The Basics
The sport of Olympic Weightlifting consists of two lifts; the snatch and the clean & jerk. In the snatch, the lifter lifts the barbell from the floor to overhead in one smooth movement. In the clean & jerk the lifter first lifts the bar from the floor to the shoulders (the clean) and then lifts the bar from the shoulders to overhead (the jerk).
The Snatch
Competition
In a competition, the lifter has three attempts at the snatch and three attempts at the clean & jerk. The weight of the best lift from each movement is combined to give the lifter a total. The heaviest total wins the competition.
The Clean & Jerk