How do you cover weightlifting?

There's actually quite a bit of strategy that goes on, because the competitors have to adjust what poundages they attempt based on what the other competitors attempt and successfully lift. Depending on what gear the competitors use, that aspect can also come into play, as sometimes a person's accessories will 'blow out' on an early lift, and they'll be unable to use them for subsequent lifts, etc.

I could tell you some more, but I'll just tell JDV to come and give you his opinions, as he's far more familiar with Olympic lifting (and lifting in general) than I am. He's written some articles for Powerlifting USA, I believe, as well as some other publications.

Elliotte obviously knows the subject and his source sounds like the guy to talk to. Good luck. I'll ask JDV to weigh in ASAP.

 

Seems kind of pointless to lift anything more than 12 ounces of aluminum at a time.

 

I've never understood sports writers that bitch about having to cover, you know, a sport.

Personally, I think there is a lot more potential in finding a really interesting story at a weightlifting meet than covering football game #2,654, but that's just me.

 

Absolutely EF!!

OWL is not big here at all (PL is dominant lifting sport (strongman is gaining in popularity but is kind of its own thing)).

However, overseas (in Eastern Europe, Greece, Iran, Bulgaria, etc.) it is HUGE & there are pro leagues filling stadiums with up to 10K fans!

Dimas was really good for a real long time but fell back a bit this last Olympics as he was getting old.

Rezazadeh is a complete monster and blows away the rest of the field! His power in the clean is insane!! He holds the WR in the C&J and right now it is his Jerk portion that is holding him back. We could see him break that magicall 600lb barrier. However, gains at that level are so hard to come by plus the weight gets really unstable to deal with.

You are getting me fired up EF!!

Great stuff and awesome that you got to cover this caliber of event!!

JDV

 

Weight lifting is awesome, whatever ...

 

Ogre,

Happy to help - all I ask is that you give me some credit & link your article when done so we can all see. Thanks man!

Covering WL Part 1

Here is how you cover a WL meet (all subject to your space requirements).

First, I would lay out the differences between the sports in the "Iron Game"

1.) Powerlifting - the dominant lifting sport consisting of the Squat, Bench, and Deadlift in that order. Sport Originated in the US and is now the fastest growing lifting sport in the world with many of the former Soviet Block, Europeans, Asians, etc. coming on strong in the sport. However, the US still has the majority of the best lifters & the best development programs/teams.

Powerlifting is the best measure of pure strength. However, it also has its issues. there is a proliferation of single lift meets and they are good in that they allow more ppl in but ultimately they dilute the sport and tweak the records. In my opinion single lift lifting is not true PL Its single lift lifting, maybe single-lift PL - I could prob buy off on that def. Also, PL has had an explosion of aided lifting gear (clothing that helps you lift the weight) & this in my opinion is the biggest threat to the sport in that the best liters are no longer winning, the best gear masters are. This is a longer discussion but is one of the reasons I have likely retired from the sport, along with having won about every title I possibly can. Many several times.

2.) Olympic Weightlifting - Only Olympic WL event (that sucks). Been around for a while & dominated by the Europeans, Middle Easterners, & Asians (depending on weightclass & gender).

WL has its issues I will discuss in the next post but it is cool in that there is basically no gear - so there is no "faking it" and the lifts are all real. Also, OL is a very technical and power driven sport. Thus, often your OL lifters are the best athletes of the lifting fraternity.

3.) Strongman - as much of a sport as an exhibition. Not taking anything away from it at all but they change their events a lot and thus it is hard to get an apples-to-apples comparison. Which events are chosen will likely determine who wins. Often the winner is not the "strongest" individual. IFSA events are typically more pure power/strength dominant than WSM events.

The thing about strongman is that you have to be huge to compete for many reasons (size of events, leverage (think O-lineman needs), need for absolute power, etc.). Thus, it is really only open to the supers. I would say average strongman competitor is like 6'2''-6'6'' and weighs between 310-350lbs. Some are almost 7' and weigh over 440lbs! So, its great to see the giants but I could never do it almost irrespective of how strong I got (kind of like me & BB - this kid ain't ever going to dunk - lol).

4.) Bodybuilding - NOT a sport in my opinion, a contest yes & very subjective. Unfortunately, competitive BB, particularly at high levels, is often a contest of who can take the most/best drugs with some pros having "supplement" bills of over $100K a year! That is not to say that those guys don't work super hard, or are special as you & I would almost assuredly not look like that if we did what they did & they do sacrifice for their "sport." However, almost none of them (and that is being generous) would look anything close to pro BB's without their drugs. Frankly, walking around at 3% BF or lower severely dehydrated from diuretics is really really unhealthy to begin with. Thus, at a high level the sport is very unhealthy & I don't encourage anyone to do it unless they are doing natural shows for fun. However, again I respect the athletes that have done well its just completely dif from what I am into and stand for.

