Olympic Weightlifting Coaching in Miami & Fort Lauderdale: Our Next Team Soul Training Cycle
Our next Team Soul Olympic Weightlifting cycle kicks off on Monday, July 20, and I have to be honest… I’m really excited about this one.
Our last cycle produced a ton of personal records from both newer and experienced lifters. We watched athletes hit lifetime PRs in the snatch, clean & jerk, and squat while becoming more confident and technically sound along the way. As a coach, that’s exactly what I love seeing.
As proud as I am of what we accomplished, I also believe this next cycle is going to be even better.
Every training cycle gives us the opportunity to learn. We see what worked well, what movements produced the biggest improvements, and where we can continue making our athletes better. That process never stops, and that’s one of the reasons our programming continues to evolve.
Whether you’re brand new to Olympic Weightlifting or you’ve been competing for years, this cycle has something to offer you.
Our goal has never been to simply help people lift more weight.
Our goal is to help people become better athletes.
That means moving better, lifting with more confidence, building strength that carries over into everyday life, and creating an environment where people actually enjoy coming to train.
That’s exactly what we’ve built at Team Soul.
Whether you train at our Miami location or our Fort Lauderdale location, you’ll follow the same structured Olympic Weightlifting program, receive individualized coaching, and become part of a community that genuinely wants to see you succeed.
Two Opportunities to Peak
One of the biggest changes this cycle is that we’ll have two opportunities to peak instead of just one.
Our first peak will line up with the Florida State Weightlifting Championships, giving our competitive lifters a chance to perform at their best during one of the biggest competitions of the year.
Then, after a short rebuild, we’ll peak again just four weeks later for the Palm Beach Open.
For experienced competitors, that means another opportunity to chase personal records and qualify for future competitions.
For newer lifters, it creates something even more exciting.
If you’ve been thinking about competing but haven’t taken that first step yet, I really want to encourage you to consider the Palm Beach Open.
It’s one of the best competitions for first-time lifters.
The meet is incredibly well organized, the environment is welcoming, and you’ll have your Team Soul coaches and teammates supporting you from warm-ups all the way through your final lift.
One of my favorite parts of coaching Olympic Weightlifting isn’t watching experienced athletes hit huge numbers.
It’s watching someone compete for the very first time.
There is something special about deciding to do something difficult.
Stepping onto a competition platform can be intimidating.
That’s exactly why it’s worth doing.
Competition teaches confidence.
It teaches preparation.
It teaches resilience.
Even if your goal isn’t to become a competitive weightlifter, challenging yourself in that environment has a way of making you better both inside and outside the gym.
Built for Every Experience Level
One of the biggest misconceptions about Olympic Weightlifting is that it’s only for elite athletes.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Every cycle we coach complete beginners who have never touched a barbell alongside experienced competitors preparing for state-level meets.
The beautiful part is that they all train together.
Everyone follows the same overall structure, but the details are individualized.
The loads are adjusted.
The technical variations are adjusted.
The coaching cues are adjusted.
The goal is the same for everyone.
Become a better lifter than you were yesterday.
That’s one of the things I love most about coaching at Team Soul.
No one gets left behind.
Whether you’re learning your first snatch or chasing a lifetime clean & jerk PR, you’re receiving coaching that meets you where you are today while helping you move toward where you want to be tomorrow.
A New Weekly Structure
We’re making a few changes to our weekly structure this cycle, and I think they’re going to create even more opportunities for technical improvement while helping us manage fatigue throughout the week.
Instead of trying to accomplish everything every day, each training session now has a very clear purpose.
That allows us to spend more quality time developing individual pieces of each lift while arriving fresh enough to perform when the heavier days come around.
Monday: Technique and Power
We’ll start each week working both the snatch and the clean, but Monday won’t be a heavy training day.
Instead, we’ll focus on power production, speed under the bar, technical positions, and quality movement through a variety of Olympic Weightlifting variations.
One thing I’ve learned over the years is that great technique isn’t built by constantly lifting heavy.
It’s built by repeating quality movement over and over again.
When your positions improve and your movement becomes more consistent, the heavy lifts take care of themselves.
Monday lays the foundation for everything that follows throughout the rest of the week.
Tuesday: Snatch Development
Tuesday becomes our dedicated snatch day.
The snatch is one of the most technical movements in sports.
It demands precision, speed, timing, mobility, confidence, and patience.
That’s why it deserves its own day.
We’ll spend more time refining overhead stability, pulling mechanics, receiving positions, and bar path while using carefully selected variations that help each athlete improve the areas they need most.
The goal isn’t simply making bigger snatches.
The goal is building a snatch that looks better, feels better, and becomes more reliable every single week.
Wednesday: Clean Development
Wednesday shifts our attention entirely to the clean.
We’ll continue developing stronger pulls, more confident receiving positions, front squat strength, and the ability to recover from heavier cleans consistently.
For many athletes, confidence in the clean changes everything.
Once you trust your pull and believe you can stand up with heavy weight, the entire clean & jerk starts improving.
Every successful repetition builds confidence.
Every quality session lays another brick in the foundation.
By giving the clean its own dedicated day, we can continue making meaningful progress without rushing through the technical work.
Friday: Jerk Development and Overhead Strength
Friday is one of the biggest changes we’re making this cycle, and I honestly think it’s going to make a huge difference.
