Philosophical Weightlifting Podcast

(Note: Alex's origin story ends around ~35:00. After that, we start discussing more applied coaching and sport science topics.) Alex Borgs joins the podcast to discuss an unconventional journey that took him from Germany to Wyoming football, military service, coaching, and ultimately a PhD in Sport Physiology and Performance at East Tennessee State University. In this episode, we discuss the c...

The podcast welcomes back one of its most beloved guests, Max Aita! In this episode, we discuss the Enhanced Games! We deep dive into Max's commentary, the structure of the event, its future, and why this is a great situation for the sport of weightlifting. Enjoy. Follow Max and CoachLogik: https://www.instagram.com/max_aita/ https://www.coachlogik.com/ Follow me and get coaching: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

The podcast is back! After finishing up nearly all of my school work and research, I have time to dedicate to the podcast again. What other way to reintroduce the show than with an episode featuring the Voice of the People, Seb Ostrowicz! In this episode, we recap the continental championships, including Euros, Pan Ams, and Asians, covering the most impressive performances, categories, and the imp...

Miranda Ulrey has competed with and beaten the best of the best. She's a junior world champ, Pan Am champ, and plans on making a statement at the Olympic Games in 2028. Even with a huge social media following, no other podcasts or interviews exist that deep dive into her background as a competitive weightlifter. In this episode, we discuss her introduction to the sport, what's kept her com...

This goes down as one of my favorite episodes of the podcast! I had the honor of speaking with Celia Gold about her journey from an obsessive CrossFit competitor to a weightlifter who is competing on the international stage for Israel. We discuss competing at the Arnold on the Rogue Strength stage, sharing the platform with some of the best athletes in the world. We talk about the chaos of competi...

There is a growing popularity in high frequency SBD (squat, bench, deadlift) training. Is it a fad or something worth incorporating into your program? In this episode of the podcast, Max and I discuss: High frequency SBD Testing vs training Skill development, as it relates to strength How coaches can improve their own philosophies and skill sets Follow Max and sign up for CoachLogik: https://www.i...

Everyone loves a classic podcast episode. That's exactly what Seb and I delivered: discussing a recent 215kg squat "controversy", USAW's finest athletes, and how Weightlifting House is breaking the clothing game! Follow Seb and WH: https://www.instagram.com/seb_ostrowicz/ https://www.instagram.com/weightlifting_house/ Follow me and get coaching: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instag...

Caden Cahoy isn’t “new”— he’s been lifting since he was 8. But the last year made something obvious to the whole world: he’s not just talented… he’s one of the best in the world. We talk legacy, pressure, and the long game: Florida’s weightlifting pipeline and growing up in the sport Why strength isn’t always the first superpower—and how he’s building it now The 85kg move: maturity, mass, and the...

In this episode, I’m joined by Max Aita for a wide-ranging coaching conversation sparked by our trip to Seoul, South Korea for IDFPA Worlds. We talk peaking and tactics, why the best programs often look “boring,” and how better execution beats better programming for real lifters with real lives. We also dig into: Principle-based training vs. chasing optimization How coaches get “less wrong” over t...

This week, I was joined by Brandon Victorian — Team USA weightlifter and one of the most physically imposing athletes in American weightlifting — to talk about the journey from garage to world stage. Brandon walks through how he found weightlifting through football, bodybuilding forums, CrossFit, and eventually a weightlifting club that changed everything. We trace his rise from local meets to nat...

Sign up for the Power and Strength Summit (Jan. 24th/25th) to hear Shyam's presentation: https://powerandstrengthsummit.com/ This week, I sat down with Shyam Chavdar for a deep dive into applied sport science in elite weightlifting . We begin with a case study following Cyril Chachet , the first refugee weightlifter to compete at the Olympic Games. Shyam walks through coaching and monitoring a...

Sign up for the Power and Strength Summit (Jan. 24th/25th) to hear Andrew's presentation: https://powerandstrengthsummit.com This week, I sat down with Andrew Stuart to talk about what sport science looks like outside of the lab . Andrew walks through how monitoring and assessment systems are built in environments with limited staff, time, and resources. We discuss needs analysis, selecting me...

