So You Want to Compete in Weightlifting

Jason Price, MS, CSCS, ATC, LAT, CPT, USAW Club Coach

Not too long ago Olympic Style Weightlifting was a bit of an oddity only giving exposure to the masses during the Olympic Games every four years and allowing us to marvel at the strength of the Eastern Europeans.  Now  go to any Sports Performance Complex or health club and no doubt you will see someone giving it their all trying the Olympic lifts or a variation of them.   Most people who are remotely familiar with resistance training know what a snatch, a clean and a jerk are; but some of these people want to take their training to the next level and find their way into a local Weightlifting competition.  When you are at a local competition these people are pretty easy to pick out and those of us who lift in these meets were all there at one time. 

So, I thought this would be a good article to write for anyone thinking of taking their lifting out of the gym, fitness center, basement, or where ever and go to a USAW sanctioned meet.  First, let’s discuss what exactly you need to do to find a meet and how to be eligible to compete.  First you will want to visit the USA Weightlifting home page and the Meet Calendar (http://weightlifting.teamusa.org/event/event/356) to find an event near you or at a place you are willing to travel.  On the meet calendar page all sanctioned meets will be listed with a contact number for information.  Not all meets will have a downloadable application but some will.  If you think you are good enough to make it to a national level meet, make sure you know what the qualifying total to be eligible is.  Lifting a qualifying total in your gym or basement DOES NOT count, you must have a qualifying total in a sanctioned meet.  Once you know where a meet is you want to go to and while you are on the USA Weightlifting page go over to the membership tab (http://weightlifting.teamusa.org/content/index/168 )and register to be a member of USA Weightlifting.  If you want to compete you are going to have to be a member.  So if you show up to a meet and you are not a member and they don’t register people to be members at the meet then you will be S.O.L! (shit out of Luck).

If you are thinking about doing a competition it is wise to purchase a pair of weightlifting shoes and a weightlifting singlet.  They are not required for local meets but having them will go a long way in fitting in at a meet and will help your performance.  If you are training with weightlifting and are not using weightlifting shoes you will be amazed by the difference in your lifts in proper footwear.  As for wearing a singlet it is not required you can get away with a tucked in shirt and shorts.  There are other technical rules on what type of equipment and clothing you will want to be aware of.  You can check that out at the USA Weightlifting home page at this link http://weightlifting.teamusa.org/content/index/3578 and clicking on the technical and doping rules.

What to expect the day of the meet.  You will need to weigh in and have an official weight taken.  This takes place beginning two hours before you section of lifting will start.  Meets that are well run will assign you a lot number and let you know when you will be weighing in.  But, at the local level be prepared for anything.  Many times things change at the last minute.  Local meets sometimes are not the most well run machines as people would think.  So be prepared some confusion as to what is happening and to hurry up and wait at times.  The best rule of thumb is to plan on a long day and get to the venue early.  Also, make sure to pack everything you need as far as food, medical supplies (if needed), chalk, etc.   

After weighing in try to get an official start time for your section.  That way you can plan your warm up accordingly.  Get acquainted to the set up of the competition venue.  Where is the warm up area in relation to the competition platform, where is the scoring table, where are the bathrooms, etc.   Things happen fast and you need to know where to warm up, where to compete, where to call in your attempts and where to go to the bathroom.  In the warm up area it will be hectic.  There will be a lot going on and many lifters all positioning themselves to use a few platforms and weights to prepare for their lifts.  The best thing to do is find a platform and stick to it.  Introduce yourself to the others trying to get warmed up.  Help others load and strip barbells.  Basically don’t be shy and don’t be a jerk.  It is helpful to bring someone with you or have a qualified coach help you to put your attempts into the scoring table and count how many attempts till you lift.  This will make life easy for you and you will know exactly when you will be lifting. 

During the competition you will have three attempts in the Snatch and three attempts in the clean and jerk.  When you weigh in you will have to declare you opening weights.  You must open up at that weight or above you cannot go down if you have a bad warm up.  It is best if your first attempt is a weight you know you will nail.  Don’t go to the platform on your first attempt of a lift trying to set a personal record.  It is wise to nail one lift and then go up to more challenging weights.  This is a great rule of thumb for any beginner lifter.  When you are more experienced and have lifted in a number of competitions and are very competent in what you are capable you can get away from this practice.  But, as a beginner your goal should be to nail all six lifts and slowly increase you meet personal best and get used to competition.

If you are successful in your first attempt you will have to go up by a minimum of 2 kg.  If you miss the lift don’t worry you can attempt it again or go up 2 kg if you choose.  It is wise to stay at the weight you missed and nail it on your second attempt.  Between you second and third attempt you must go up a minimum of 1 kg.  There will be a timer running that you have to begin the lift before the clock hits 00.  You will have 1 minute from when the bar is loaded or 2 minutes if you are following your last attempt with no other lifter between your lifts.  During a meet you will find that many lifters will use their allotted weight changes for each attempt to elongate their clock.  This article is designed to prepare the novice to a meet and we will not cover why that is.  Follow the recommendation to have someone with you to keep track of when you are lifting.  In the warm up area often you can’t hear the announcer and can miss your attempt or find yourself rushing to make it before the clock expires.

When you make your way out to the platform you will be judged by three judges to make sure that you perform the lifts without breaking any infractions.  Most common infractions are pressing out lifts, having a pause during the lift, elbows touching knees during the clean.  After the lift is completed the judges will give it the ok or not.  This is done by either a light system that displays white or red lights or holding up a white or read signal.  Majority rules when judging the lift.  If two judges think the lift was good or no good then that is the outcome.  The judges are positioned one directly in front of the platform and two at 45 degree angles. 

After you complete your snatches you will have to wait until all of the lifters in your session have completed theirs before you move on to your clean and jerks.  The time it takes for a session will vary on how many lifters are in a session.  Usually meets are separated in three sessions: women, lightweight men, and heavyweight m en.   After a sessions snatches there is usually a 10 minute intermission before the clean and jerks begin.  It is important that you time your warm up for the clean and jerk appropriately to how much time you have between the session and when you lift during the session.  It is not uncommon to have to begin your warm up before the snatch session is over. 

Now, that you know the basics of a meet.  Go out and compete! You will be surprised as to how much fun meets can be and who you will meet.  I have found that the weightlifting community is one that is full of outstanding people who always offer support during meets no matter what you skill level or how much weight you can lift.

Here is an interview I did with a weightlifter on the sport please check it out:

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