weight lifting

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'The Mountain' Just Deadlifted More Than Anyone Ever Has

Hafthor Bjornsson lifts 1,104 pounds, breaks world record

(Newser) - The Mountain is at the top of the deadlift world. Game of Thrones actor Hafthor Bjornsson, who played Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane in the HBO series, set a deadlift world record by lifting 1,104 pounds on Saturday, the AP reports. Bjornsson, the 2018 World’s Strongest Man , made...

Internet Freaks Over Pregnant Weight Lifter

But Lea-Ann Ellison feels great, experts say she knows what she's doing

(Newser) - Lea-Ann Ellison, a dedicated CrossFit follower and expectant mom, is now on the receiving end of quite a bit of Internet vitriol after pictures of her lifting weights (and not exactly tiny weights) two weeks before her due date went viral. The pictures were posted on Facebook , with captions like:...

Vegans Turn to Bodybuilding
 Vegans Turn to Bodybuilding 

Vegans Turn to Bodybuilding

Animal-free dieters find ways to bulk up competitively

(Newser) - A new trend is sprouting in the sport of bodybuilding: veganism. A burgeoning group of competitive weight-lifters are turning to an all animal-free diet, reports the New York Times . It's a challenge because the vegan diet can be dauntingly limited for bodybuilders, who need a sufficient amount of amino...

USC Star Recovering After Surgery on Crushed Throat

Tailback suffered mishap in weight room

(Newser) - USC tailback Stafon Johnson is in critical but stable condition and communicating nonverbally after surgery to repair a horrific weightlifting injury. Teammates say Johnson was bench-pressing yesterday and accidentally dropped the bar on his throat. After 7-plus hours of surgery, during which doctors realigned Johnson’s larynx, the athlete is...

FDA Warns Against Steroid-Laced Supplements

(Newser) - The FDA has issued a serious warning urging consumers to steer clear of bodybuilding supplements advertised as containing steroid-like substances, the Los Angeles Times reports. The products are unapproved drugs, not dietary supplements as claimed, and adverse effects include kidney failure and major liver damage, officials warn.

Michelle Breaks Out Killer Accessories: Her Arms

Once again, first lady opts for a summery look in winter

(Newser) - Washington is freezing cold, but last night Michelle Obama strode into Congress wearing a sleeveless dress, her bare arms on display. It's hardly the first time recently she's gone sleeveless, notes Jodi Kantor of the New York Times: from a photo op in the White House kitchen to the...

Britain Bumps Medal Count on Day 11
 Britain Bumps 
 Medal Count on Day 11 
OLYMPICS

Britain Bumps Medal Count on Day 11

3 more golds give 2012 host nation total of 16, best haul since 1908

(Newser) - Britain’s Olympic team added a 16th gold medal today, a total not seen since the 1908 Games, Reuters reports. Christine Ohuruogu took first in the women’s 400 meters—the country’s first track victory in Beijing. Bahrain’s Rashid Ramzi won the men’s 1,500 meters, giving...

The Price of Reaching the Top
 The Price of Reaching the Top

The Price of Reaching the Top

Chinese weightlifter left her family as child

(Newser) - Nearly all of Chin'a Olympic athletes come out of the country’s sports boarding schools—a system that depends on the dismal prospects of the country's poor. "A rich person would never let his child do this," the father of Athens gold medalist Chen Yanqing tells the Wall ...

Post-Saddam, Bodybuilders Let 'Er Ripple

Pumping iron is hugely popular among Iraqis, despite dangers

(Newser) - Iraqi bodybuilders have long needed nerves of steel to pump iron. Under Saddam, only officially connected Iraqis could join gyms, and the average weightlifter was forced to use makeshift equipment. But after Saddam, a flood of Iraqis seeking lucrative security jobs hit the gyms. The result? Extremists began targeting bulging...

Lift Weights, Reap Hefty Benefits
Lift Weights, Reap Hefty Benefits

Lift Weights, Reap Hefty Benefits

Strength training provides health benefits that aerobic workouts can't

(Newser) - Pumping iron has long been known to improve strength and prevent injury, but evidence increasingly points to a wide range of other benefits, writes Judy Foreman in the Boston Globe. The findings—decreased heart disease and neck pain, improved metabolism and balance—are driving groups such as the American Heart...

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