The USA Weightlifting Podcast

Cara Heads Slaughter joins the USA Weightlifting Podcast again this week to touch on an often overlooked topic amongst both coaches and athletes; mental health. In this episode, our coaches are giving their experiences and recommendations on navigating your mental health, how weightlifting can help improve mental toughness, how to identify issues sooner, and tips for improving clarity. What you’ll...

Today on the USA Weightlifting Podcast we’re talking about the art of programming for weightlifting. Whether you’re developing a program for yourself, or for your athletes, we have some simple rules to follow when it comes to volume control, exercise variability, and progressive overload. What you’ll learn: How to choose appropriate volume/ sets, reps When to switch up your routine How often shoul...

Pedro Meloni is the USAW Director of Events and Sponsorships. In today’s episode Pedro joins us with all the details on what to expect and how to prepare for the first in-person national meet since the start of the COVID pandemic. Be sure to tune in on tips for hotels, car rentals, weigh-ins, and the new safety protocols that will be in place for this meet. What you’ll learn: Tips for making weigh...

We’re excited this week on the USA Weightlifting Podcast to re-release one of our favorite and most downloaded episodes on a very common fault that need not be ignored. Do you lift your toes in the pulling phase of a snatch and/or clean (specifically with the bar at around the level of the knee)? In this episode we’ll be getting into why this happens, why it’s far more optimal for you to keep your...

This week on the USA Weightlifting Podcast, Chad and Cheryl are giving their personal advice on how to prep before a competition. From what foods you should be putting into your body, to choosing your first attempts, this episode is full of key takeaways that are sure to help you optimize your performance on the platform. What you’ll learn: Fueling up before competition Counting your attempts Plan...

Mike Conroy has been a staple in the USA Weightlifting community now for almost 40 years. During that time we’ve seen him in the trenches of competition as an athlete and coach, as well as serving as an official and a member of many committees within the organization. Alongside all of this he was a public high school biology teacher for 35 years of which he retired from in 2012. Coach Conroy combi...

Welcome back to another week of the USA Weightlifting Podcast. Today we dig deep into the snatch as we’re taking you through from start to finish. This will include a detailed understanding of what needs to happen in order to execute this competition lift with confidence and precision during each component of the movement. What you’ll learn: Mobility Rhythm & speed Start position Above knee positi...

Meredith Alwine is a 22 year old, 71kg, American weightlifter who holds multiple American records, and is on her way to set even more. This episode covers an important, yet often over looked topic in the sports world including depression, suicide idiation, and body image. In this episode, Meredith shares her experience and struggles with body image and anxiety, and how finding olympic weightliftin...

This week on the USA Weightlifting Podcast we’re dissecting all parts of the Push Press and how it can translate into a better jerk. We’ll be getting into the execution of the push press, owning the front rack position, choosing an appropriate grip, as well as breathing tips and body alignment with the bar. This episode is all about why you should be adding more push presses into your program for...

Happy New Year from the USAW family! Today’s episode we’ll be covering the power of self talk and building your confidence. No matter what your goals are, we all have the ability to achieve our wildest dreams. Whether it's competing at a national level, or hitting a new PR; setting goals, creating positive affirmations, and surrounding yourself with a support circle are all simple tools that can g...

Dr. Aaron Horschig, founder of Squat University, joins the USAW Podcast for the second time to discuss his upcoming book, “Rebuilding Milo: The Lifter’s Guide To Fixing Injuries…”. Today’s episode is dedicated to understanding human movement and how minor imbalances can be keeping you away from big weights. In this episode we’ll be going over common areas of pain for weightlifters and how to prope...

2020 has been an interesting year to say the least. With the holidays and new year right around the corner, Chad and Cheryl are giving tips that will help you tackle the new year with a better mindset. This week, we’re talking about guidelines for getting yourself back into training, staying motivated, and setting realistic goals in order to optimize future training. Whether you’ve taken some time...

Coach Danny Camargo joins us for another episode this week to talk about the 2020 Nationals this past weekend that was recently switched from in-person, to online competition. We’ve got some tips and insight on what to expect when participating in an online competition, as well as some key take-aways from the weekend. Danny also dives into some technique talk, including his experience working with...

