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The Best (And Worst) Weightlifting Jokes: Part Two

By Josh Cox · Aug 20, 2026
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Well, you asked for it. Our first collection of weightlifting jokes went down a treat, so here’s Part Two. Same rule as before: the worse the pun, the better. Got one we’ve missed? Fire it over to josh@liftingtimes.co.uk and we’ll add the best of the worst to the pile.


I’ve got a cracking joke about the clean & jerk — but it still needs a bit of work at the top.


My coach promised the snatch would change my life. He wasn’t wrong: now I can’t pick anything up without chalking my hands first.


Why did the weightlifter bring a ladder to training? Someone told him the bar had been set high.


What’s a weightlifter’s favourite kind of music? Heavy metal — ideally with a bit of Eleiko on it.


Why was the weightlifter so relaxed under the bar? He’d finally learned to just let it float.


I asked a lad at the gym if he did Olympic lifting. “Yeah,” he said. “Bench.”


Why did the barbell go to therapy? It was carrying way too much emotional weight.

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What do you call a lifter who won’t share the platform? Selfish. And one who will? A spotter.


My doctor told me to watch my weight — so now I keep it on the bar where I can see it.


PBs are like buses. You wait months for one, then miss three attempts in a row.


What did the empty barbell say to the lifter? “You plate me.”


What’s the hardest part of Olympic weightlifting? Explaining that it isn’t powerlifting.


I tried to come up with a squat joke — but I just couldn’t get low enough.


What do you call two coaches arguing about the second pull? A tug of war.


My snatch is so ugly the judges gave me three white lights out of sympathy.

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How can you tell someone does Olympic weightlifting? Don’t worry — they’ll tell you. Twice. Before they’ve even re-racked the bar.


Groaned at least twice? Then our work here is done. Send us your worst — and do share this with the training partner who deserves it.

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Josh Cox
Written by
Josh Cox

Josh is the editor of Lifting Times, a former GB weightlifter and British record holder. He won the international Grand Prix in Fulda in 2011, and was a 2012 Games Maker and Olympic Torch Bearer. He coaches privately and in groups, and is a member of St Birinus Weightlifting Club in Didcot.

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