The USA Weightlifting Podcast

Please welcome David Tao, Editor and Cofounder of barbend.com. David is a veteran of the health & fitness industry with nearly a decade of experience building and running editorial teams in the space. He also serves as a commentator for both National and International weightlifting competitions. In today’s episode David is here to announce the coming launch of the official BarBend Podcast as well as give some tips on social media, the USAW and BarBend partnership, and to highlight some of the success of the USA Weightlifting team. Be sure to subscribe to his new Podcast!Topics:04:55 - Social media today10:10 - Growth in weightlifting 35:03 - USAW & Bar Bend partnership39:02 - Success of the USAW team48:17 - Bar Bend PodcastLinks:barbend.com RomWOD.com

This week on the USA Weightlifting Podcast, please welcome the great Leo Totten. Leo is the founder of East Coast Gold Weightlifting and has led the club to 20 National Team Titles; one of his many accomplishments as a staple in our community that culminated with his induction into the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame in 2018.Today Leo joins us on the USAW Podcast to talk about what it takes to be a champion, starting the East Coast Gold team, old school versus new school coaching methods, and lastly, how to build a growth mindset. If you loved this episode please be sure to leave us a review and share us with your fellow lifters!Topics:04:15 - Starting a weightlifting team09:08 - Early coaching career15:50 - Old School vs. New School26:20 - Assessing Strengths & Weaknesses37:05 - What makes a champion?50:03 - Working as a Team Leader in the Olympics

This week on the USA Weightlifting Podcast, please welcome the great Leo Totten. Leo is the founder of East Coast Gold Weightlifting and has led the club to 20 National Team Titles; one of his many accomplishments as a staple in our community that culminated with his induction into the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame in 2018.Today Leo joins us on the USAW Podcast to talk about what it takes to be a champion, starting the East Coast Gold team, old school versus new school coaching methods, and lastly, how to build a growth mindset. If you loved this episode please be sure to leave us a review and share us with your fellow lifters!Topics:04:15 - Starting a weightlifting team09:08 - Early coaching career15:50 - Old School vs. New School26:20 - Assessing Strengths & Weaknesses37:05 - What makes a champion?50:03 - Working as a Team Leader in the Olympics

This week marks the final week in our countdown of easily applied tips to help improve your Olympic lifts and build confidence as you get under the bar. In this week’s episode both Cheryl and Chad will be encouraging you to set a date to test yourself from all the hard work you’ve been putting in on the training platform. Whether this is a competition or a day in the gym at the end of a cycle, this date will serve as a source of motivation and accountability, elevating your focus and training to a new level.For those of you that choose to compete, the hosts will be going over a few of the things that happen once you sign up for your first competition! Regardless if you’re new to olympic lifting or a seasoned vet, there is no perfect time. There is so much you can learn from competing, and in this episode you’ll learn a few pointers on developing the skill of competing, and the biggest differences between training and competing. If you loved this episode please leave us a review and share us with a friend!Topics:03:00 - Competing for the first time11:37 - Lessons from competing19:00 - What kind of athlete are you?27:05 - Biggest takeaways from weightlifting 40:10 - Pick the date!Links:How To Compete Guide RomWODWeightlifting 101

This week marks the final week in our countdown of easily applied tips to help improve your Olympic lifts and build confidence as you get under the bar. In this week’s episode both Cheryl and Chad will be encouraging you to set a date to test yourself from all the hard work you’ve been putting in on the training platform. Whether this is a competition or a day in the gym at the end of a cycle, this date will serve as a source of motivation and accountability, elevating your focus and training to a new level.For those of you that choose to compete, the hosts will be going over a few of the things that happen once you sign up for your first competition! Regardless if you’re new to olympic lifting or a seasoned vet, there is no perfect time. There is so much you can learn from competing, and in this episode you’ll learn a few pointers on developing the skill of competing, and the biggest differences between training and competing. If you loved this episode please leave us a review and share us with a friend!Topics:03:00 - Competing for the first time11:37 - Lessons from competing19:00 - What kind of athlete are you?27:05 - Biggest takeaways from weightlifting 40:10 - Pick the date!Links:How To Compete Guide RomWODWeightlifting 101

Welcome back to the USA Weightlifting Podcast. Today we’re on our 2nd to last tip to help improve your lifts in the weight room. This week we’re looking at the benefits of holding your reps after completion. Whether your snatching, cleaning, jerking, or even standing with the bar during squats, there is a huge benefit in developing your support position by establishing proper alignment and structure in the end range of these positions. Be sure to tune in this week to learn more about finding a new level of balance and support while under load. If you enjoyed this episode please be sure to leave us a review and share our podcast with a friend.Topics:11:44 - Holding onto the bar when your finish a rep 22:05 - Holding in the front rack30:00 - Anti-shrugging35:15 - Overload quarter reps

Welcome back to the USA Weightlifting Podcast. Today we’re on our 2nd to last tip to help improve your lifts in the weight room. This week we’re looking at the benefits of holding your reps after completion. Whether your snatching, cleaning, jerking, or even standing with the bar during squats, there is a huge benefit in developing your support position by establishing proper alignment and structure in the end range of these positions. Be sure to tune in this week to learn more about finding a new level of balance and support while under load. If you enjoyed this episode please be sure to leave us a review and share our podcast with a friend.Topics:11:44 - Holding onto the bar when your finish a rep 22:05 - Holding in the front rack30:00 - Anti-shrugging35:15 - Overload quarter reps

