Weightlifting for Adolescents

This book is aimed at educating and preparing adolescents of the ages 12 to 16 in the basics of Olympic Weightlifting and Strength Training. The book familiarizes teachers, parents, and kids with the fundamentals of lifting and resistance training. The book starts by explaining how muscles work by burning energy and moving the nutrients around the body organs. Young children need to be educated on the process of transport of energy from food to cells allover the body. They then will understand how strength training helps the body grow and stay healthy and fit. Strong muscles and bones help the individual to maintain high level of health and fitness. The growth process involves the development of the mental and neural functions, which help the person solve complex problems and maintain high coordination and balance. Weightlifting is introduced by warming up without weights. Lifting light plates follows the warm up as an intermediary transition to serious lifting. The Olympic lifts are then practiced with dummy objects prior to engaging in heavy weights. This prepares the lifter to ingrain the mental imagery of performance under resistance. The two main Olympic lifts: the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk, are described in details and demonstrated by practical home-gym video clips. The book's main theme evolves on how to offer adolescents the option of becoming Olympic Weightlifters when they are young enough to accomplish such an extraordinary goal. The book's main tools are the simplicity and rigorousness of exercising for BIG IDEAS. Unless the workout out plan simple and logical, it would not lead to the life-long commitment to exercise, health, and fitness. The authors advocate the role of managing and executing exercise planning as a life-long endeavor of positive accomplishments and enriching the child's life. Mohamed F. El-Hewie Woodland Park, New Jersey, USA, August 2010. Sjaak Smorenburg Houten, The Netherlands, August 2010.