The ceremonial practice of Weightlifting contests presents a great dilemma for athletes, their coaches, and the countries, which they represent. This book deals with the performance of Weightlifters during the events of contest. Such performance is affected by the lifter's sense that his/her performance during the contest might be the best and/or the last athletic event of his/her life, the prime time to shine as a new star in the most competitive sport of force, power, and grace.
For the coach, Weightlifting contests present the greatest challenge on many levels. First, Weightlifting coaches do not earn any appreciable financial return from the sport, other than getting connection to people of influence. Thus, the coach's drive for winning is mostly his passion and time-long dedication to the sport. Second, the lifter represents a great uncertainty to the coach during the unusual stress of contests. Slight disturbance in sleep, diet, or other social distractions could influence the performance of the lifter beyond prediction. Third, the planning of the lifts and adjusting of the lifter bodyweight are serious issues, which the coach must manage effectively in order to accomplish the best of his lifter's assets.
In this book, the author dedicates chapters 1 and 2 for warming up during the contest, emphasizing the basic rules of using dummy objects in rehearsing the full range-of- motion of the Weightlifting exercises. That is followed up with warming up with maximal weight as the trial time approaches. Chapter 3 deals with planning the first lift when lifter is advanced among his/her competitors. Chapter 8 discusses the strategy of staying-in to avoid getting removed from the contest, as a result of failed trials. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 discuss three different lifting styles by a Romanian, Russian, and Turkish lifters.
Chapter 7 is the largest chapter in the book and deals with toe-to-toe racing for winning the Gold. Here, lifters must plan to maximize the sum of two lifts (the Snatch and the Clean/Jerk) by increasing the weight of the barbell over three trials, for each of the two lifts. The lifter cannot lower the weight if he failed in lifting a higher weight. The heaviest lift of the three trials makes the valid score in that lift, by that lifter. The strategy of planning for winning when lifters might be tied by bodyweights, in the event of lifting the same total in the two lifts, is also discussed.
Women Weightlifters are covered in chapter 9, 10, and 11. Those three chapters discuss the particular issues related to women's musculoskeletal anatomy that differentiates women lifters from men. Finally, chapters 12 and 13 discuss the technical issues of failure in Weightlifting contests.
The book should help the reader relate to the scarce and precious moments in life, when athletes accomplish the most formidable tasks of enhancing health, strength, and fitness at the best of human endeavors.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1. Warming Up With 20 kg Bar
Chapter 2. Warming Up With Maximal Load
Chapter 3. Planning The First Lift in Clean/Jerk
Chapter 4. Russian Male Lifting Style
Chapter 5. The Top Male Lifter
Chapter 6. Lifting On Wide Knee-Separation
Chapter 7. Kilogram-To-Kilogram Racing
Chapter 8. Staying In Contest
Chapter 9. Short-limbed Woman Lifter
Chapter 10. The Women Lifter
Chapter 11. Women's Snatch
Chapter 12. Dealing With Failure. Case 1
Chapter 13. Dealing With Failure. Case 2