This week on the USA Weightlifting Podcast, your hosts Chad Vaughn & Cheryl Haworth are getting into yet another easily applied tip to help improve your lifts in the weight room. This episode marks number 3 on the countdown of 10 in our series - the hook grip! The hook grip is the most preferred gip for all olympic lifters - if you’ve never heard of the hook grip then this episode is going to explain what the hook grip is, why we use it, as well as some specific exercises for you to try out in order to get more comfortable with the new positioning of your hands around the bar. We’ll also be getting into some situations when we prefer NOT to use the hook grip, and finally, learning how to release the hook grip when we’re catching the bar overhead or in the front rack position. We hope you enjoy this episode and would love for you to leave us a review and share our podcast with your fellow lifters. Thanks again and happy lifting!Topics:02:00 - Why we hook grip16:00 - When NOT to hook grip22:05 - How to release the hook gripLinks:www.romwod.com

This week on the USA Weightlifting Podcast, your hosts Chad Vaughn & Cheryl Haworth are getting into yet another easily applied tip to help improve your lifts in the weight room. This episode marks number 3 on the countdown of 10 in our series - the hook grip! The hook grip is the most preferred gip for all olympic lifters - if you’ve never heard of the hook grip then this episode is going to explain what the hook grip is, why we use it, as well as some specific exercises for you to try out in order to get more comfortable with the new positioning of your hands around the bar. We’ll also be getting into some situations when we prefer NOT to use the hook grip, and finally, learning how to release the hook grip when we’re catching the bar overhead or in the front rack position. We hope you enjoy this episode and would love for you to leave us a review and share our podcast with your fellow lifters. Thanks again and happy lifting!Topics:02:00 - Why we hook grip16:00 - When NOT to hook grip22:05 - How to release the hook gripLinks:www.romwod.com

This week on the USA Weightlifting Podcasts, your hosts, Chad Vaughn and Cheryl Haworth will talk you through another tip on our count down of 10 easily applied tips to improve your lifts. In this episode they will be getting into a simple concept to add to your training in order to perfect your jerk, as well as any other movement that requires a “dip”. Be sure to listen in to find out how pausing in your dip can improve your timing, allow for a smoother decent, and a more powerful change of direction and upward drive of the bar. We’ll also be looking at some common faults while dipping, as well as what to look for if you're videoing your lifts. Topics:04:25 - Common faults in dips08:30 - Slowing down & pausing 23:45 - Time under tension & change of direction37:00 - Power jerk vs split jerksLinks:www.romwod.com

This week on the USA Weightlifting Podcasts, your hosts, Chad Vaughn and Cheryl Haworth will talk you through another tip on our count down of 10 easily applied tips to improve your lifts. In this episode they will be getting into a simple concept to add to your training in order to perfect your jerk, as well as any other movement that requires a “dip”. Be sure to listen in to find out how pausing in your dip can improve your timing, allow for a smoother decent, and a more powerful change of direction and upward drive of the bar. We’ll also be looking at some common faults while dipping, as well as what to look for if you're videoing your lifts. Topics:04:25 - Common faults in dips08:30 - Slowing down & pausing 23:45 - Time under tension & change of direction37:00 - Power jerk vs split jerksLinks:www.romwod.com

This week on the USA Weightlifting Podcasts, your hosts are back with more tips to help improve your lifts to ensure you’re getting the most out of every training session. This episode is all about the clean and jerk and how to solidify your grip for the clean as well as getting into the right positions for proper execution. Some specifics we’ll be diving into include bar contact, defining the first and second pull, transitioning into an optimal jerk position, as well as shining some light on a few things that could be taking away from your mobility. If you loved this episode please leave us a review and share the podcast!Thank you all for the support!Topics:05:01 - Bar contact08:15 - Defining 1st & 2nd Pull27:15 - Hands too narrow35:00 - Common limiters on your mobility46:30 - Transitioning to the jerk Links:RomWOD.com - Optimize your Range of Motion

This week on the USA Weightlifting Podcasts, your hosts are back with more tips to help improve your lifts to ensure you’re getting the most out of every training session. This episode is all about the clean and jerk and how to solidify your grip for the clean as well as getting into the right positions for proper execution. Some specifics we’ll be diving into include bar contact, defining the first and second pull, transitioning into an optimal jerk position, as well as shining some light on a few things that could be taking away from your mobility. If you loved this episode please leave us a review and share the podcast!Thank you all for the support!Topics:05:01 - Bar contact08:15 - Defining 1st & 2nd Pull27:15 - Hands too narrow35:00 - Common limiters on your mobility46:30 - Transitioning to the jerk Links:RomWOD.com - Optimize your Range of Motion

Welcome back to another week of The USA Weightlifting Podcast. Today’s episode is great for athletes and coaches alike, looking to perfect their craft. On this week’s episode your hosts will be talking about the importance of slowing down. Believe it or not it’s not that easy to get athletes to slow down. In this episode we’ll be learning about how slowing down can help you move better, improve your strength, and ensure that you’re getting the most gains as possible during your lifts. If you loved this episode please share it with a friend and don’t forget to leave us a review!Thank you all for the support!Topics:03:00 - Slowing down to move better23:20 - Tricks to slow yourself down30:30 - Breathing36:05 - Slowing down for strength with temposSponsors:ROMWod.com - Optimize Your Range of Motion

Welcome back to another week of The USA Weightlifting Podcast. Today’s episode is great for athletes and coaches alike, looking to perfect their craft. On this week’s episode your hosts will be talking about the importance of slowing down. Believe it or not it’s not that easy to get athletes to slow down. In this episode we’ll be learning about how slowing down can help you move better, improve your strength, and ensure that you’re getting the most gains as possible during your lifts. If you loved this episode please share it with a friend and don’t forget to leave us a review!Thank you all for the support!Topics:03:00 - Slowing down to move better23:20 - Tricks to slow yourself down30:30 - Breathing36:05 - Slowing down for strength with temposSponsors:ROMWod.com - Optimize Your Range of Motion