Definitions of Weightlifting
There are several categories of people who exercise with
weights. These categories are often referred to as: weight lifting,
weightlifting, Weightlifting, weight training, bodybuilding, powerlifting,
lifting, Olympic lifting, Olympic-style weightlifting, strength training
and resistance training. Let's clarify the differences.
Weightlifting: Weightlifting, weight lifting
and weightlifting all have a "generic" meaning which refers
to the activity of lifting weights. To those who are well versed in
the use of weights, the word weightlifting has a particular meaning.
It refers to the Olympic sport of Weightlifting, which tests strength
a power through two methods of lifting a barbell overhead - the Snatch
and the Clean and Jerk. Weightlifting is the only Olympic sport involving
weights, which is why it is sometimes referred to as Olympic lifting
or as Olympic-style lifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting.
Weight Training: Weight training refers
to any activity which involves the use of weights. The term weight training
is commonly used in referring to people who lift weights but not for
the purpose of competing in bodybuilding, powerlifting or weightlifting
(although many people lift weights as a means for improving their performance
in another sport). Many people who lift weights refer to themselves
as "lifters" for short.
Resistance Training: Resistance training
is an even broader term than weight training because resistance can
be supplied by weights, machines, rubber strands and any number of other
devices that resist the movement of the exerciser. It is nearly impossible
to engage in any vigorous resistance training without getting stronger
as a result. However, strength training is a means of training with
resistance that is focused on improving strength, as compared with muscle
size (although people who train for strength are often seeking increased
muscle size as well).
Bodybuilding: Bodybuilding is a sport
or activity in which the primary objective is to develop the size of
the skeletal muscles. Bodybuilders focus on other areas as well, such
as developing all of the muscles proportionally (symmetrically), minimizing
body fat and increasing their strength. Because bodybuilders focus on
muscular development, that is the main thing they achieve. Strength,
for example, tends to take a back seat to size (though many bodybuilders
are very strong).
Powerlifting: Powerlifting is a great
sport that was conceived as a pure test of strength. And it tests strength
about as well as Olympic-style Weightlifting. The sport that consists
of three events: squat, bench press and deadlift. Powerlifters are very
strong because they focus on developing that capacity exclusively. Overall,
the strength of powerlifters very close to that of Olympic-style weightlifters.
However, powerlifting is not an Olympic sport and it has multiple "federations"
which govern it, so there can be multiple "world champions"
each year (Olympic-style Weightlifting has only one international governing
body and one world champion per weight class worldwide). Powerlifting
is also not practiced as widely as weightlifting. For all these reasons,
the level of competition tends not to be as high in powerlifting as
it is in weightlifting, which is why competitive Weightlifters, as a
group, have earned the right to call themselves the strongest athletes
alive. More importantly, no other athletes approach the strength of
weightlifters and powerlifters, as the men and women who compete in
these sports are totally focused becoming the strongest athletes in
the world. Moreover, they compete on measurable events which are standardized
worldwide, so that performances can be reasonbly compared. You won't
see these athletes flexing their muscles or lifting tree trunks on "pay-per-view",
but they are quietly driving the levels of human performance to all
time highs.
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source : www.wlinfo.com
