Weightlifting is one of the oldest sports in the world. For example, a 5,000 year-old Chinese manuscript notes that prospective soldiers had to pass lifting tests, while ancient Greek sculptures depict athletes hefting heavy stones and dumbbells. However, organised weightlifting didn't really come into its own until the late 18th century, with the development of body exercises in schools and universities throughout Europe.

A German teacher, Johann Gutsmuth, wrote the Encyclopaedia on Bodily Exercises, which laid the foundations for continental lifting and the invention of new equipment. Travelling fairs and circuses increasingly advertised amazing feats of strength to attract crowds, and it wasn't only men who took top billing. Katie Sandwina was the main attraction at the Ringling Brother's Circus, where she held the title of the Strongest, Most Beautiful Woman in the World. Weighing in at 200 pounds, she reported carried her 160-pound husband above her head with one arm, with a 600-pound cannon tucked under the other.

Weightlifting was included in the first Modern Olympics in 1896 as an official sport, and became a regular event in 1920. Two types of lifts are contended - the snatch and the clean-and-jerk. The snatch is an event where a lifter must lift the barbell above the head in one movement, with the arms completely straight. With the clean-and-jerk, the lifter first hefts the weight onto his chest. He does a sort of a limbo shimmy until his body is underneath the barbell. He then locks the weight on his arms and stands up to tumultuous applause and a possible hernia. If this all sounds a bit extreme, then don't worry - you don't have to stick to Olympic events.

Not everyone's idea of physical perfection is a body bulging with bulky muscles. However, this preference need not preclude you from the world of weightlifting. As any bodybuilder will tell you, it is very difficult to get large muscles if you don't want them. Indeed, its hard enough if you do. They require many years of strenuous workouts and a high protein diet. However, light or medium weight training will have some positive effects, such as:

· Increasing muscle strength and endurance
· Reducing fat
· Enhancing your cardiovascular system
· Improving your bone density
· Increasing your flexibility

The type of weightlifting you learn will depend on where you take your class. In a gym or health centre, you will be more likely to learn about how to work with free weights and weight machines, and, unless you buy your own, you will do most of your training on site. However, a class in your local secondary school is likely to have less equipment and you will probably learn to build your muscles while gripping cans of Campbell's Minestrone. Undignified though this may be, you will be able to do it to your heart's content in the privacy of your own home.

So if you are intrigued by the prospect of being able to lift your boss above your head or you simply want a stomach that doubles as a washboard, then weightlifting is the pursuit for you. Get buff with the links below.