# Is this young woman too fat or does she need her bulk for her sport of weightlifting?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-young-woman-too-fat-or-does-she-need-her-bulk-for-her-sport-of-weightlifting/625812>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [June 21, 2012, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-young-woman-too-fat-or-does-she-need-her-bulk-for-her-sport-of-weightlifting/625812 "2012-06-21T03:23:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-young-woman-too-fat-or-does-she-need-her-bulk-for-her-sport-of-weightlifting/625812/61 "2012-06-26T04:02:26Z")

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> [@Telemark](#):
>
> The goal is not to be strongest. The goal is to lift the most weight according to the rules of the sport. In some cases, with the amount of muscle being equal, having more weight is advantageous.

What exactly do you have in mind here? I can understand the distinction between being stronger and lifting more weight when we’re talking about raw vs. shirted benches or other similar stuff, but it’s not clear how you can snatch more weight than another guy without being stronger if the only difference is fat mass.

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**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-young-woman-too-fat-or-does-she-need-her-bulk-for-her-sport-of-weightlifting/625812/62 "2012-06-26T04:50:27Z")

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> [@ultrafilter](#):
>
> What exactly do you have in mind here? I can understand the distinction between being stronger and lifting more weight when we’re talking about raw vs. shirted benches or other similar stuff, but it’s not clear how you can snatch more weight than another guy without being stronger if the only difference is fat mass.

I’m not sure but I’d wager that he’s talking about technique and how added mass from fat can aid in certain lifting techniques, unique to Olympic lifts, that are advantageous for the competitor.

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-young-woman-too-fat-or-does-she-need-her-bulk-for-her-sport-of-weightlifting/625812/63 "2012-06-26T11:14:25Z")

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> [@ultrafilter](#):
>
> What exactly do you have in mind here? I can understand the distinction between being stronger and lifting more weight when we’re talking about raw vs. shirted benches or other similar stuff, but it’s not clear how you can snatch more weight than another guy without being stronger if the only difference is fat mass.

I’m not an experienced power lifter, but others here have suggested that the added weight can act as a counterbalance in some lifts.

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