Hey all — looking for coaching recommendations and figured this would be a good place to ask.
I’m a raw masters powerlifter who just totaled ~1400 at my last meet. Long-term, I’m building toward a 1500 total, but I’m not chasing a rushed timeline. I don’t feel my most recent platform performance fully reflected my current capacity, and I’m looking to tighten up the process so my totals match my actual strength more consistently.
I’ll be upfront as well: over the years I’ve coach hopped (4 coaches over 10 years), often in search of the “right” fit. At this point, I’ve realized that part of my next step forward is committing fully, buying in, and giving a sound approach the time it deserves rather than constantly evaluating week to week.
I’m specifically looking for a coach who: • Works with advanced raw lifters • Understands fatigue management and recovery for masters lifters • Is comfortable programming ~5 training days/week • Prefers one primary lift per day (I don’t respond well to stacked comp lifts) • Programs with clear intent per session (no filler or “just show up” days) • Adjusts based on athlete response, not rigid templates
Would be committing through a meet and looking for someone who can fully own programming decisions while using feedback and data intelligently
If you’ve worked with a coach you respect (or are a coach yourself) who sounds like a fit, I’d appreciate any recommendations or experiences you’re willing to share. Feel free to reply here or DM.
Thanks in advance — I’m trying to make a thoughtful, long-term decision rather than rushing into the wrong setup.
Swede Burns
Hey, I was on the masters national team in 2023 and there were two coaches I really respected through all of it:
Ronnie Vallejo with Axis Training Systems. He coaches Pat Johnson, who is just a beast (look her up) and he flew out to Mongolia with her. Another athlete on the team ended up hiring him right after because of how impressed we were with him.
Sam Calhoun. Not sure if she’s taking more clients right now, she’s shifted her focus over the past couple of years, but worth an ask. She coaches multiple masters lifters and obviously has done ok for herself as well.
My husband and I coach everyone together! We have an impressive international roster, experience working with athletes aged 12 to 50+, tested and untested, raw and wrapped, including adaptive athletes. Our personal totals are 2309 and 1107, and we’ve been competing for over a decade each. We’ve travelled internationally to compete and coach, Justin has lifted in the Animal Cage the last 2 years, and he just did an episode on Table Talk. This is all we do, tbh, and we’re incredibly passionate about helping people get stronger.
Im in your area (Iowa) and coach a lot locally in the Midwest--you can find me on IG @teamkeough or visit my site www.jointeamkeough.com. I'm in your price range and would be happy to schedule a consult with you to see if it's a good fit! Coaching is my full-time occupation.
That said, you have a coach you've previously worked with who knows you and worked well with you, so my first (unbiased) recommendation would be to keep that relationship strong and work with the coach who has already delivered good results.
My coach is based out of Daytona Beach FL, her coaching is $150 a month for full coaching, not just programming Her name is Lindsay Gray and she is an ABSOLUTE gem, I’d highly recommend her
I see you’re in Florida, I’d consider Evan Hawk. He’s local to Florida so he could handle you at comps in person, very knowledgeable and multiple high level lifters in the IPF/Powerlifting America.
I’m in Illinois
does this work even with the bench? what i do is squat bench and dl bench as bench tax me a lot less
Curtis Miller from Ironbound Strength. Worked with him for about a year, had a great meet prep and meet. I worked with him primarily virtually with video reviews for technique every week. He’s a good dude, will get you strong as hell, and will get you a good roadmap to the results you want, while managing fatigue smartly and working around any injuries.
I’ll check him out! He on Instagram?
He sure does!
@curtismiller_ironbound
Matt Sharafinski is my coach and he’s great. He comments here often, I’ve just forgotten his username off the top of my head
This is his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_sheriff_lifts?igsh=a3dobGhrcmVzZmFp
He’s one I used! I had some decent progress with him but then my wife and I were expecting our fifth child and I stopped working with him. I reached out to him on Instagram but hadn’t heard back. He’s in the same state as me as well
He’s taking a week break until 12/27
It might be until after Christmas till he gets back to you
That makes sense. I did refill out his consultation as well. I’ll be more patient since it is the holidays!
I'm a master lifter myself, and I have the experience you are seeking. I just totaled 1559 at 164.4 BW Raw last weekend. I have been self coached my whole 11 year career. Currently 49, and started at 38.
Don’t forget that you went extra raw on deadlift
No belt for that 617lb deadlift!
I was wearing tighty whities!
Very strong! And you program for yourself? How do you structure your program?
I have always programmed myself. I have programmed/coached over 100 athletes the last 7 years or so. I use Sub-maximal DUP as a backbone, while writing for each athlete individually on a daily basis, and while you state that you don;t like stacked comp lifts, I subvert that mostly with variations, so as not to limit frequency, which inhibits motor pattern reinforcement.
You on Instagram? I’ll reach out there if so!
yes. lentiniliftsheavy is my main page and my gym IG is ironempirebarbellclub
I reached out!
You should really look into local powerlifting coaches then. If you go to a powerlifting gym (i.e warehouse gym with a ton of calibrated plates and combo racks usapl flags, uspa flags, etc) and ask the owners who is offering coaching services which is local; most of these coaches have a small number of clients and also work out at the gym which you can match with having your lifts accommodating what you want and with a added benefit of keeping you accountable. Usually these start actually budget friendly ~60 dollars a month (don't pay for 100+ unless the coach has multiple clients who hit national qualifying totals)
I’ve used juggernaut for the past few years to go from a ~1450 total to 1631 at my last meet. People talk shit about it but for the price I don’t know anything else that compares.
I used them as well and had good luck with it in the past. But looking to get with a coach to be a little more optimal
I worked with Performotion in the past and they sound like they might be a fit - big focus on technique efficiency, intelligent programming and performance. They also do per session check-ins with a 24hour turnaround
What’s your budget?
I don’t want to go above $150 monthly since this is a hobby.
Are you looking for just programming, or feedback on videos?
Coaching in my opinion would be looking at technique for inefficiencies as well as programming
I’d look into Activated Performance with Dr Seth Albersworth. I think it’s $99/mo via the Skool app, and it’s an jnsane value for what you get.
I’m gonna keep it 100 here-if you’re coach shopping, you might want to reframe your mindset from “open to committing through a meet” to actually be committed to a coach through a meet. If you’re a serial program hopper, this perspective has likely held you back. JMO.
I’m also not sure there are a lot of 1:1 coaches out there that fit the degree of specificity you’re asking for that also meet your budget.
Apologies- I would definitely be committing through a meet/and probably multiple meets as I try to compete twice per year.
When I say I’ve program hopped/coach hopped- I’ve had had a couple coaches that lasted multiple years or through a long stretch of time. Been powerlifting about 10 years now- and have had 4 different coaches. The majority of the movement has been through recent years where I had to put powerlifitng aside for life on 2 separate occasions.