Sign up for the Power and Strength Summit (Jan. 24th/25th) to hear Sergii's presentation: https://powerandstrengthsummit.com/ In today's episode, Sergii and I sat down to unpack one of the most insightful projects in weightlifting: the complete training log of Ruslan “Uncle Rus” Nurudinov. We walk through how this project came to life, why analyzing a full preparation from an Olympic champ...

Sign up for the Power and Strength Summit (Jan. 24th/25th) to hear Chris' presentation: https://powerandstrengthsummit.com/ This week I’m joined by Dr. Chris Taber, one of the most frequent guests on the Philosophical Weightlifting Podcast, to talk about something that separates “I think this is working” from “I know it’s working”: How to build an athlete testing & monitoring battery. We d...

This week, I sat down with Derek Miles to talk about the gray area where rehab and performance overlap. Derek works daily with strength athletes navigating pain, injury, and the messy process of getting back to overloading training. We discuss how to think about injury beyond simple labels, why most issues are really scaling problems, and how coaches can keep athletes training without being reckle...

This week, I sat down once again with Seb Ostrowicz — founder of Weightlifting House, commentator, and professional voice-note philosopher — for a conversation that’s a little different from our usual banter on weightlifting Xs and Os. We use the upcoming Power and Strength Summit (January 24–25) as a backdrop to dig into mentorship: Who counts as a mentor? How do they shape our careers and lives?...

This week, I sat down with Stephanie Mock Grubbs — former Division I athlete, collegiate S&C coach and athletic director, and now Major League strength coach with the Houston Astros — to talk about what high performance really looks like over a 162-game season. We discuss how she uses microdosing strength training in-season, what it means to lift when every day is game day , and how she finds...

This week, I sat down with Dr. Lee Bell — researcher, practitioner, and senior lecturer in Sport & Exercise Science — to explore one of the most misunderstood areas in strength training: how hard we should train. Lee has spent years studying overreaching, deloading, and the messy realities of bridging science with practice. We dive into his recent squat-overreaching study, the challenges of de...

This week, I sat down with Leo Totten — coach, educator, and founder of Totten Training Systems and East Coast Gold Weightlifting. Leo has spent over five decades shaping American weightlifting as an athlete, coach, and mentor. We discuss the evolution of training — from learning the Olympic lifts out of old Strength & Health magazines to building one of the most successful club systems in the...

This week, I’m joined by Seb Ostrowicz of Weightlifting House to break down the IWF’s new bodyweight categories and what they mean heading into LA 2028. We get into: - Why the new classes were created and how the IOC forced the reshuffle - The 65/75/85/95/110/+110 and 53/61/69/77/86/+86 structure and where it makes zero sense - Who wins, who gets screwed, and why some lifters now have to make insa...

This week, I sat down with Dr. Chris Taber — researcher, sport scientist, and professor at Sacred Heart University — to unpack the art and science of program design. We dive into how hypertrophy, novelty, and creativity fit into long-term athlete development, and why variation may be the key to sustaining progress. Dr. Taber also shares findings from his latest research comparing traditional and m...

This week, I’m joined by Dani Myers Glynn — better known as @DaniLiftsHeavy — alongside today's co-host Mandi from the Two Girls, One Bar podcast. We discuss Dani’s prep for the upcoming IDFPA World Championships in South Korea and what it really takes to get butt-ass strong . We break down the training model that’s carried her from Nationals to Worlds, including how we’ve shifted from traditi...

This week, Jessie Stemo joins me for a wide-ranging conversation on building a career in weightlifting. We dig into her journey from “hobby land” coaching to doing it full-time, and what it really takes to make coaching sustainable in a sport without much money. Jessie shares how she balanced one-on-one coaching with scalable team programming, the importance of brand and team identity at Power &am...

After a brief hiatus, Jessie Stemo and I are back! This week, we dive into the art of meet week preparation — from tapering, warm-ups, and attempt selection to the mental side of competition. Jessie shares her perspective on building confidence and helping athletes manage nerves on competition day. We also touch on her international career — from youth Pan-Ams to lifting in Russia and Japan — and...

I’m joined by none other than Jessie Stemo (Power & Grace Performance) to dive deep into variations and progressions that create elite-level technique. We also talk block design (consolidating stressors, sequencing variation → specificity), anchoring with heavy sets, and using cues athletes can actually feel (e.g., “feet hit = bar racked”). Coaches and lifters who want cleaner lifts and smarte...