Mike
Head Coach, Forza Olympic Weightlifting Club
Mike has been involved in the sport of weightlifting and the strength and conditioning field for over 30 years. Mike served as High Performance and Coaching Education Director for USA Weightlifting, and was Competition Director for the weightlifting event at the 1996 Olympic Games, the 2009 Pan American Championships, as well as two USA National Championships, National Junior Championships, and the 1992 Olympic Trials.
He has coached international and national championship athletes including competitors in multiple World, and Junior World weightlifting Championships, and was personal coach for the 2000 Olympic gold medalist, Tara Nott-Cunningham.
Mike has served as Manager of Coaching for the United States Olympic Committee, and Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Chicago Bulls/Vermeil’s Sports Performance. In addition to weightlifting and strength and conditioning, Mike has also coached track & field at the collegiate and junior college level.
Certificates
MS (Masters of Science)
CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist)
USA Weightlifting Senior International Coach
Programs Coached
Forza Olympic Weightlifting
David
Director and Head Coach, Forza Olympic Weightlifting Club
David developed a love for training and all things physical performance related in High School as an athlete who played football, competed in wrestling and track and field. He had an opportunity to refine that drive while serving 5 and ½ years in the U.S Army, most of which was spent in the prestigious 101st Airborne. While in the military David spent time as unit fitness instructor, unit combative instructor as well as designing his units Physical Fitness training regimen.
David has been a lifelong proponent of strength training and after finishing his service in the military, he discovered the sport of Olympic Weightlifting. Since discovering this sport he has done everything possible to learn as much as he can about it and how to help others reach their goals as well. Although weightlifting is a huge passion for David, his biggest passion in life is helping others. Through coaching he gets to express this passion and will do whatever he can to help you succeed.
Certificates
USAW L1 Sports Performance Coach
USAW L2 Advanced Sports Performance Coach
USAW International Coach
First Aid/CPR
Programs Coached
Forza Olympic Weightlifting Team
Mike T.
Fit To Perform/Assistant Forza Coach
Mike started strength training in high school. Competed in Powerlifting for a couple of years in college. Been doing weightlifting for the last year. Training has always been apart of my life from training for baseball and basketball as a kid to training for Weightlifting now.
I got into this field thanks to coaching and mentorship of Tim Piper.
From Lake in the Hills, IL.
Graduated from Western Illinois University in May of 2017 with Bachelor's in Exercise Science & Minor in Nutrition.
Internship with University of Illinois at Chicago Strength & Conditioning Department From January to August 2017.
Graduated from Western Illinois University in August 2019 with Masters in Kinesiology with an Emphasis in Strength and Conditioning & Sport Psychology.
Certificates
MS (Masters of Science)
CSCS (Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist)
USAW L1 Sports Performance Coach
USAW L2 Advanced Sports Performance Coach
First Aid/CPR
Programs Coached
Fit To Perform/Forza Olympic Weightlifting Team
Chawkeen
Part-Time A3 CrossFit Coach
Chawkeen- "I've always been active ever since I can remember. I grew up playing sports and backyard games. There wasn’t much that I wasn’t willing to try or didn’t interest me when it came to extracurricular activities. It was a matter of what I came across and tried that got me hooked. I like to say that I didn’t choose the fitness life, the fitness life chose me.
Ever since I was younger I spent time in and around the gym until I was able to find my own way. I have my family to thank for that as well as those who influenced and motivated me, which gave me the mentality of always wanting to improve and become better.
I honestly never thought I’d getting into coaching in the realm of fitness until the opportunity presented itself to me and I found that it was something that was up my alley. I also enjoy helping other succeed and do better in what they are doing. It was around my late teenage years that I took on coaching as a career and then soon after CrossFit found me and I have been doing it ever since about around the time of summer 2013 which is when I began to take it more seriously and begin the lifestyle and began to train and compete. After a few years of that I figured it was time for me to coach it as well, now that I had earned my experience and learned what I could. I felt it was time to expand my knowledge and teach others. It’s one of the many things I enjoy doing."
Certificates
CrossFit Level 1
USAW Level 1 Sports Performance Coach
Programs Coached
A3 CrossFit