Testimonials

What Our Lifters Are Saying

I’ve been doing CrossFit for about 10 years. I think the biggest takeaway from the Academy Course was really fine tuning things — little cues and mistakes that I had in my lifts that I was aware of but didn’t know how to fix. During the course, my clean & jerk has gone from about 300lbs to 315lbs and my snatch went from 235lbs to 250lbs.

I think what I’ve taken from this course and can now apply to myself and others in CrossFit is that I can see the errors that I was making and finer points that I can relay to other people who may have the same kinds of issues. Whether it be coming from the ground, opening or closing the hips, or keeping the bar close, t’s helped tremendously to actually be able to move the bar more proficiently and effectively!

Kyle M. – CrossFit Coach

The Academy Course made a night and day difference from where I started to how comfortable I feel right now with just grabbing the a bar and doing the different lifts.

I went up close to 70lbs in my snatch and I want to say about 30lbs in my clean & jerk. One of the things that the coaches were talking about was the concept of “standing tall” and going “straight up” — I kept practicing it and we went through it in the class every day with or without the bar. The muscle memory by far would be my biggest takeaway and if you haven’t tried this course, you need to try it!

Juan S. – CrossFit Athlete

After working with Patrick every single day in person for 2 years, I moved to NY and became a remote athlete. I was nervous about making this transition, but not a single beat was missed. He is extremely meticulous and technical (which you need in this sport) but does a great job of not over-coaching. The communication, direction, advice and programming was just as it was when I was with him in person.

Even though I was over a thousand miles away from Tampa, I was still able to improve as a national competitor with the remote coaching. There is no doubt in my mind Patrick was the driving force to the success AND FUN I had with the sport of Weightlifting!

Pat D. – Remote Athlete

After CrossFitting for about 2-3 years I decided to make the switch to full time Weightlifting, that is when I met Patrick and he became my coach. It was an immediately great athlete coach connecting and I knew he was going to be able to help me take my Weightlifting to the next level. He is extremely meticulous and technical (which you need in this sport) but does a great job of not over-coaching.

His coaching and programming propelled me to 5 National Level Weightlifting meets. 2 of which included the National Championships in my first 2 years working with him which I would have never imagined I would have accomplished when I first started Weightlifting! There is no doubt in my mind that Patrick was the driving force to the success AND FUN I had with the sport of Weightlifting!

Pat D. – Weightlifting Athlete

I’ve been with Keep Pulling for four and a half years and almost all of my time with KP has been remote. Since going remote after I moved back to my home state of MN, my total has increased by 60 kilos and I compete at multiple national meets every year. I record all of my lifts and send Patrick videos after every workout. 

Patrick also does video reviews in which he sends back my videos with him talking over them and pausing/playing the video at certain points to make his cues easier to understand with feedback, tips, and cues for my next workout. Overall, I’ve loved KP and all the progress I’ve made and will continue to make!

Sam M. – Remote Athlete

I’ve been with Keep Pulling for four and a half years and almost all of my time with KP has been remote. Since going remote after I moved back to my home state of MN, my total has increased by 60 kilos and I compete at multiple national meets every year. I record all of my lifts and send Patrick videos after every workout. He critiques all of my workouts multiple times a week, giving positive feedback and tips/cues for my next workout. 

Patrick also does video reviews in which he sends back my videos with him talking over them and pausing/playing the video at certain points to make his cues easier to understand. Overall, I’ve loved KP and all the progress I’ve made and will continue to make!

Sam M. – Remote Athlete

The coaches here understand that it’s not a cookie cutter plan, and because of that I have had a huge increase in my performance and seeing such a difference in myself I have become a more confident lifter. Even though I competed in high school and lifted with other coaches in the past, I came into the club with minimal knowledge about lifting and many mobility issues that the coaches really worked with me to correct.

Desirae M. – Weightlifting Athlete

Being a part of Keep Pulling is an experience that I didn’t know I needed. They are so involved with the community and have the best coaches! Weightlifting is all about bringing people together and everyone at Keep Pulling keeps the door open for anyone and everyone. We have such a diverse and amazing club because of it but the best part of it all is the atmosphere lifting with everyone and just having fun!

Desirae M. – Weightlifting Athlete

When I first walked into Keep Pulling for a community meetup, I was honestly intimidated. I was still a newbie lifter with only two years under my belt and walking into a new gym still made me anxious. I came looking for a new friend or two but quickly found a welcoming community of like-minded lifters. Nobody made me feel weird being the new kid and honestly, I’ve had more fun than I thought possible inside this gym!

Mackenzie R. – Weightlifting Athlete

Within just a few months of coaching under Keep Pulling, my lifts have improved significantly, both physically and mentally. I’ve gained so much more confidence in my snatch and managed to put 11+ kilos on to my back squat and I know there’s much more coming in my future as a lifter!

Not only does Patrick ensure that his lifters improve their technique and steadily progress with PR’s, he also focuses on growing his athletes’ mental fortitude. It sounds overused and cliché, but his coaching is the epitome of “trust the process”. I’ve been trusting that for almost a year now and I could not be happier!

Mackenzie R. – Weightlifting Athlete

Something lacking in a lot of remote teams is community. I don’t feel like that’s the case with KP. All of our workouts are tracked with the TrainHeroic app and it gives us a space to comment on the workouts to see how everyone else did and there are also certain exercises with a leaderboard to compare your numbers with other members.

Keep Pulling also runs a Remote Athlete Facebook page for us to post our videos/how we feel about the workouts. This way we can also comment and interact on other lifters’ videos even if they are thousands of miles away.

Sam M. – Remote Athlete

These are the best Oly lifting coaches in the Tampa area! Very knowledgable and informative and definitely personalize everything and take all the individual’s needs into account. I highly recommend!!

Kate H. – Hybrid Athlete

I found Keep Pulling when I had only been CrossFitting for 7 months. I’m a 39 y/o mother of two and a lifelong swimmer, but the Olympic lifts weren’t clicking for me at all no matter how hard I tried.

One thing about Patrick is that he’s very polite, patient, and very specific with form; I knew my lifts were horrible and he just took it all in and created a plan for me. Through the repeated practice, squatting, learning how to hold my breath and tighten my core, I improved immediately.

My mobility is so much better in my hips and shoulders and I attribute this to Patrick teaching me new stretching and strengthening techniques to work on at home!

Heather H. – Hybrid Athlete

When I first started, I had no idea what Olympic Weightlifting even was. Patrick asked me if I wanted to try it out and then spent hours working with me and helping me to become the best lifter I could be. This ultimately helped me be the strongest lifter on my football team and also helped me become a lot more explosive and faster on the field than I ever would have been without Weightlifting!

Jake H. – Sickles High Football

After doing CrossFit for a year, I had hit a plateau with my lifts and my gymnastics skills…After going to a few small group lessons with Patrick, my technique was improving tremendously, but it still wasn’t enough for me to really progress in my lifts the way I wanted…

After primarily focusing on Weightlifting for 8-10 weeks and coming back to doing WODs, I got my first muscle up, 5 strict pull-ups in a row (before it was 1), 15 unbroken handstand push-ups (before it was 6), increased maxes on all of my lifts, and I suddenly had the strength to knock out 20 pistols! P.S. Also, I didn’t lose my aerobic conditioning either!

Allison R. – Hybrid Athlete