How did you get into Olympic weightlifting? My mom is probably the main reason. But, when I was still in the Marine Corps I used CrossFit type training to PT my squad and through that I eventually took more of a liking to the “lifting” portion of the workouts and I haven’t turned back since.
How did you come across BlueWave? My wife Nikki and I were moving from Hawaii to Fort Worth and needed a new gym so we did some research and found ourselves at BlueWave. Boring answer, but we had been lifting in the corner of a CrossFit gym for a while, so being that BlueWave was an actual weightlifting gym, and we had never lifted in one before, it was perfect.
What do you think of Coach Chris Lofland? I could give you a laundry list of reasons why Coach Chris is an amazing coach, but the main reason is because of his investment in his athletes. If you ever see his computer screen, he has like 80 tabs open with programming, research, etc. Speaking for myself, he is all in when it comes to my goals and future. Very few people (Chris and Nikki) know my actual goals and he is fully invested in every one of them.
Favorite lift? The jerk because at the end of the day you NEED to make jerks in order to compete, unless you have an obnoxiously high snatch.
How many hours a week do you spend in the gym? It depends on what part of the cycle, but I guess around 20-ish. The closer I am towards a big meet, or a peaking phase of a cycle, I like to spend less time at the gym and more time on recovery.
In your opinion what are the most important attributes for an athlete to have if they wish to become a successful weightlifter? Being able to prioritize your focus and energy into literally each and every part of your life. There’s a lot more to weightlifting than just the lifts. Being able to dial in nutrition, sleep, recovery are all equally as important as showing up to train everyday. That with the addition of drive and courage.
Who inspires you? Easy one, that would be my incredible wife Nikki who is also a weightlifter on the Blue Wave team as well. Seeing her dedication that she puts into every aspect of her life inspires me to be a better person and athlete. Also, the fact that I am able to lift everyday is pretty inspiring; there are a lot of people out there that would do anything to do what we do on a daily basis.
What’s your favorite performance meal? I have never thought of this before because I eat pretty much the same exact thing everyday, but I would have to say my breakfast which is a glass of OJ, a bagel with cream cheese and some oatmeal.
Favorite cheat meal? There are quite a few, but I would say a real fatty ribeye off the grill.
What is your most memorable lift? Probably the 190 kg clean and jerk I hit a couple weeks before this past Nationals in Memphis. It was a personal best that gave me a ton of confidence before heading out to Memphis to lift.
Are you training for anything specific currently? Yes, the American Open Finals that will be held in Salt Lake City this December.
What fitness goals do you have in the next 6-months/year? To improve on deficiencies and continuing to be a better athlete in and out of the gym.
What do you like to listen to when training? My go to is my “Discover Weekly” on Spotify which is a playlist that changes every Monday and has new music based on my preferences. Other than that, I listen to rap, punk rock, edm, metal, and orchestra music.
