JustLift

Training Camp was a blast!

Last weekend we put on the first training camp we've had since we closed our own facility back in 2020. It's been a long time since we've had this much fun coaching in-person.

What we love the most about doing these is that everyone walks away believing they're capable of more. Heavy bars were lifted, fun was had, and some folks even set some new PRs in their lifts!

A big thanks goes to our pals, , for providing us with such a fantastic facility to host this at.

Look for us to do more of these in the future!

Who wants to go to (Training) Camp?

The last time we held a training camp was in 2019. We're excited to finally be back to hosting one of these this weekend with our pals .

These gatherings aren't just about lifting weights with the pals, however. They're about getting BETTER. To give you folks an idea of what goes on at one of these, this is the schedule for our upcoming event.

Friday - Diagnostics
Our first workout's all about getting to know the athletes. We'll be going through some medium-weight complexes to see what everyone's good at and what needs work.

Saturday AM - Max Sn**ch, PM - Max Clean and Jerk
It's not a Training Camp if you're not going heavy. These workouts start with a light warm-up to prime everyone for some big lifts. Heavy lifting at camps is somehow just always... better?

Sunday - Assistance (i.e. Squats) + De-Briefing
Maybe we go heavy, maybe we don't? This might be the most important day because this is where everyone gets individual feedback and training.

Everyone needs to finish the camp experience feeling like they've gained clarity on their training, knowing exactly what they need to do to become a better lifter.

For everyone who's already signed-up for the camp this weekend, we're getting real excited to work with you!

If you'd like to attend, there's still time! Click the link below.

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/justlift-training-camp-tickets-403639545747

What a weekend! The team CRUSHED IT.

If you follow us, you know we're all about momentum. gave us our start, putting it all together to take Gold in the W64.

Our M81s were next. .collins97 is coming into his own. This was his second ever meet. 5/6, total PR, and a Bronze. Watch as this guy grows! has grown out of his handle. Pre-"The Thing," Nick was one of the promising, young pups of the team, and now he's one of the leaders, taking Male Best Lifter this past weekend, nabbing Gold in the M81.

In the next session we had , .lifting.gal, and . You could say Christina had a rough start; we say she got the opportunity to prove her gameness. After making a do-or-die Sn**ch on her third attempt, she'd end up finishing with a Bronze in the W81. Nancy's comeback is in full-effect. She went 6/6 and took Gold in the W81. Julia followed a similar path. Telling long-covid to f**k itself, Julia'd go 6/6, finishing with Gold in the W87 and taking Best Female Lifter for the meet.

Our last session was capped off by .m.a. and . Mark started the day feeling rough, but would surprise himself, exceeding our total target, and finishing with Gold. Nic continued his streak of excellent finishes, going 5/6, setting PRs in... well, everything, and also taking Gold.

Apart from Team JustLift nabbing all the hardware like we used to, this meet was also special in that we saw a big contingent from Ottawa. It was a treat watching former JustLift athletes and leading their athletes to success. It's a privilege to be a part of , and an amazing experience to see old friends leading their own packs of lifters.

As always, a big thanks is due to the and for putting on an excellent meet. If you're only a lifter, you have no idea just how much energy and sacrifice goes into officiating and hosting these competitions. Until the next one!

**ch

We're pumped to announce that Nick () is now officially part of the coaching team at JustLift!⁠
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Nick began training with us back in 2017, and has gone from being a brand new lifter all the way to a contender on the national scene. More importantly, he knows our approach to training exceptionally well. ⁠
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Nick will be expanding our reach not only through in-person coaching, but also by adding to both our online program library and remote, one-on-one coaching services. ⁠
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We hope you're as excited as we are about what's going to be possible with him on board!⁠
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**ch

First meet in Ottawa in two years was a success!

Because our schedules weren't crazy enough, we held a club meet the weekend after Nationals. Whatever. Ottawa needs more Weightlifting! We had a fantastic time last weekend putting together something that's been a long time coming: a competitive collaboration with our friends .

It goes without saying, but so far, whoever's been managing the 2020s has really - and I mean REALLY - dropped the ball. As cliché as it sounds, this meet was that moment of hope we've been patiently waiting for.

We were stoked to see some familiar faces like our friends club and ! We were also pumped to see lots of new faces from the Landmark community checking out our sport! However, what might have really made the weekend was seeing proof of the community we built before "the thing" showed up.

For one, folks from our Online Ontario Competitive Team who competed CRUSHED it. For many, this was either their first competition ever or their first time being coached by us in-person. , , , , , and .collins97 all lifted really well! We knew we could make an online club work, but we didn't know it would work this well! However, perhaps the most important part was seeing how that prior commitment to the team mattered presently...

