Weightlifters enjoy company at training camp

For many of America’s top weightlifters, they spend hours alone training at home. 

The USA Weightlifting Elite Athlete Training Camp at No Excuses CrossFit was an opportunity to get the athletes out of their home gyms, around their peers, and some in-person coaching. 

“For us, we don’t have a national training center. We don’t have one coach telling everybody what to do everyday,”  said Mike Gattone, the Senior Director of Sports Performance and Coaching Education for USA Weightlifting. “So I hope everytime we’re together for like this it is a little bit more of a movement toward a national paradigm understanding we’re all on the same team and want the same thing. We’re all using the same technical cues. That’s what I hope out of this.”

All the athletes agreed it was nice to be around other elite weightlifters for a few days. That high-level of competitiveness was on display on Saturday during the final session of the four-day training camp.

“We had some really big lifts today. Hampton Morris came in and set American records and that was awesome,” Gattone said. “CJ (Cummings) did a really big 185 (kilo). Meredith Alwine did big lifts today. A lot of really cool stuff today.”

Morris is one of the nation’s top Junior weightlifters. The Marietta, Ga., native had a 110-kilo snatch for two and a 135-kilo clean. 

With the camp wrapping up, Team USA will now focus on the Roma 2020 World Cup in Rome, Italy on Jan. 27-31. 

“Thank you No Excuses, again,” Gattone said. “It’s been an amazing space and a really nice atmosphere here and very friendly people. It’s been awesome.”