Weight lifting competitions in the late 1800s/early 1900s were informal events where strongmen from different areas competed against each other by lifting heavy objects with no standardized rules or lifts. Over time, common lifts like the clean and jerk were established to ensure fairness. The first Olympic weight lifting events in 1896 featured one and two-handed lifts with no weight classes. Standardization continued and by 1928 the three main lifts of today were adopted. Powerlifting emerged in the 1950s and developed separately from Olympic weightlifting, focusing more on lifts like the bench press.

1. History Of Weight Training
Skylar Flores

2. The Beginning
• Where I start is in roughly the late 1800s early 1900s where in
American and Europe people would hold unprofessional, no –
standardized “Strongest Man In The World” competitions. People
would come from all around to display their hard work and their
skill when it comes to lifting heavy objects.

3. Rules Of The Game
• To ensure some common ground between the lifters they decided to
be practice certain lifts, giving fairness to every lifter participating.
Thus the title of “World’s Strongest Man” would be performing across
multiple lifts and setting the guideline to follow until around World
War 1.

4. Can You Lift What I Lift
• One of the key parts of standardization of weight lifting was breaking
or going away from cultures using there own methodology to go
about weight lifting. There was no specific time for lifting “weights”
but more as in folk or culture dependent actives to do. As stated in
the article Russians lifted weights, Scottish threw heavy objects,
French were into more flamboyant routines, and Germans liked
overheard lifting.

5. We Are Official Now
• The first ignoration of weight lifting, came in the 1896 Olympics and
featured two evens, the one and two handed lifts. No body weights to
divide, and mostly European countries invited (also America). The
competitions were conducted by using a point system and technical
errors were plagued throughout the competition. The next step was
the British recommending weight classes to divvy up the competition.

6. Down to Three
• In the 1900s that’s is when weight lifting flourished with
standardization. The three iconic lifts were chosen and standard
beginning in the 1928 Olympics. Here is a video the article provides
with the lift and a performing athlete from 1954!
• Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs8svOg9c9o

7. I’ve Got The Power
• Power lifts came into practice by the 1950’s, at first most people
referred to them as odd lifts, then around the 1950’s is where the
bench press got popular, interesting enough the bench press got its
popularity by rehabbing soldiers injured in World War 2. In the 1960’s
is where power lifting started to develop its own identity straying
away from just Olympic lifts and events. Now it is used every day in
gyms everywhere to upkeep healthy living standards!

8. My Thoughts!
• Weight lifting has had interesting development since birth, the crazy
thing to me is how I could find at least fifty more stories about how
weight lifting developed and more interesting what each culture used
to replicate weight lifting or tests of strength within itself. When
researching the pure number of different stories and methods were
fascinating! Ranging from how stances in weight lifting have devolved
to how judging and officiating during events such as the Olympics
have changed. I went with the more historical relevant as well as
general article and decided to roll with it!

9. Source!!
• History OF Weight Sports How they Evolved Since 1900
• Link!! https://breakingmuscle.com/fitness/the-history-of-weight-
sports-how-they-evolved-since-1900