Nothing makes you feel more badass than throwing a barbell around. Olympic weightlifting is good for you — mind, body, and soul. But there are a few myths about the sport that are still making their rounds at gyms across the world. Let’s do away with these misconceptions about Olympic weightlifting — for good.

6 Misconceptions About Olympic Weightlifting We Need to Clear Up

1. Progress is Linear

In the beginning, you hit PR after PR. You seem to get better every single day.

Take note: This is because you’re brand new to the sport. Because you’re starting from the very bottom, progress in the beginning comes quickly.

But! This will slow down. When it does, don’t take it as a sign that you’re not meant to be lifting. This is exactly how it’s supposed to go. Progress is not linear.

In fact, the longer you lift, the less frequently PRs will come. More advanced lifters might hit PRs once every several months and even years. It’s not because they’re not improving. It’s because it simply takes longer to bump those maxes the further into your Olympic weightlifting journey you get.

2. The Strongest Athletes Are the Best Lifters

Strength helps, of course. But massive strength does not equal massive lifts.

Technique is as important as strength, especially with the snatch. The snatch depends on technique. You could be strong as an ox, but if your form is garbage, don’t expect fantastic results.

You should spend as much energy improving your empty bar drills and footwork as you do working on your one-rep-max front squat. Don’t be afraid to peel off the weights and get back to the basics.

3. Mass Moves Mass

The bigger the body, the bigger the lifts, right?

Sure. Tell Morghan King that.

This might be true to an extent — “to an extent” being the key phrase there. After all, there’s a reason why in competition, athletes are broken into groups based on their bodyweight category. But this doesn’t mean that an athlete will be able to lift more simply because they weigh more.

You can have a bigger body, but if you haven’t put the work in to becoming a strong body, then you’re not really doing yourself much good.

And likewise, don’t assume that a person with a smaller body is automatically weaker as a result of it.

Yes, bigger bodies generally move more than smaller bodies, but there are indeed many other factors to consider.

4. Olympic Weightlifting Makes You Bulky

Can this myth about Olympic weightlifting please just go away, already?!

This is a huge fear for women especially, so let’s talk about one of the fundamental differences between men and women. Men: lots of testosterone. Women: not so much testosterone.

Men are able to pack on so much more muscle because they have the hormones to build it. Women don’t, plain and simple. You’re not going to look like Hulk Hogan in a sports bra.

For reference, here’s Mattie Rogers — one of the United States’ best Olympic lifters — on the cover of Elle magazine. If this is bulky, sign me up.

5. Form Isn’t Important for the Clean

And coaches all around the world are rolling their eyes.

Because you can get away with so-so technique in this lift more so than you can with the snatch, some people then believe that technique in the clean doesn’t matter. Who cares what it looks like? Get it off the ground and overhead, and you’re good to go.

But just like the snatch, your clean and jerk will eventually suffer from poor technique. You should still rehearse the pull, keeping the bar close, proper footwork for your jerk, and so on.

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360# clean sequence 📸 by @melkzdeck

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Write this down: Technique is always important — for both the quality/success of your lifts as well as your own safety.

6. Weightlifting is Mostly a Man’s Sport

Sorry, but no. Here’s another misconception about Olympic weightlifting that seriously needs to be laid to rest.

Was the sport traditionally a man’s sport? Maybe. But head to any Olympic lifting class and you are quite likely to see an even split of men and women. And that’s because both are equally capable of performing, and both can find true enjoyment in it.

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I don’t do local meets often but California state games was just about 10 days before Pan Am Games so I did it. I went 6:6 and did a smooth 90/110 at about 61 body weight> I wasn’t allowed to post these at the time but whatever, enjoy. 🤩 I grew up competing on the local stage and in Florida the culture was just unmatched. It was weird being in California competing because it was so different. I hope one day every state can get to the point where everyone can just be nice and support others even if they’re on different teams. I try to bring the Florida weightlifting culture with me wherever I go 😜 it makes everyone better & it makes the experience so much more fun. If you have had a great local meet experience share it in the comments, I’d love to hear. ⬇️

A post shared by Jessica Lucero (@jessicalucero9) on

Olympic weightlifting is making its mark on the fitness world. Many of us are introduced to it through CrossFit and quickly realize how amazing it makes us feel. Let’s nix these misconceptions once and for all. Train hard, be safe, and stay consistent, and lifting will be very good to you.

Main image: Alyssa Ritchey/Instagram, photo by Dave Pullis