Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Olympic weightlifting is defined by only two moves: the snatch and the clean and jerk. But behind what seems like a simple contest to see who can lift the most is a sport built on technique, speed, strategy, and psychology.
We speak to Matthew Tung, a competitive weightlifter who represents Hong Kong internationally, who breaks down how the lifts work, the strategy behind athletes changing their declared weights mid-competition, and how a lifter can miss four of their six attempts and still bring home gold.
In this video, we explore what it really takes to compete in Olympic weightlifting and what the rest of us can learn from athletes who have pushed strength training to the extreme.
Read more about professional weightlifting:
Weightlifting in Olympics: Everything you need to know olympics.com/en/news/weightlifting-olympics-rules-history-snatch-clean-and-jerk
A Guide to Competitive Weightlifting
usaweightlifting.org/news/features/2022/july/29/a-guide-to-competitive-weightlifting
Hong Kong’s first pro weightlifter in 12 years had to compete in tracksuit borrowed from footballer, learned to lift from YouTube
scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3253998/hong-kongs-first-pro-weightlifter-12-years-had-compete-tracksuit-borrowed-footballer-and-learned
This Northeastern grad taught himself weightlifting and is now competing internationally
https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/09/10/international-weightlifting-competition-matthew-tung
Unique aspects of competitive weightlifting: performance, training and physiology
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22873835
This video is presented by Colgate. Colgate doesn’t have a say in our editorial decisions, but they make videos like this one possible.
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Olympic weightlifting is defined by only two moves: the snatch and the clean and jerk. But behind what seems like a simple contest to see who can lift the most is a sport built on technique, speed, strategy, and psychology.
We speak to Matthew Tung, a competitive weightlifter who represents Hong Kong internationally, who breaks down how the lifts work, the strategy behind athletes changing their declared weights mid-competition, and how a lifter can miss four of their six attempts and still bring home gold.
In this video, we explore what it really takes to compete in Olympic weightlifting and what the rest of us can learn from athletes who have pushed strength training to the extreme.
Read more about professional weightlifting:
Weightlifting in Olympics: Everything you need to know olympics.com/en/news/weightlifting-olympics-rules-history-snatch-clean-and-jerk
A Guide to Competitive Weightlifting
usaweightlifting.org/news/features/2022/july/29/a-guide-to-competitive-weightlifting
Hong Kong’s first pro weightlifter in 12 years had to compete in tracksuit borrowed from footballer, learned to lift from YouTube
scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3253998/hong-kongs-first-pro-weightlifter-12-years-had-compete-tracksuit-borrowed-footballer-and-learned
This Northeastern grad taught himself weightlifting and is now competing internationally
https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/09/10/international-weightlifting-competition-matthew-tung
Unique aspects of competitive weightlifting: performance, training and physiology
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22873835
This video is presented by Colgate. Colgate doesn’t have a say in our editorial decisions, but they make videos like this one possible.
Subscribe to our channel! goo.gl/0bsAjO
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: goo.gl/IZONyE
Follow Vox on Facebook: goo.gl/U2g06o
Or Twitter: goo.gl/XFrZ5H
