Seth Tom is our latest featured athlete! Seth is a 16-year old weightlifter from San Francisco, California who currently competes in the 55 and 61 kg weight classes. Seth won the championship title in the 56-kg weight class (16-17 age group) at USA Weightlifting's 2018 Youth Nationals in Grand Rapids, Michigan in June 2018. [...]
Steroids. Testosterone. Human Growth Hormone. These performance enhancing substances are prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) when present in the body in high concentrations. Did you know that you can reap the benefit of these and other performance-enhancing substances, however, in a completely legal--and healthy--way through food? Here are 15 performance enhancing foods to [...]
Olympic weightlifting requires more than strength. It requires mobility, or flexibility through a range of motion. An athlete with limited mobility can still lift weights, but the athlete cannot reach his full potential as a weightlifter. For instance, an athlete who struggles to maintain an upright torso in the bottom of a squat can compensate [...]
What do kids like? According to Shiloh Ellis, youth athlete and coach, "Kids like games." At 12-years old, Shiloh is likely the youngest CrossFit and weightlifting coach in the United States. Shiloh is so passionate about coaching that he completed a CrossFit Level 1 course and received a special certificate for his efforts. Shiloh recently [...]
I recently observed an athlete perform 20 power jerks, 10 split jerks, 25 clean and jerks, 6 minutes of plank holds, and then finish by completing 120 dumbbell thrusters at 60% of bodyweight. All of the athlete's work was technically sound, and the athlete made no misses despite going up to 90% on the clean [...]
The countdown is on for USA Weightlifting's (USAW) National Youth Championships, aka Youth Nationals, and tensions are rising. Among the stressors is . . . body weight. Weightlifting is a weight class sport, which means that athletes only compete with others in their same weight range. This will be our family's fifth Youth Nationals, and [...]
After preparing my son for five USA Weightlifting Youth Nationals, I have become an expert—not because I have done so many things right, but because I have done SO. MANY. THINGS. WRONG. Let me spare you the agony of my mistakes— Daytona Beach. The mere mention of this city sends shivers down my spine. Daytona [...]
No parent wants to think that his or her child could be abused by a coach, teammate or even a friend. Unfortunately, ignoring the issue of abuse will not make it less likely. In fact, it may make it more likely because your child will not have the tools necessary to identify and expose the abuse. [...]
With Youth Nationals a mere five weeks away, and a registration deadline of May 17, 2018, it is time to make a decision: Go to Youth Nationals or Not?! Participation in USA Weightlifting's National Youth Championships, aka Youth Nationals, has exploded in recent years. In 2017, around 900 youth athletes participated in the competition held [...]
“Real results in weightlifting are born of longevity,” Ursala Garza, Vice President of the International Weightlifting Federation, poignantly observed during a recent Catalyst Athletics podcast. History supports this observation. The average age of an Olympic medalist in the sport of weightlifting is 25 for men and 24 for women. The average years of training to [...]