That is not to say that the other lifting sports don't have drug problems - they do. It is to say that the rest can be done without drugs but top comp BB for the most part can't. I would also have to say that strongman also has a serious problem in that department, but less so than BB as their are some super strong freaks born/developed (Mark Henry, Andre the Giant, etc.) & it is possible to be huge and strong without drugs, esp if you eat a lot, you just don't look all shredded and such.

Oh right, BB is controlled by a few top promoters and sponsors which combined with its subjective nature creates real conflicts of interests.

Ok, that is an overview of the various sports & would be good to cover if you are writing a longer piece or at least add a line or two as overview of what OL is compared to the rest.

Ok, now to the specifics of covering an OL meet

 

Yes, I have a question for the lifter on the right.

Where do you get your regular clothes?

 

Covering WL part 2

Ok, as stated OWL is actually a very technical sport. Thus lifts will often be made or missed due to proper technique & mechanics (think of pitcher's pitching - Clemens, Ryan, Dibble, etc. can all hit the strike-zone yet if they will on the next pitch is unknown).

Thus, there is a lot of strategy and suspense in a WL meet as I will detail what to look for.

Granted, most lifting meets ARE won in the gym and there is a general understanding of what will, or better said, SHOULD happen. That is there are certain "laws of physics" if you will. Meaning, at a meet there is a certain range of possible outcomes, barring something unusual happening. Thus, If I may normally lift say 500lbs if I have a bad day it could be 475 a good day 490-500 and a record breaking day 510. This is also dependant on the lift of course as to the range.

So, even in OWL say I was competing against Rok. Now he is strong, but no matter how good his technique is he will never beat me unless I miss all my lifts & bomb-out.

Thus, going in you should know what the "odds-on" placing should be and what people should lift as they will put in their openers to determine lifting order. These guys have done these lifts in practice & it is fairly certain that they know what they can do. Although, there IS gamesmanship that happens + some overconfidence/competitive pressure, or sandbagging that occurs to shake things up.

As an overview of the field I would look to see where the action is. Who is breaking records, where are the most competitors in which weight class, are their top lifters competing, is someone trying to qualify for the Olympic team, etc.. Is there a team competition going on (could be of note, but much less important than the actual lifters).

You can also sprinkle in the personal stories and unusual lifter things (i.e. Jamaican Bobsled team) as well, but I find this often really detracts from the coverage. The sport stands on its own and does not need the People Magazine version of it. Of course, a solid appropriate personal story is great, but use judiciously.

OK that is the overview of the meet now onto the lifts themselves

 

Those are fake/doctored pictures GB. To be sure top pro BB ARE freaks - but none of them are that bad yet.

 

Covering WL Part 3

The Lifts/Meet

OL is broken into two lifts (Snatch & Clean & Jerk) and lifters are broken down into weight classes. Each lifter is given three (3) attempts per lift to make them with the highest made attempt in each lift added up together to make a total. Highest total in each class wins with ties being decided on bodyweight (at weigh-ins).

The Snatch goes first and is a lift from the ground to fully overhead in one motion. This is technically a difficult lift, the more difficult of the two and less weight is lifted in this event. You can find examples in videos around the web with many on You Tube.

The Clean & Jerk is next. This is where the big weight is lifted and the meets are often decided. Lift is floor to chest then from chest to fully overhead in with control.

Again as stated these lifts are technical and lifters can often overshoot a snatch (too much power) thus blowing the lift at best or injuring themselves severely if they don't give up the lift.

It is not uncommon to see someone miss a lift and then come back and nail it the next attempt in OWL. This is much less true in PL.

Serious injuries are common in OWL due to serious weights being flung overhead with small margins of error for control.

You can also pick up on different stances & techniques for the lifts and that is something to check into. Also, some lifters like to use a WL belt and others do not. Some tape their wrists and others do not. Grip is a VERY key part of OWL and there are a whole range of grips (straight grip, hook grip, etc.). Certain lifters use more chalk then others and may chalk or talc their legs, chest, etc. These are all intricate points that will reveal the detail of the sport to the readers and unveil the personalities and competitive styles/philosophies/advantages of the athletes. So, ask about that and pay close attention.

Now onto the actual meet