Keep Pulling has been chosen as a 2019 USA Weightlifting Community Development & Training Site based on our heavy involvement in our Weightlifting community and the sport of Weightlifting!
Click here to learn more about what that means!
Below is a description of our club, Weightlifting programs, Community Outreach & Development Programs, and more!
Head Coach Bio (250-500 words):
Patrick is the Club Director and Head Coach for two full-time Weightlifting clubs in Tampa, FL as well as Keep Pulling’s Remote & Distance Coaching Program. He also leads Keep Pulling’s events, seminars, local-level competitions, and outreach programs which include free community events, speaking engagements, coaching mentorship and education, an accredited university internship program, and more.
Patrick moved to Tampa, FL in 2007 for a career in Advertising after graduating from the University of West Florida with a degree in Digital Media and Advertising. After 8+ years of working on creative teams in the corporate agency environment, he made the decision to venture out as a full-time small business owner and head coach with Keep Pulling.
Patrick began coaching Weightlifting in 2009 and has since traveled to spend time training with and learning from many notable coaches in the Weightlifting community including the Eleiko Weightlifting Academy, California Strength/MDUSA, Catalyst Athletics, and Team OC. He has also been an Assistant Instructor for multiple USA Weightlifting certification courses around the state of Florida and has led over 50 seminars and workshops teaching the Olympic lifts to athletes of all ages and skill levels.
In 2016, Patrick was elected to the Florida Weightlifting Federation Board of Directors (LWC #14) and is currently serving a second two-year term as Treasurer. He is committed to creating a positive community experience in his local region, statewide, and national level while using his professional advertising background to help grow and promote the sport of Weightlifting.
Club bio (250-500 words):
Keep Pulling was created in 2014 as a resource for Olympic-style Weightlifting and is based in Tampa, Florida. Keep Pulling manages and operates two physical club locations in the Tampa Bay Area: 813 Weightlifting (est. 2012) in South Tampa and Tern Weightlifting (est. 2016) in Westchase/West Tampa as well as a “digital club” that is our Remote & Distance Coaching Program.
Keep Pulling offers full-time Weightlifting training programs and classes, monthly Weightlifting Technique Courses, workshops and seminars, remote coaching, and coaching development, mentorship, and education in addition to frequent community events.
Club address:
1701 West Gray Street
Tampa, FL 33606
Though we have two locations in the Tampa Bay Area, our 813 Weightlifting location in South Tampa will be our primary Training Site headquarters.
You can also find Keep Pulling in West Tampa at:
Tern Weightlifting
13580 Wright Circle
Tampa, FL 33626
Program Name:
Keep Pulling: An Olympic Weightlifting Resource
Program description (250-500 words):
Keep Pulling has many outreach programs in our local community that include:
Weightlifting Meetups
Our Weightlifting Meetups are free events open to the Tampa Bay Area and surrounding areas. We started these events in 2013 as a way to bring lifters together to train with like-minded athletes in a fun and relaxed environment. Our first Meetup had a showing of 8 people — We still hold these free meetups once per quarter and have drawn as many as 75 lifters with DJs, local small business vendors, food trucks, and other special guests.
Mentorship & Coach Development Program
What started as a hiring tool for our own coaching staff now doubles as an accredited internship program with the University of Tampa. Students from the Exercise Science and Human Performance department take part in this ~100 hour curriculum which includes a self-written 110 page course manual, section quizzes and reviews, evaluations, hour log book, and specialty activity worksheets. Participants are exposed to scenarios such as weekly training sessions with the team in both assistant and lead coach roles, athlete interactions and meet handling, travel and logistics, training program development, and general business duties.
Great American Teach In
We participate in Hillsborough County Schools’ annual GATI in which they invite various industry professionals as guest speakers for the day. Since 2016, we have used this opportunity to teach roughly 200 students at Walker Middle Magnet School about the sport of Weightlifting with games, fun quizzes, and other engaging activities ending with a hands on portion of teaching the snatch.
Professional Network
Keep Pulling strives to create local network of industry professionals and has partnerships with providers of physical therapy, massage therapy, chiropractic care, nutritional supplements, and orthopedic specialists. By offering these resources, we are able to keep athletes healthy through preventative maintenance and rehabilitation.
University Organizations and Affiliations
In addition to being an affiliated employer and approved internship provider for the University of Tampa, Keep Pulling is the affiliated USA Weightlifting Club partner, coaching, and facility resource for the University of South Florida Student Weightlifting Organization.
Weightlifting Technique Courses
Keep Pulling offers monthly Weightlifting Technique courses as a way to teach participants the fundamentals of the Olympic lifts. These are open to all ages and experience levels and serve as an introduction to the sport of Weightlifting for newcomers, CrossFit athletes, and youth-aged Weightlifters.
Sanctioned Competitions
Keep Pulling has hosted over 10 sanctioned Weightlifting competitions in the Tampa Area as of 2018. Our staff holds a Spring meet and a Fall meet every year in conjunction with the largest functional fitness competition in the state of Florida. Our aim for this partnership is to help the sport gain visibility in our local and regional CrossFit communities which will ultimately garner higher USA Weightlifting participation.
Website link if applicable:
Social media links and handles:
IG: @KeepPulling
https://www.instagram.com/keeppulling/
IG: @TampaWLEvents
https://www.instagram.com/tampawlevents/
Point of contact information:
Patrick Costello
patrick@KeepPulling.com
(813) 540-2564