When: Thursday, November 29th, 5:30 pm
Where: The Compound Strength & Conditioning
Who: Everyone at the gym, not just those who attend Oly Class
Weight divisions, judges, prizes for weight classes, and lots of PR's!
Olympic weightlifting, also called Olympic-style weightlifting, or weightlifting, is a sport in which participants attempt a maximum-weight in two lifts, the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. Each weightlifter receives three attempts in each lift. The combined total of the highest two successful lifts determines the overall result, just like we do with the CrossFit Total.
Olympic weightlifting tests explosive strength and the lifts are executed faster than other strength efforts. Olympic weightlifting also requires more mobility and a greater range of motion during their execution than other lifts. Properly executed, the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk are both dynamic and explosive and should appear almost effortless at times.
While there are relatively few competitive Olympic weightlifters, the lifts and their components are commonly used by elite athletes in other sports to train for both explosive and functional real-world strength. When I started CrossFit, I read somewhere that there were only roughly 2000 Olympic Weightlifters in the U.S. (compare to China's 1 million). By 2010, I read that there was an increase in membership thanks to CrossFit, and that number was around 7000. I have no idea how many there are now, but there seems to be more meets around then I've seen before.
Our competition will not be like most Olympic style weightlifting competitions. We will not be strict as to judging the lift based on their rules (i.e: singlets required, no press outs, no re-bending of elbows, etc) It will simply be to get the most weight up and hold it above your head while showing control. The order of the competition is up to you guys, the lifters—the competitor who chooses to attempt the lowest weight goes first. If they are unsuccessful at that weight, they have the option of re-attempting at that weight or trying a heavier weight when everyone else has attempted the lower weights. The barbell is loaded incrementally and progresses to a heavier weight throughout the course of competition. When a tie occurs, the athlete with the lower bodyweight is declared the winner. If two athletes lift the same total weight and have the same bodyweight, the winner is the athlete who lifted the total weight first.
During competition, the snatch event takes place first, followed by a short intermission, and then the clean and jerk event. We will have two judges and who together provide a "successful" or "failed" result for each attempt based on their observation of the lift. We will have 3 weight classes for men and 3 or 3 for women, with winners for each division. I am still deciding on those numbers.
I invite everyone to come out and attempt this fun competition or support those who are. Competition, even friendly ones, have a way of bringing out the best attempts in people. If you guys saw the average of 20# PR's in our Deadlifts at Prove Your Fitness this last June, then you know what I'm talking about. And it's just us Compounders! You'll be lifting with the same people you lift with in your group sessions at the Compound. No need to be nervous about competing with strangers. Lifting heavy things with your friends is always fun!
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