Mohamed Ihab Yousef is a once in a lifetime Egyptian athlete who helped spread the popularity of weight lifting due to his enormous popularity and achievements.
In 2014 Youssef won the silver medal in the Total for the 69 kg weight-class in the 2014 World Weightlifting Championships, lifting 334 kg. He also won a bronze medal in the Snatch (152 kg) and silver in the Clean & Jerk (182 kg).
In the following year he competed in the 77 kg weight-class at the 2015 World Weightlifting Championships in Houston, winning a bronze medal in the total initially.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics he competed in the men's 77 kg weight class, getting third place for both the snatch and clean & jerk, giving him an overall bronze medal.
In 2017 he competed at the 2017 World Weightlifting Championships in the 77 kg category. He became World Champion, winning gold medals in all lifts, giving Egypt its first overall gold medal at the World Weightlifting Championships since Said Khalifa Gouda and Ibrahim Shams won gold medals in 1951.
In 2018 the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories and Ihab competed in the newly created 81 kg category. In the snatch portion of the competition he lifted a new world record of 173 kg, which exceeded the world record set by Lü Xiaojun minutes earlier, this secured him the gold medal in the snatch. With his first two attempts of 196 kg and 200 kg in the clean & jerk portion he set two new world records of 369 kg and 373 kg in the total. This was not enough to win gold as Lü Xiaojun lifted 202 kg, giving him a 1 kg lead over Ihab as he won the silver medalز
How did you start Weighlifting ? at what age and what attracted you to the sport?
My father was a weightlifting champion and an international referee, I started at the age of eight and I joined the national team when I was 15.
How does the physical preparation of the sport differ from other weight related sports like powerlifting and bodybuilding ?
Weightlifting's most important aspects are speed, flexibility and explosiveness. We need flexible fast twitch muscles, unlike stiff and strong bodybuilding and powerlifting muscles. The movements need speed unlike the Bench, Deadlift and Squat. Our sport is a compound sport that focuses on five different movement patters that need to be implemented correctly.
Lots of fight sports like boxing and wrestling incorporate weight lifting into their training routines. What advice would you give them ?
Weight lifting is now featured in every sport not just combat sports. It increases explosiveness, overall strength and speed.
Do most Athletes use weight lifting with high volume or high weight. It differs according to each athlete's goal, if the goal is to build stamina, you need low weights high reps. But if the goal is to increase strength you need high weights with low reps, with high resting periods and lots of jumping moves.
You need to apply a proper weightlifting program with your training regime to reach your goals, not just following routines on the internet.
What diet plans do weightlifters follow ?
Depends on the weight class you compete in, in addition to the time you have before the competition. Following high protein diets will lead to an increase in weight class due to increase in muscles mass. If you want to cut weight you need to watch your calorie intake.
Can someone find world class success at your sport if he starts late ? Most Sports need you to practice them from a young age in order for your body to adapt to the techniques.
It's really hard for someone to succeed at this age if he started late. Normally you need about 12 years of practice before finding world glory.
What's your upcoming tournament schedule?
I have the African Tokyo qualifying championship taking place tomorrow, then 3 other tournaments in order to fulfill the number of tournaments needed to qualify for the Olympics.
Moving on to Nema Said:
Nema Said is a sensational athlete who reached world class fame at only 17 years old, she started the game really young and has ever since won an array of world titles, most recently won 3 gold medals in past march in the weightlifting world championships held in The United States.
Where are you from and when did you start the sport ?
I'm from El-Ismailia, I started the Sport when I was in 6th grade, 11 years old.
What inspired you to be a weightlifter ? A family member or someone else?
No family member of mine is a weightlifter, I really liked the game from a young age and Sarah Samir, the multiple time world champion is a close family friend.
Does the conditioning of the sport for females differ than that of males ?
both are one and the same, the only difference is males are naturally stronger so they tend to lift more weights, but the conditioning programs are mostly one and the same.
What about the diet plans?
Depends on the weight category, but I would also say one and the same based on body mass.
Finding great success at only 17 years old, what advice would you give young athletes willing to partake in the sport ?
persistence and courage are the key, you need to believe in yourself no matter how hard the circumstances, if you want to achieve something you must be willing to overcome all obstacles in order to succeed.
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