FOCUS / MOTIVATION / POWER / TECHNIQUE
VARBANOV
SCHOOL OF WEIGHTLIFTING
FOCUS / MOTIVATION / POWER / TECHNIQUE
VARBANOV
SCHOOL OF WEIGHTLIFTING
Our head coach, ALEX VARBANOV has dedicated five decades to the sport of Olympic Weightlifting as an athlete and coach.
His world records in the 75kg category still stand. Alex supports and encourages athletes of all levels, from international champions to recreational maxers to beginners seeking the health benefits of squat and clean and jerk.
Alex is an NCCP certified coach and holds a master’s degree from the National Sports Academy of Bulgaria.
Link to bio at Olympics.com
World Champion
1983
1985
1986
European Champion
1983
1985
1986
1987
Bronze Medalist from the
Olympics in Seoul, South Korea
1988
10 official World Records, two of them are still in the Guinness Book of Records:
Professional/coaching experience:
Our coach, NICK VARBANOV has twenty years of barbell experience. He has five national junior titles, four senior Canadian championships, and dozens of record-breaking performances to his name. Nick dedicates himself to all weightlifters, beginners and international champions, with enthusiasm and attention to detail.
Nick is an NCCP certified coach and holds an RMT diploma from Centennial College.
9x Canadian Champion
(6x Junior 3x Senior) 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017×2, 2018×2, 2019×2
13x Ontario Champion
(8x Junior 5x Senior) 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015×2, 2016×2, 2017×2, 2018×2, 2019×2
Nick Varbanov has over 14 years of experience in Olympic Weightlifting as a national level athlete, and he coaches the competitive team at VSW alongside his father. Nick is also a Registered Massage Therapist and specializes in sports massage and injury management/prevention.
Professional Experience:
Our school director, IRINA IVANOVA, has served weightlifting as a technical official for over 10 years. She is certified by the International Weightlifting Federation as a category 1 official, qualified to judge international competitions. Irina coordinates the activities of the school and creates a welcoming environment for every person wishing to experience the transformative power of the heavy weight.
Irina holds master’s degrees in Public Administration from the University of Veliko Tarnovo and a post-grad diploma in Human Resources Management from Humber College.
Lifting weights is one of the oldest sport activities practiced from ancient times (Old Greece, Rome, and China). The late 1800’s are considered the beginning of modern weightlifting. Nowadays, it is one of the most competitive summer Olympic sports in the world.
The Olympic lifts (Snatch and Clean & Jerk) and their components are commonly used by elite athletes in other sports to train both explosiveness and functional strength. A solid understanding of Olympic Weightlifting and training techniques can help any type of athlete to become faster, stronger and more agile.
The modern sport of weightlifting consists of two main competitive lifts: the Snatch and Clean & Jerk. The ultimate goal of every competitive weightlifter is simple – to lift as much weight as possible compared to his/her competitors in the same weight class.
Weightlifters compete in different bodyweight classes. Currently, 10 male (55, 61, 67, 73, 81, 89, 96, 102, 109, +109) and 10 female divisions (45, 49, 55, 59, 64, 71, 76, 81, 87, +87) exist.
The International Weightlifting Federation is the governing body of the sport of Weightlifting. It is founded in 1905, and its headquarters is based in Budapest, Hungary.
Snatch is the opening lift in any official weightlifting competition. It is a single movement lift performed by pulling the bar from the platform to overhead while fully extending both arms and either splitting or bending the legs.
Clean & Jerk is a two-movement exercise. In the first part (Clean), the bar is pulled from the platform to shoulders level where it “rests” before the second phase (Jerk) when the bar is raised overhead by pushing it straight upward with both arms and legs.
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Varbanov School of WEIGHTLIFTING
