Performance Development From Youth to Senior and Age of Peak Performance in Olympic Weightlifting

Abstract

A total of 3,782 performance results for male and female weightlifters, ages 14–30 from 123 countries, from Youth, Junior, and Senior World Championships and Olympic Games 2013–2017 were used to estimate the age at peak performance in Olympic weightlifting and quantify performance development from adolescence to adulthood. The age at peak performance was estimated for men and women globally and for different geographic regions. Overall, male and female weightlifters achieve their peak performance in weightlifting at similar ages. The median peak age is 26.0 years (95% CI: 24.9, 27.1) for men and 25.0 years (95% CI: 23.9, 27.4) for women, at the 90th percentile of performances. The median peak age was 26.3 years for men (95% CI: 24.5, 29.6) and 26.4 years for women (95% CI: 24.5, 29.6), at the 50th percentile. It is a novel finding that the age at peak performance varies for male and female athletes from different geographic regions (Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Far East, North- and South America). For some regions men reach peak performance at a younger age than women, while this relationship is reversed for other regions. A possible explanation could be that socio-economic factors influence the pool of available athletes and thus may under- or overestimate the true peak age. Unlike in track and field where the discipline might determine specific body types, weightlifters at all ages compete in body weight classes, enabling us to compare performance levels and annual rate of change for athletes of different body mass. We quantified increases in performance in Olympic weightlifting for male and female adolescents. Sex-specific differences arise during puberty, boys outperform girls, and there is a rapid increase in their performance levels before the further growth slows down. The largest annual rate of increase in the total weight lifted was achieved between 16 and 17 years of age for both sexes with lower body mass and between 21 and 22 years with higher body mass. Such new information may help to establish progression trajectories for young athletes.

The Masters athlete in Olympic weightlifting: Training, lifestyle, health challenges, and gender differences

“…However, despite the recognized benefits of exercise, physical and mental health or lifestyle demands may present obstacles to regular maintenance of an exercise regimen. Masters weightlifters are aged 35 and up, and age-associated performance decline for these has been studied for Masters weightlifters performing at high level competitions [7][8][9][10][11]. However, these studies were based on data from World Championships or world records and thus may not apply directly to a broader population including athletes at the local or more recreational level.…”

Sex differences and impact of body mass on performance from childhood to senior athletes in Olympic weightlifting

“…The age at peak performance for men at the 90 th percentile was 26.5 years (CI: 25.7, 27.3) and for women 25.9 years (CI: 24.7, 27.3) at USA National Championships. This is comparable to the peak age for athletes at the 90 th percentile at IWF World championships, although heavier athletes may have a higher peak age [16,27]. In comparison, in throwing disciplines in track and field world championships, men reached their peak at an older age, 28.0 ± 0.4 years [14], corresponding to a higher peak age in weightlifters with higher body mass.…”

“…A larger proportion of youth weightlifters can be expected to be heavier than controls of the same age in the general population. For example, for 14 to 20 year olds 33% male and 17% female weightlifters were heavier � Reference: [16] https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238369.t004…”

“…Accessed May 7, 2020). Elite athletes may exit competitive-level weightlifting when their performance starts declining or may continue with less training intensity at recreational levels which would explain the wider gender gap in Masters age classes [16,17].…”

“…Specifically for jumping disciplines, peak age was about 21 years for German and Italian athletes [1,2] and about 26 years for athletes globally [14,15]. Weightlifters from Western European countries at world championships peaked at younger ages than in other countries [16]. It is unlikely that such differences are solely due to biological reasons as participation requires financial resources and is affected by socioeconomic factors [17].…”