Introduction

If you like to imitate the moment when a baby strains to fill its nappy, feel that it's time to graduate from the free weights you used to stub your teenage toes on, and frequently read the bit in health and safety notices where it says lift from the legs and not from the back, then weightlifting may be the sport for you. All about impressive shows of explosive strength, it involves lifting heavy weights above the head while your veins pop and spectators cheer.

The basics

Weightlifting is a showcase of pure, unadulterated strength (and – unofficially – the world's greatest gurning). The aim couldn't be simpler: to lift more than anyone else. If you get really, really good at it you may eventually be able to lift more than three times your body weight.

There are two types of lift: the "snatch" and the "clean and jerk". You there at the back, stop sniggering and pay attention. In the snatch, the bar is lifted from the floor to above the head in one movement. The clean and jerk is a two-stage action – the bar is first brought up to the shoulders before being jerked over the head.

Health benefits

Lifting weights builds bigger muscles, but can also improve your overall fitness levels and increase your ability to compete in lots of other sports. Many sportsmen and women bring weightlifting into their daily routines to help improve their stamina and core strength.

Equipment, costs and practicalities

You need nothing more than access to a gym to get started, but if you want to take it further slip into some Lycra and try joining a club. British Weight Lifting have a website where you can type in your postcode to find your closest one. It's a good idea to train with a partner, for obvious reasons.

Trendiness rating: 6/10

The stupendous muscles are impressive, and young British weightlifter Zoe Smith has boosted the sport's cool credentials, but there's still the baby-pooing-face issue.

Inside line

Frazer Snowdon, British Weight Lifting: "Olympic weightlifting is a great way to stay in shape, and is used to aid overall fitness in training for a lot of other sports, such as rugby, netball, football – in fact, any sport where you need to have good core strength. Weightlifting is about technique just as much as strength – it's a misconception that weightlifters are all big bulky males! There are weight categories from 48kg for women all the way through to over 105kg for men."

Find out more

British Weight Lifting – the UK body where you can find out more about weightlifting, clubs, news and coaching.

The Guardian expert's guide to weightlifting.

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Over to you

Are you a weightlifter? Help us build up this resource by sharing tips, videos, links to clubs and anything else that beginners might find useful.