Coaches Only - March 16/17 2024

Dr. Aaron Cunanan is currently the Director of Applied Sports Science for the Cincinnati Reds. Before joining the Reds, Dr. Cunanan served as the Performance Support Manager for the UFC Performance Institute. He was previously the Sport Science Coordinator for the San Francisco Giants.

Dr. Cunanan completed his PhD in Sport Physiology and Performance from East Tennessee State University, during which he served as an Assistant Coach and Lead Sport Scientist at the U.S. Olympic Training Site for weightlifting. He completed his bachelor’s degree in Sociology and master's degree in Kinesiology and Wellness from Louisiana State University Shreveport and was an assistant coach at the USA Weightlifting Center for High Performance and Development in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he worked under the legendary Dr. Kyle Pierce.

Dr. Cunanan will break down the technique of the snatch and clean and jerk, informed by his time analyzing the movement of World and Pan American-level weightlifters for his dissertation. This includes the most commonly observed bar paths and body positions, elucidating individual differences that can be applied to any athlete.

Spencer Arnold is the Founder and Head Coach at Power and Grace Performance. He founded Power and Grace in 2014 as a way to help athletes achieve their personal goals and pursue greatness in all they do. Over the years, Spencer has enjoyed watching athletes grow and see dreams come to fruition. He has seen success as the primary coach for many national and international medal holders. Spencer was able to coach 3 Olympians at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Alongside his coaching success, Spencer constantly pushes to better understand the science of human performance. This has led to the development of an unmatched training process, as well as one of the best teams in USA Weightlifting.

In his talk, Spencer will discuss the principles of coaching. Paired with understanding theory, there is a deeper need to understand practice, individual differences, and athlete psychology. This is where he shines.

Eric Helms PhD, CSCS is the Chief Science Officer of 3DMJ. He helps the team members play to their strengths, stay up to date with best practice, and acts as a science communicator, helping lifters find sustainable pathways to high performance. Dr. Helms is the chief author of the Muscle and Strength Pyramids, a founder of and reviewer for Monthly Applications in Strength Sport, and is a senior research fellow at the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand at Auckland University of Technology, pursuing research in training, nutrition, and psychology for strength and physique sport. 

Dr. Helms earned a PhD in Strength and Conditioning with a research focus on autoregulating powerlifting, a master’s with a research focus on protein and macronutrient manipulation for dieting bodybuilders, a second master’s in exercise science and health promotion, and a bachelor’s in sports management, fitness and wellness. As an athlete, Eric is a WNBF Pro bodybuilder and competes in multiple strength sports.

Dr. Helms will be discussing the key to all successful coaching – how to perfectly individualize programs for your athletes. This includes the nuts and bolts of training design, as well as the intricate details. 

Mehmed began his training at just 12 years old in Sliven, Bulgaria. He enjoyed a stellar career representing Bulgaria at many international meets, including the European and World Championships, winning a handful of medals. He’s achieved lifetime bests of 152.5kg Snatch and 195kg Clean and Jerk at 72kg bodyweight in training and 147kg Snatch and 192 kg Clean and Jerk in competition.

As a coach, he’s produced multiple English, Scottish, British, and European Masters Champions and medalists.  This also includes athletes representing Great Britain and Jamaica at the World and European Weightlifting Championships and at the Pan American Games.

In his talk, Mehmed will break down exactly how he uses the Bulgarian system to inform his training of clean athletes. This spans the influence on exercise selection, intensity and volume prescriptions, fatigue management, and more. 

Olivia Reeves is arguably the strongest female in USA Weightlifting. At the time of writing, Olivia is a senior World medalist, Pan Am Games champion, Junior Pan Am champion, and junior World champion. She is also slated to make the 2024 Olympic Games, where she has a shot of taking gold in the 71kg weight class. 

Olivia holds junior world records in the snatch (115kg), clean and jerk (147kg), and total (262kg) in the 71kg weight class. She also holds the senior American records in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total in both the 71kg (115kg, 147kg, 262kg) and 81kg (114kg, 144kg, 258kg) weight classes. 

Along with her prowess in the competitive lifts, Olivia is as strong as they come, having back squatted 210kg without a belt, wraps, or sleeves. 

In her talk, she’ll discuss the journey to becoming an international sensation and one of the best weightlifters the USA (and possibly the world) has ever seen.

Quinn Henoch is a Doctor of Physical Therapy located in Orange County, CA, and co-founder of ClinicalAthlete - a community of healthcare providers who understand the needs of athletes. For the last decade, he has worked with competitive weightlifters, helping them return from injury and maximize performance - and strives to maintain his status as a mediocre lifter - having competed in the sport since 2010. 

In his presentation, Dr. Henoch will deep dive on exercise assessment, selection, and optimization for weightlifters. This talk will change your mental model on exercise selection, arming you with an unmatched understanding to best help your athletes. 

Zac Robinson is the founder of Data Driven Strength and is currently a PhD candidate at Florida Atlantic University. In his coaching experience, Zac has worked with strength and physique athletes ranging from enthusiast hobbyists to world-level competitors. His research focuses on examining neuromuscular adaptations to resistance training and improving methodology to do so on the individual level.

In his talk, Zac will provide a treatise on one of the most important topics in programming - how hard an athlete should train to maximize their results. 

Max is an international coach with more than 2 decades of experience in Weightlifting and Powerlifting. He has been mentored by and learned from some of the greatest minds in the game including Ivan  Abadjiev, Steve Gough, Glenn Pendlay, and others. 

He has coached dozens of World Class Athletes including the likes of Alyssa Ritchey, Alex Lachance, Meg Scanlon, Andy Riley, and many more. His coaching achievements include several World and Pan Am Champions and record holders both in Weightlifting and Powerlifting. 

Joshua Gibson is a highly experienced and well-rounded professional in the world of weightlifting and powerlifting. With nearly a decade of involvement as an athlete, coach, and educational resource in the sport, he has had the opportunity to work with some of the most esteemed American coaches, including Max Aita and Glenn Pendlay. He currently hosts the leading educational podcast within weightlifting; The Philosophical Weightlifting podcast. 

Josh’s academic background is extensive, having earned a Master’s degree in Applied Sport Science and Coach Education from East Tennessee State University and graduating magna cum laude from Ohio Wesleyan University with a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and a concentration in Strength and Conditioning. He is a PhD student at West Virginia University, studying under the esteemed Dr. Guy Hornsby.

No problem - all of the sessions will be available for at least a month after the event to watch on demand.

Live session will be held over ZOOM. The on-demand sessions are all available as web videos - you just need a web browser or modern phone.

Yes - you will get a download link for all of the PowerPoint files.