic track and field event in which a heavy weight at the end of a wire is thrown for distance.
• Stone Lift or Carry — involves moving stones as a test of strength.
• Bodybuilding — participants show their developed muscular build through poses, and are judged based on muscularity, conditioning, and symmetry.
• Kettlebell Lifting — a weight lifting sport performed with kettlebells, which are heavy weights that resemble a cannonball with a handle.

Other Related Sports

• Crossfit — a strength and conditioning program involving short but high-intensity workouts comprised of functional exercises.

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Related Pages

• More about the sport of weightlifting
• Weightlifting at the Olympics
• Who is the Strongest Man in the World? Comparing performances of strength athletes.
• Powerlifting vs. Bodybuilding — What makes the competition different?
• Complete list of sports