Weightlifting

Powerlifting

The involvement of women in international competitive powerlifting began in 1980 with the Women's World Championships through the International Powerlifting Federation. The sport is composed of the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. Competitions are divided between 10 weight classes (from 44 to 90 kg and above) and between age divisions. Training for powerlifting usually involves low-repetition sets using higher weights, which results in more strength gain compared to high-repetition sets with lighter weights, which are usually used for either muscle endurance or the building of muscle mass, as in bodybuilding.

Olympic Weightlifting

Women's weightlifting was first introduced in the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney, Australia. The two lifts judged are the clean-and-jerk and the snatch. Aside from the difference from powerlifting in terms [Page 1545]of the types of lifts performed, Olympic weightlifting differs in that the lifts performed test explosivity and power more than absolute strength, as in powerlifting. There are seven weight classes in Olympic weightlifting, ranging from flyweight (48 kilograms) to super heavyweight (75 kilograms and above). This style of competitive weightlifting is supervised by the International Weightlifting Federation.

Bodybuilding

Bodybuilding is the aesthetic branch of weightlifting. Bodybuilding for women began in late 1977 with the development of the U.S. Women's Physique Association and continued with competitions such as the Ms. Olympia and the Women's World Bodybuilding Championships. The sport began an aesthetic that reinforced traditional societal norms of feminine beauty, favoring a less muscular body type than seen in men's bodybuilding. Over the history of the sport, the aesthetic ideals have created a split in the sport. For women with more extreme and defined musculature, bodybuilding is still an avenue to demonstrate their physique. For women who more closely fit within cultural norms of female muscularity, an alternate avenue of aesthetic competition involves fitness contests. Fitness contests focus more on muscle tone and symmetry than muscle size and typically include two rounds: a dance and gymnastics routine and a swimsuit round.

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