Weightlifting Coaching

Coaching is temporarily paused September 1-19.

Resumes September 22 with expanded hours and services! You can expect:

Weightlifting Club
Weekdays, 5:30-7:00 pm (+ earlier/later)
Group sessions with ongoing coaching in a supportive community. Helps form and keep a fun weekly lifting routine. Optionally train for quarterly meets — lifting parties at the gym! Follow club programmed workouts or your own training.

Weightlifting Club Onramp
Weekdays, 2:30-5:30 pm & 7:00-8:30 pm
90 minute personal sessions for newcomers. Includes snatch, clean & jerk, and other lifts used in training. Graduates are cleared to join club sessions. Beginners learning the lifts can expect 3 or more sessions, others maybe just 1 for intake.

Personal Coaching
Weekdays, 2:30-5:30 pm & 7:00-8:30 pm
45-90 minute personal sessions suited to you, your goals, and your training. Excellent for focused improvement in weightlifting technique, consistency, and confidence.

Individualized Programming
Accelerate your weightlifting progress with monthly training tailored to your needs and goals. Ongoing adjustments ensure the time you spend training is as effective, efficient, and satisfying as possible.

In the meantime, RCF Barbell SODO is still open for unsupervised training to gym members and guests with passes. Until coaching resumes, it's a great opportunity to explore weightlifting educational resources, pick something of interest, and practice applying it.

I offer group in-person Olympic weightlifting coaching for athletes of all levels, including beginners trying weightlifting for the first time who may not have any prior barbell or strength training experience. Coaching sessions are a safe and supportive environment for developing weightlifting technique, leading to consistency, strength, confidence, and power.

For beginners the session format is a class with a fundamental and scalable workout including a short warmup, snatch and clean & jerk overview and practice, and some strength building work. For more independent athletes following their own training program the session format is simply coached hours.

Coaching Sessions
🗓 Monday - Friday
⏰ 5-7pm (new hours soon!)
🌎 RCF Barbell SODO
🧭 2227 4th Ave S
Seattle, WA 98134

News

Sign Up & Payment

Step 1: Sign up

Join a session

Coaching sessions are booked in advance. Walk-ins may not be accommodated if that session did not have any sign-ups.

Step 2: Pay

RCF Barbell affiliation Per session payment
⭐️ Non-members / guests Guest payments
💖 RCF Barbell members Member payments

Payments are due at arrival or made in advance.

All payments are made online here. For the ease of my bookkeeping, please no cash or other modes of payment.

The most cost effective option depends on how frequently you attend coaching sessions and if you're a member of RCF Barbell. (RCF members only of the Main Gym on 11th are considered guests of the barbell club.) We love new barbell club members!

⭐️ Are you a guest attending 1x per week or 4x per month? Or even more frequently?
💖 Then consider becoming a member of RCF Barbell ($99/month) for the best coaching rate.

Contact

💌 Email me

🫙 Tip jar

FAQs

What if I can't be there for the whole session, such as arriving late or leaving early?

No problem! A session is just a window of time to receive coaching, and we'll aim to get the most out of the time we have. However if you're running extremely late to a session and it no longer feels worth attending you should skip it and sign up for a future coaching session instead. Any payment already made can be applied to that next session.

What should I bring?

Workout clothes that are comfortable when raising your arms overhead, squatting down low, and jumping. Because weightlifting technique involves brushing the barbell close to your legs and torso it may be helpful if the workout clothes aren't extremely baggy, and some people prefer to have those areas protected with fabric to prevent accidentally scraping skin. There is a drinking fountain, but you might want the convenience of a water bottle. If you have weightlifting / squatting shoes with a raised heel please bring them, otherwise any athletic shoe will do, the flatter and firmer the sole the better.

Do you offer programming?

I will be offering programming soon! Stay tuned.

Currently I provide a beginner workout to follow when first learning weightlifting that primarily focuses on developing fundamental technique and secondarily builds some strength. Once your goal shifts from learning the lifts to increasing the weight you can lift well I recommend following a more structured training program. Until my programming service is up and running, in the meantime I suggest starting with either of these options from Catalyst Athletics:

Once you've completed at least one beginner/starter program you're ready for standard weightlifting training. Until my programming service is up and running, in the meantime I suggest one of the Catalyst Athletics group training programs which have options for training 5, 4, or 3 days per week for $35/month. If you'd like to source your programming from elsewhere, I suggest avoiding programs from Torokhtiy because they have too much volume at too low percentages. There are Rain City Fit personal trainers who may be able to provide you with weightlifting programming.

Is there a physical therapist you recommend?

Absolutely! Dr. Jeremy Kirschner

Events

Quarterly Gym Meets

Weightlifting meets happen quarterly at RCF Barbell SODO. These meets are not sanctioned USAW competitions, but rather informal opportunities for athletes to participate in some aspects of the meet format. They are occasions to train for and cheer each other on. Perfect for beginners to the sport or just having a structured lifting day for fun.

Learn more and register for the next meet.