4x Irish National Champion
Irish World & European Championships Team Athlete
3x US Team National Champ
Multiple US National Medalist
Snatch 152kg
Clean & Jerk 192kg
Squat 275kg
NSCA Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS)
USA Weightlifting High Performance Team Coach
Jamaican Weightlifting Team Head Coach
Co-Head Coach of 2x University National Champions
USA Weightlifting National Referee
Carolina Weightlifting State Organization Board Member
CrossFit Football Certified Trainer
B.A. English Literature
After spending my youth playing hockey, football, and rugby, I became very passionate about physical training and teaching others. I began learning as much as I could about strength & conditioning, in the hopes of becoming a collegiate strength coach. I believe in leading by example, which lead me to learn olympic weightlifting from Coach Glenn Pendlay, a Senior International Coach who lived in San Ramon, California at the time. Little did I know, Coach Glenn and the sport of weightlifting were about to change my life. I continued developing as a coach but chose weightlifting as my own personal form of training. I had the opportunity to tryout for and join Team MDUSA, the only privately funded weightlifting team in the United States, where athletes were paid a stipend to train nine times a week and compete to win National and International medals. In this time, I was mentored by Coach Pendlay and others like Don McCauley, Travis Mash, and Chris Wilkes. My athletic career led me to many incredible places, including becoming National Champion of Ireland in multiple categories and representing the Republic of Ireland at international competitions. Three of my teammates were Team USA Olympians and many other National Champions. During our time their we earned the title of Team National Champions multiple times. The sport of weightlifting allowed me to have a fulfilling life as an athlete, meet my wife, and develop a business. While I have thoroughly enjoyed being a competitive weightlifter, every step onto a platform and every experience was my personal development as a coach. By undergoing this process, I better understand the rigors and challenges athletes face in their careers, which will far surpass my own achievements.
With injury closing my career, I returned to the real reason I started weightlifting at all: coaching. I believe coaching is a rewarding undertaking that should be treated with the same professionalism as any other career. In weightlifting, the idea of making a career as a coach is a very new one in the US with most coaches only pursuing this as a hobby in addition to a "normal" job. I have dedicated over a decade to no other profession than full-time coaching in my own gym or others across the country. During this time I've worked with athletes of all skill abilities ranging from elite weightlifters, athletes in the NFL, MLB, or NCAA, to the everyday parent who is pursuing longevity. I have been fortunate to coach weightlifters onto Team USA, National Medals, and Masters World Championships. In my work with the USAW High-Performance Team, I serve as Head Coach of our Junior National Teams in International Competitions. I have led the Jamaican Weightlifting Federation to its largest delegations and highest performances at a Commonwealth Games in its history. Alongside my friend and co-head Coach Travis Mash, my time at Lenoir-Rhyne University allowed our student-athletes to become Back-to-Back Collegiate National Champions.
I carry all of this experience with me into my favorite place to coach everyday at Charlotte Strength. While I love being involved in High Performance, or cracking a complex problem for an experienced athlete, my favorite thing to this day is teaching someone how to use a barbell for the first time. I believe investing health and personal development is essential for a fulfilling and long life. Sharing that belief with others and helping them in anyway to embark on that journey is why I coach. I hope when you walk into Charlotte Strength that supportive feeling is what you note more than anything else we do.
