What is Weightlifting?
Olympic weightlifting is a competitive sport consisting of two barbell lifts: the snatch and the clean and jerk.
The Snatch
The first event in Weightlifting competition is called the Snatch. The term comes from the French word “arrache” and means to seize something suddenly. This lift is done with tremendous power and speed, the bar being lifted from the floor to arms length overhead in one fluid motion, and has often been tagged as “the fastest movement in sports”: Less than one second elapses from the barbell being on the floor to overhead, and usually less than five more seconds to being fixed overhead in a standing position in a completed lift.
Image courtesy of http://www.hookgrip.com
The Clean and Jerk
The Clean and Jerk is the second lift in Weightlifting competition and is the one in which the most weight can be lifted. In this event, the barbell is lifted overhead in two distinct motions – the clean, which brings the bar to the shoulders, and the jerk, in which the athlete raises the bar overhead.
Image courtesy of http://www.hookgrip.com
Manitoba Weightlifting Association 