Full stop, this meet would not have happened without the strength of our community. Many of our pre-20s members showed up to compete, help, or both. Special thanks goes to , .davidson, , , .pelletier, , , along with Ontario lifting great, Dan Robitaille, who all volunteered their time to ensure we had an even better competition than expected. They were the figurative glue that kept this whole thing from falling apart!

Fingers crossed that this is the beginning of a competitive lifting scene in Ottawa again!

**ch

Obligatory Nationals '22 Recap.

What can we say? Nationals '22 was a blast! Such a blast that it's hard to narrow down what it is we actually want to highlight.

This year's event was different... and not just because it's the first in-person nationals we've had since "the thing" showed up. Normally we're 100% focused on performance. This year? Performance still mattered... just not like before.

Don't get us wrong; outcomes are still cool. It's just that this one, for us, was much more about being a lifter. The highlights:

1️⃣ Seeing all the pals from ...
2️⃣ Seeing all the pals from ...
3️⃣ Eh, f**k it. Seeing ALL the pals from .

It's true. Doing really hard things with other people creates a feeling of connection that just can't really be put into words. Some of those moments...

Coach working side-by-side with ...

Watching and duke it out in one of the best sessions any nationals has ever had...

Seeing nailing her first 100kg CJ...

Bringing new, Ontario coaches into the performance world like ...

Hell, just being a part of a brand new generation of lifters' first nationals experience was a treat.

We're especially proud of our own competitors in and . Both showed exemplary grit in making it to this meet, and likewise, both of them proved why they belong on the platform. In fact, we probably wouldn't even still have a club if it weren't for these two.

In the end we're all a bunch of weirdos who obsess over how to throw the heaviest bars possible overhead.... and for .lifting.gal and I, we wouldn't have it any other way.

Thank you to everyone who made this event what it was, from our hosts , to our team leader , our federation , and everyone else who came out to support Canadian weightlifting. Until the next year!

**ch

**ch

So maybe this online club thing works?

We had a blast coaching our athletes this weekend at the Ontario Masters Open 2022! There was a lot more at stake than usual. For all of our athletes competing this past weekend, it was their first experience interacting with us in a competition context.

We've coached and remotely for a few years now. Getting to coach them in-person has been a longtime coming. It was a relief to be able to deliver here.

Laura finished with a 🥉for her category, a fantastic feat given being ill just before the competition. Nic finally broke a multi-year streak of rough competitions, earning himself his first 6/6 finish. We're amazingly proud of how these two did!

had a great meet, finishing with a🥇, nearly matching the seniors qualification total for the W64. Lindsay is among the very first to join our Online Ontario Team. What a way to set the tone for the group! Next up for Lindsay is Master's Worlds.

We want to thank and all of the athletes, coaches, officials, and spectators that make up the Ontario weightlifting community! After all the nonsense from that thing we still don't want to talk about, it's been a real comfort to see so many familiar faces again. Until the next one!

**ch

Back on the road!

Coaches and .lifting.gal are on the road for the Ontario Masters Open in St. Thomas this weekend! This meet's actually going to be special for us...

For one, this'll be the first time we've had enough masters athletes to put together a team! More importantly, however, this will also be the first time we coach most of these athletes competitively.

and have worked remotely with Greg for years. Between schedules not working, and the last two years of that "thing' we don't want to even mention anymore... it's been a long time coming!

will be setting the tone for our Online Ontario Team. She'll be the first of the club's new, distance team to compete with us!

Wish these athletes luck!

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**ch

🐛

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A tough start with a great finish...

Winterlift was a bit of a rollercoaster for the team this year. We had initially started with team of 6 that was whittled down to 2 a week out from the event. Not gonna lie... Coach .lifting.gal and I were frustrated, even a little disappointed... But that's a sh*tty attitude. We're not sh*tty coaches.

Best foot forward, right? Well, I'm glad we put the effort into being positive instead of giving in to being negative. We had a BLAST.

Athletes and both went 6/6. Julia took Silver, putting up one of her best totals in years, and getting back on the national circuit. Nick made a competition PR in his Sn**ch, and all-time PRs in his Clean and Jerk and Total. Can't complain about that!

One of the best parts of these meets - especially post-2020 - is getting to see the community. Before Covid, these meets were entirely a competitive event for us. These days I'm just happy to be a part of a community that cares about something meaningful.

We want to thank for putting on a stellar event as well as the association crew for, as always, making events in our sport possible. And of course, all lifters, spectators, and the Ontario weightlifting community at large.

Until the next one!

**ch

Train to WIN.

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**ch