Instead of trying to fit jerk work into another session, we’re giving it an entire day.
If you’ve spent any time around Olympic Weightlifting, you’ve probably noticed that many lifters have a clean that’s much stronger than their jerk. It’s rarely because they’re not strong enough. More often, it’s because they simply haven’t spent enough time practicing the skill.
The jerk demands timing, confidence, footwork, stability, and commitment. Like every other part of Olympic Weightlifting, those qualities improve with consistent practice.
This cycle we’ll spend much more time developing overhead strength, refining jerk technique, improving footwork, and building confidence with heavier weights overhead.
If the jerk has been the lift holding you back, I think you’ll really enjoy this change.
Saturday: Heavy Competition Lifts
Saturday remains our primary heavy day.
This is where we bring everything together.
Throughout the week we’ll spend time improving technique, building strength, refining movement, and practicing individual pieces of each lift.
Saturday gives us the opportunity to put all of that work into action.
We’ll perform heavier snatches and clean & jerks while gradually preparing for both competitions later in the cycle.
As we get closer to each meet, these sessions will become even more competition specific.
For many athletes, Saturday becomes their favorite day of the week.
It’s exciting.
It’s challenging.
And it’s where we often see the biggest personal records happen.
Strength Training Still Matters
Olympic Weightlifting isn’t just about practicing the snatch and clean & jerk.
It’s about building the strength necessary to support those lifts.
That’s why we’ll continue using RPE based strength programming throughout this cycle.
One of the biggest wins from our previous cycle wasn’t just the Olympic lifts.
It was the number of squat personal records we saw across the entire group.
That’s exactly why we’re sticking with this approach.
Rather than forcing every athlete to train using identical percentages every day, RPE allows us to adjust training based on how each athlete is performing.
Some days you feel incredible.
Some days life catches up with you.
RPE gives us a smarter way to train hard while continuing to make consistent progress over time.
It helps us manage fatigue.
It helps us recover better.
Most importantly, it allows athletes to continue improving without feeling like they have to force numbers that simply aren’t there on a given day.
Building a Bigger Foundation
One thing you’ll notice early in this cycle is a little more machine work than we’ve traditionally used in our Olympic Weightlifting programming.
That includes movements like:
Hack Squats
Leg Press
Leg Extensions
Leg Curls
Before anyone starts wondering if we’ve suddenly become a bodybuilding program, let me explain why.
These exercises are being used very intentionally.
Early in the cycle we want to build muscle, increase lower body strength, improve tissue tolerance, and create an even stronger foundation before moving deeper into the more competition specific phase of training.
Strong legs matter.
Healthy knees matter.
Muscle matters.
The stronger the foundation we build now, the greater our potential becomes once the weights start getting heavy later in the cycle.
My challenge to every athlete is simple.
Treat these movements with the same focus and intensity you bring to your squats and pulls.
They’re not filler work.
They’re part of the plan.
Why Olympic Weightlifting?
People often ask me why they should learn Olympic Weightlifting if they don’t plan on competing.
The answer is simple.
Olympic Weightlifting teaches qualities that are difficult to develop anywhere else.
It improves coordination.
Balance, speed, power, mobility, strength, body awareness, patience, and discipline.
Every lift challenges you to become more athletic while constantly learning something new.
That’s one of the reasons so many people fall in love with the sport.
There is always something to improve.
Every session presents a new opportunity to become better.
Whether your goal is becoming stronger, improving your CrossFit performance, competing in Olympic Weightlifting, or simply learning a new skill, the snatch and clean & jerk have something to offer you.
Who Is This Program For?
Everyone.
If you’ve never touched a barbell before, we’ll teach you.
If you’ve been strength training for years but have never learned the Olympic lifts, we’ll guide you through every step.
If you’re an experienced weightlifter chasing new personal records, you’ll have the structure, progression, and coaching necessary to continue moving forward.
If you’re a youth athlete looking to become stronger, more explosive, and more athletic, Olympic Weightlifting can provide an incredible foundation that carries over into nearly every sport.
At Team Soul, we don’t believe great coaching should only be available to elite athletes.
We believe everyone deserves expert instruction.
That’s exactly what we strive to provide every single class.
Why Team Soul?
There are plenty of gyms where you can lift weights.
There are far fewer places where you’ll receive experienced coaching, structured programming, individualized feedback, and a community that genuinely wants to see you improve.
That’s what we’ve worked to build at Team Soul.
Whether you train at our Miami location or our Fort Lauderdale location, you’ll receive the same coaching philosophy, the same structured Olympic Weightlifting program, and the same commitment to helping you become a better athlete.
We’re passionate about teaching proper movement.
We’re passionate about helping people build confidence.
Most of all, we’re passionate about helping people discover what they’re capable of.
Ready to Join Us?
Our next Team Soul Olympic Weightlifting cycle begins on Monday, July 20, and we’d love to have you be part of it.
Whether your goal is learning your very first snatch, improving your clean & jerk, building strength, preparing for your first competition, or chasing another personal record, this cycle is designed to help you get there.
If you’re looking for Olympic Weightlifting coaching in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, Team Soul offers experienced coaching, proven programming, and a community that will support you every step of the way.
Come train with us.
Learn something new.
Challenge yourself.
Build strength that lasts.
We can’t wait to see what you accomplish this cycle.
Luis Lopez
Olympic Weightlifting Coach
Team Soul Training
