Archive for August, 2008

Weight Lifting

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

By Marcus Peterson

Weightlifting is one of the oldest and simplest sports of human endurance. As the name suggests, weightlifting is about how much weight a person can lift. With a lot of awareness about physical fitness in today’s world, training with weights is becoming popular. At times, the terms weight training and weightlifting are used interchangeably. This is actually incorrect as they are two entirely different disciplines.
In weightlifting events, the participant who lifts the heaviest weight in conformation with the stipulated rules and regulations is declared the winner. Weight training on the other hand is continuous physical exercise done with weights.
Weightlifters have to cultivate several skills like endurance, power, determination, specific techniques and the like. As with any other sports, weightlifting enthusiasts put in several years of practice and adhere to strict rules regarding diet and exercise.
As a sport, weightlifting has been popular for centuries, and has been one of the prime means of labeling human strength and stamina. Historical records show the inclusion of weightlifting in the first Olympics held in Greece, over 2000 years ago. In the nineteenth century, weightlifting used to be a crowd-pleasing event at circuses and fairgrounds. Even the first instance of the modern version of Olympics, the 1896 games, included the sport. The first world championship for weightlifting was held in 1891. However, weightlifting for women began only in the 1980s and was included in the Olympics games in the year 2000.
At first glance, this sport is a simple one. All it involves is a non-slippery surface and the required weights. These weights are manufactured according to international standard specifications. Steel barbells with weights on each end are lifted by participants at events. These events are categorized according to the weights to be lifted. Participants specialize in their own category and train accordingly. The weights that are mounted on the steel barbells are given colored rubber coatings. Each color represents a particular weight and is used accordingly.
Weightlifting events have two main categories. One is referred to as the snatch, which involves just one clean movement over the head. The other category is the clean and jerk, which has two steps. First the weight is held for a moment in front of the neck and then it is swept over the head. There are different divisions within each category, depending on the body mass of the participant. The International Weightlifting Federation, based in Budapest, is the controlling authority for this sport.
Weight Lifting provides detailed information on Weight Lifting, Weight Lifting Equipment, Weight Lifting Exercises, Weight Lifting Belts and more. Weight Lifting is affiliated with Workout Routines.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marcus_Peterson

Bodybuilding beginnings

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

By: Keith Crovatt

Many think that bodybuilding is a modern day activity but it really has its roots in the ancient 12th century. India was where the first methods of bodybuilding training and related eating programs developed. Over the next 300 years, the people in India were having phenomenal success. The prototypes of dumbbells and free weights happened during this period. Weight lifting and body building found it element at the time.
It was not until the 1800′s when bodybuilders came into the western world like Eugene Sandow. It was not soon after that bodybuilding contests sprang up in the early 1900′s validating hard work showing their bodybuilding expertise. Bodybuilding competitions became a whole regime during this time. The first father of the modern bodybuilding movements was Sandow. He had frequent public appearances in organized exhibitions to guarantee his voice and ideas were heard. He also started a pioneering magazine on fitness called “Physical Culture”.
The authorities of the Olympic Games were pushed by Sandow to include weightlifting and bodybuilding as one of the many events. His tireless efforts in weightlifting awarded him one of the major attractions in the Olympic Games starting in 1896. It still this day is one of the most viewed events in the modern games.
When bodybuilders such as Charles Atlas arrived in the bodybuilding circuit around the 1900′s, the sport became even more widespread and lucrative. His legendary ads quickly engulfed much of the press and spread over the world, penetrating deeply in the psyche of all American men. Who wouldn’t want to look like Atlas with a great body?
Exercise equipments began gaining popularity quickly in the marketplace. People became more conscious of their bodies and the way the training should be performed. They learned how to eat properly, the exercise equipment to use in order to sculpt their bodies into a perfect shape. This was the beginning of the fitness industry forming as we know it today.
Of course, once the Tarzan and Hercules movies became a rage in the 1950′s and the 1970′s bodybuilding and weightlifting took off. The quest for the beautiful body and attention like Steve Reeves increased drastically.
Gold’s Gym and the World Gym, founded by Joe Gold took on a cult status in bodybuilding as many entrepreneurs scrambled to dominate the industry.
Weightlifting and bodybuilding were at odds to segregate themselves to become a sport by each group. The 1970′s created a new phenomenon in the name of Arnold Schwarzenegger as he took the world by storm with his incredible carved body of muscle. He also entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s best developed man and became a cult idol in his own sport.
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Article Source: ArticleHub


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