COACHES

I feel lucky enough to have found Olympic weightlifting in 2018 after fifteen years of gymnastics, a few years of sprints, hurdles, high jump, and shotput, and one year of collegiate rowing. I started Olympic weightlifting my second year in college, and I joined University of Michigan Weightlifting soon after. I was drawn to the technicality, focus, and intensity that Olympic weightlifting requires. The sport quickly became a priority in my life because of both the competitive atmosphere and the community that came with it.

I trained as an Olympic weightlifting athlete for the University of Michigan for three years, and through the few short years we have been around, we were able to grow as individual athletes as well as a club. As a club, we trained at a few gyms prior to Wolverine Strength & Conditioning, but Wolverine made us feel at home as we worked to find a space that would accommodate a growing weightlifting team. We are incredibly grateful that Wolverine Strength & Conditioning welcomed us to train in their space, and we are even more grateful for the connections we have made along the way.

After graduating from the University of Michigan, I knew I wanted to do more for the gym and the community that has given me so many things to be grateful for. I get excited about anything related to movement (hence the degree in Movement Science), and coaching at Wolverine lets me share my excitement with those who also enjoy movement in various forms, like CrossFit classes, weightlifting, cardio, or any functional fitness exercises.

As a coach, my goal is to educate and empower each athlete, whether it be through teaching and guiding athletes through complex Olympic lifts or encouraging them through a tough workout. Specific to Olympic weightlifting, I want to help others see the complexity of the Olympic weightlifting movements, but also break the lifts down into comprehensible movements to lead to a better understanding and subsequently a better performance and movement efficiency when completing a snatch or clean & jerk. One of my favorite parts about being a coach is working with an athlete over time and understanding what cues work (and what cues don't work) for that athlete in a given workout to help them move well and get the job done. Overall, I love that I can help others get in a good workout, teach others more about fitness, and create lasting connections all at the same time.

I coach Olympic weightlifting classes as well as Cardio HIIT classes, and I am also an assistant coach for the University of Michigan Weightlifting team.

Relevant Certifications

 

• Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
• CPR/AED (American Red Cross)
• Michigan Sport-Related Concussion Training Certification (Michigan Concussion Center and Michigan NeuroSport)
• BS Movement Science, University of Michigan

Alex was a high school football athlete who loved the weight room. To continue improving, he decided to learn more about athletic training, lifting weights and general fitness. After spending most of his high school dedicated to sports and fitness he decided he wanted to make a career out of it. He discovered CrossFit while researching training & fitness certification courses and thought it looked like a lot of fun so he signed up! Immediately afterwards he joined a local box, fell in love with the awesome community and began coaching. Eventually he came to Wolverine Strength to continue learning the in's and outs of coaching while helping others better themselves daily. Alex enjoys every aspect of the coaching profession but spending time each day getting to know people and improve their lives is what he finds fulfilling.


Relevant Certifications:

• CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
• Precision Nutrition Level 1
• Aerobic Capacity Coach

A fitness professional since 1999, Mike O'Brien's mission is to serve the community by providing coaching, programming and customer service of the highest quality. He demands continuous improvement in these areas, from himself and his staff. Mike has coached over 100,000 athletes and has logged over 100,000 hours training others. To develop and refine his skills as a fitness trainer, Mike has worked with over twenty established personal trainers, group fitness instructors and coaches. But Mike has never settled in his study-he is always working to learn new coaching skills, new methods of injury prevention and new ideas for fitness programming. Prior to his career in athletic training, Mike was an early childhood educator for a decade, until a back injury inspired him to learn about human physiology. That study ignited a passion to teach others about injury prevention, and prompted Mike to shift his educational focus to athletics. His keen interest in injury prevention has never died, and Mike is known for taking great interest in his clients' injuries, demonstrating specific stretching and strengthening techniques to assist in recovery and developing modifications of exercises to allow clients to continue making fitness strides without exacerbating existing injuries.

Relevant Certifications:

• CPR and First Aid
• CrossFit Level 1 and 2
• CrossFit Coaches Prep Course
• CrossFit Endurance
• CrossFit Gymnastics
• CrossFit Kettlebell
• CrossFit Kids
• CrossFit Powerlifting
• USAW Level 1