Excerpt from Optimal Weightlifting

There are two categories of lifts in international weight lifting first the snatch and then the clean - and-jerk (in that order). In the snatch, the lifter must take the weight in a single motion from the ground to above his head, arms extended. In the clean - and - jerk, the lifter first cleans the weight (brings it up to his chest) then thrusts it above his head, or jerks it. Each lift category is run as a separate competition; however, one's overall score is the sum of the separate scores in the two categories.

In each category the lifter faces the problem of selecting weights. A competitor has a maximum of three lift attempts in each category. His score in that category is the weight he lifts on his best lift. He cannot, however, go down in his selected weight. Once a weight is selected for a lift, the weight chosen on the next lift must be at least as high. A lifter who attempts too little may have almost no chance of winning; a lifter who attempts too much may have a significant chance of bombing out (scoring zero).

In previous work consideration was given to the problem of optimizing performance within a single lift category. This paper expands those results. In particular, the joint, two - lift problem is explicitly treated. A theorem is proven indicating when separate, independent consideration of the lift categories will lead to an optimal, joint policy. In addition, the important problem of updating strategy during competition is considered: if the favorite bombed out of the snatch in a particular competition, one's strategy in the clean-and-jerk should incorporate that information.

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