Trainer: Max Larocque
Goal(s): Olympic Weightlifting

Age: 24
Date: November 13th, 2018

When I first started training with Max Larocque, I wanted to compete in weightlifting, get in shape, and live a healthier lifestyle. It all started with a thought. My gym buddy (Michelle Leslie) who is training with Tony from F.R.E.E. Fitness was prepping for her powerlifting competition! After watching her compete, she suggested that I would do well in Olympic weightlifting. That suggestion turned into a catalyst, so I went to a Recreational Centre (Terwillegar at the time) and tried to snatch based on a video tutorial that I found on YouTube. With no bumper plates at 95lbs (43kg), I landed the first few lifts, and the feeling of getting the bar over my head was strangely satisfying. You can say, I was “hook gripped” from that point forward. And I thought to myself, well, if I want to get better at this, I better find a coach.

There’s a large list of accomplishments that I’ve achieved since starting with Max. I switched to measuring in kilograms, gained some muscle definition, healed my shoulder, lost 36 pounds (from 236 lbs to 200 lbs), did my first pull-up, front and back squatted more than my bodyweight, snatched and cleaned & jerked a personal record 85 kg (187 lbs), 95 kg (209 lbs). I’m certainly not done improving under Max, and with each program, I’m constantly lifting more and more weight.

Max is great at breaking down the movements and pinpointing what you’re doing right and wrong, but where he really shines is adapting his programs to fix these little errors. His programming adjusts to your weak points, so it’s always a struggle (in a good way), but it always pays off in the end. As he always says, “trust the process and stick to the programming”. Max has been around the block enough to know what works!

Since starting with F.R.E.E. Fitness and Max, I have gained a great deal of strength, but I’ve also become part of a supportive and inclusive community of weightlifters. I have become more confident in abilities and have become healthier in general. Fitness has now become part of my lifestyle and I find it’s the best way to decompress at the end of the day. When I’m stressed, I put my worries into the bar and “jerk” them away!

My biggest advice for starting and sticking to your fitness journey is to find something that is fun and interesting to you. If you have any fitness related goals, I would recommend taking that first step and setting up a session with max or any of the F.R.E.E. Fitness trainers!

Thanks Max!