British
Weight Lifters' Association (formerly the BAWLA)
Weight Lifting
Weight Lifting comprises the two distinct sports of Powerlifting
and Weightlifting, plus the other recognised lifts - the All-Round
or "Odd" lifts.
 Powerlifting
Powerlifting is a relatively new sport that is taking off
around the world. The first World Championships took place
in the early nineteen-seventies. There are three lifts performed
with a bar-bell that are similar to lifts used by many weight-trainers.
The idea is to lift as much as possible, and you have three
attempts on each lift.
Lift No 1 - The Squat
(Formerly known as the "Deep Knee Bend"). With
the bar across the shoulders, the lifter bends his legs until
the thighs are below parallel to the floor. He then stands
upright again.
Lift No 2 - The Bench Press
Lying on the bench, the bar is lowered, and must pause on
the chest before being pressed back up. (There are also separate
Bench Press competitions, leading to British, European and
World Championships).
Lift No 3 - The Dead-Lift
The bar is simply pulled from the floor until you are standing
up.
Compared to Weightlifting, Powerlifting is not gymnastic.
It relies much more on the lifter's strength and control.
Training on the lifts helps gain the strength and stability
required in many other sports.
 Weightlifting
Weightlifting is a competitive sport that has been around
for about a hundred years. The modern version is seen on TV
from the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games. It consists
of two lifts performed with a bar-bell. In each case the bar
starts on the floor and finishes above the head. The idea
is to lift as much as possible, and you have three attempts
on each lift.
Lift No 1 - The Snatch
The bar goes from the floor to above the head in one movement.
(You can drop under the bar so you can use your legs to help).
Lift No 2 - The Clean & Jerk
The bar is first "cleaned" to the shoulders, and
is then "jerked" overhead. (Again, dropping under
the bar allows you to use your legs to help).
Weightlifting is fast and gymnastic. Training on the lifts
(or partial lifts) helps gain the speed and fitness required
in many other sports.
All-Round ("Odd") Lifting
The Odd Lifts are the lifts still recognised by the BWLA,
but are not included as part of Weightlifting or Powerlifting
competitions. There are over 30 lifts including the Curl,
the Dumb-Bell Press and the Press Behind Neck. There are occasional
competitions, and records may be broken or set.
Age Groups
The BWLA runs competitions in Weightlifting, Powerlifting
and Bench Press. As well as the open age competitions (often
called "Senior", to differentiate them from "Junior"),
there are competitions for younger age-groups, starting with
the Under 13s in Weightlifting, and the Under 18s in Powerlifting.
Perhaps the biggest number of lifters take part in veterans'
(known as "Masters") competitions. We have competitions
and records in all the lifts from the 40+ to the 70+ age-group.
Weight Classes
Like in boxing, you compete in a weight-class, so that you
are about the same size as your competitors. The adult weight-classes
range from less than seven stone (44kg) for the smallest women,
to over 19½ stone (125kg) for the biggest men. Some
of the "superheavyweight" men weigh over 160kg (over
25 stone!).
For more information go to British
Weight Lifters' Association (formerly the BAWLA)
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