Welcome back to another episode of the USAW podcast. Joining us for the second time is Suzy Sanchez, Director of Outreach and Scouting for USA Weightlifting.. In this episode we’re talking about the current happenings in the IWF, positive changes USAW has been able to make in developmental programs and outreach programs including the High School Throwdown and the Club Showdown. Tune in for more in...

Dr. Tamra Wrobleski joins us again for a part 2 on pelvic health. This week we continue the conversation on what’s normal and what’s not normal when it comes to bowel health as well as the 5 Pillars of gut health. Be sure to check out our first conversation for more on why athletes should be thinking about their pelvis. What you’ll learn -The 5 pillars of gut health -How to go to the bathroom corr...

James Tatum is a 3-time National Champion and author of “The Physically Prepared Weightlifter”. In today’s episode James is talking about the need for general physical preparation in the sport of weightlifting, and defines exactly what that is. He explains that only when it is sustainable for the individual, will it assist with progress and performance, as well lead to health and longevity. What y...

USA Weightlifting CEO, Phil Andrews, joins us for another update episode to discuss some of the recent happenings in the sport of weightlifting including some details of the upcoming American Open finals in Atlanta, some insight of the potential 2021 schedule, and the recent hot topic of the IWF Reform. What you’ll learn: -American Open finals in Atlanta -Potential danger for the sport of weightli...

Dr. Tamra Wrobleski is a doctor in physical therapy, specializing in pelvic health. In today’s episode we’re talking about why weightlifters should be concerned with their pelvic health more than any other athlete when it comes to general wellness and peak athletic performance. If you’re experiencing pain during sex, bladder problems, or even hip pain, this is definitely an episode you don’t want...

Sarah Davies has been recently appointed as the chairperson for the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Athletes’ Commission. Despite her busy schedule she’s making big strides for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics as well as using her newfound position to speak out about drugs and corruption in the sport of weightlifting. Please join us in this episode as we talk about how to support clean athlete...

In this episode of the USA Weightlifting Podcast we’ll be digging into Olympic-lifting in CrossFit. We’ll also be looking at the dominant performances by the 2020 CrossFit Games champs, Tia Claire Toomey and Mat Fraser as well as their extensive backgrounds in the sport of weightlifting. Is there some correlation between weightlifting and being successful in CrossFit? We’ll be diving into these qu...

This episode is dedicated to USAW’s recent online women’s camp where we covered pelvic health, body image, and confidence. All three of these factors play a huge role on how we perform on and off the platform, as well as our mental health. This episode has tons of key tips that you can use in your training and to help you live a happier and healthier lifestyle. What you’ll learn in this episode: T...

Joining the podcast today we have Danny Ear and Chris Amenta from Onyx Straps. We’ve got exciting news coming this weekend pertaining to a new product launch from our partners at Onyx, as well as an inside look at the athletic achievements from your favorite hosts Chad and Cheryl. In this episode we’ll be getting into the new wrist wraps coming out from Onyx as well as the importance of long term...

Welcome back to another episode of the USA Weightlifting Podcast. We’re back with more technique talk this week, diving into some of the most practical drills for fixing common faults in the clean, snatch, and the split jerk. Tune in to find out more about how you can dial in your movement efficiency and keep hitting PR’s on all your lifts! What you’ll learn in this episode: What to do if you’re n...

This week on the USA Weightlifting Podcast, we’re kicking things off with another technique talk episode. We’ll be diving into some of the best drills to fix bar crashing in the clean, as well as some of the best mobility drills that you can start implementing in your warm-ups. What you’ll learn in this episode: What is crashing and how to correct it The proper way to catch and receive the bar Mob...

David Tao, of the Barbend.com, rejoins the USA Weightlifting Podcast this week to talk about the first ever national level virtual competition happening live this coming weekend, September 17-20. In this episode David shares some insight on what other sports have done with virtual competition and how it's going to influence this year's American Open Series 3. We’re all truly excited for this uniqu...