august 2025
In this newsletter
1. Upcoming events for Sept 2025.
2. Athlete of the month for Aug 2025.
Upcoming events for Sept 2025.
Friday, Sept 19th, 5.00 pm to 6.30 pm & Sunday, Sept 21st, 11.00 am to 12.30 pm.
We will be hosting two sessions for beginners to start with Olympic Weightlifting. The cost for the session is $20.
This is a good opportunity for beginners to learn about weightlifting and go over the fundamentals. No prior experience is required. All are welcome to join. The participants can bring their family, friends and have fun.
Thursday, Sept 25th, 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm – "Samosas & Weightlifting: Fall Lifting Kickoff" – All are invited!
Summer’s over, but the gains are just beginning! Join us for a fun get-together to kickstart the Olympic Weightlifting season. All are invited to join, enjoy lifting & samosas!
Athlete of the month for Aug 2025 – Daisy, 9 yrs old
Daisy is our athlete of the month for August. Congratulations Daisy!
At just 9 years old, Daisy dove into Olympic weightlifting with us back in May 2025, and she’s been nothing short of inspiring ever since. Her unwavering dedication and commitment shine through in every session, pushing her to new heights. She trains 2 times a week in addition to her Taekwondo practice. With her father’s encouragement to build strength and chase those competition dreams, Daisy’s future in the sport looks incredibly bright.
We’re so proud to have her on the team — keep lifting strong, Daisy!
July 2025
In this newsletter
1. Upcoming events for Aug 2025.
2. Athlete of the month for July 2025.
Upcoming events for Aug 2025.
Aug 24th, 11.00 am to 12.30 pm – Intro to Weightlifting for beginners
On the 24th of Aug we will be hosting a free introduction to weightlifting.
This is a good opportunity for beginners to learn about weightlifting and go over the fundamentals. No prior experience is required. All are welcome to join. The participants can bring their family, friends and have fun.
Athlete of the month for July 2025 – Jaxson Brander, 13 yrs old
Jaxson is our athlete of the month for July.
Jaxson joined us in September 2024. He will be completing almost 1 year of training with us. When Jaxson started training with us his primary sport was swimming and weightlifting was an accessory training to build strength for swimming. He initially started training twice a week.
During the past 1 year, Jaxson has consistently been training for 2-3 days a week in addition to his swimming practise. In the month of May Jaxson switched his weightlifting training for 3 times per week as he started getting more interest and serious about the sport. He also showed interest in competing and confidence in stepping on the platform for the first time. He competed in his first competition in June 2025 and won bronze medal.
Jaxson is now preparing for his next competition and aspires to level up his skill of weightlifting.
During the period of almost 1 year he has snatched 20kg, clean & jerk 23kg and achieved a total of 43kg. We are very proud of his progress.
June 2025
In this newsletter
1. Upcoming events for July 2025.
2. Recap from June 2025.
3. Athlete of the month for June 2025.
Upcoming events for july 2025.
July 18th, 5.00 pm to 6.30 pm – Intro to Weightlifting for beginners
On the 18th of July we will be hosting a free introduction to weightlifting.
This is a good opportunity for beginners to learn about weightlifting and go over the fundamentals. No prior experience is required. All are welcome to join. The participants can bring their family, friends and have fun.
Recap from JUne 2025
June 21st – Vancouver Classic Weightlifting Competition
Yasmine Dhiman W36 – Snatch 14kg, Clean & Jerk 21kg – Silver medal
Jaxson Brander M48 – Snatch 20kg, Clean & Jerk 23kg – Bronze medal
Jaiden Dhiman M71 – Snatch 60kg, Clean & Jerk 73kg – 4th place
June 27th to June 29th – 2025 Canadian Masters Weightlifting Nationals
Ron Sweeney (M70- 71kg weight class) – Snatch 40kg, Clean & Jerk 51kg – Silver medal
Judy Hazelwood (W65-63kg weight class) – Snatch 33kg, Clean & Jerk 39kg – Gold medal
Marc Connor (M55-94kg weight class) – Snatch 72kg, Clean & Jerk 101kg- Gold medal
Micah Cabanlig (W30-58kg weight class) – Snatch 51kg, Clean & Jerk 57kg – Bronze medal
Athlete of the month for June 2025 – Marc Connor
Marc is our athlete of the month for June.
Marc joined us in Feb 2023. He will be completing almost 2.5 years training with us.
During the past 2.5 years, Marc has been consistently training for 4 days a week. Rain, sun or snow doesn’t deter him from training. He lives in Abbotsford and travels to Langley for his training. At the age of 54, he is unstoppable and very committed.
Marc participated in his first weightlifting competition in June 2023 – snatch 63kg & Clean & Jerk 80 kg – total 143kg.
Fast forward, he just competed in 2025 Canadian Masters Weightlifting Nationals competition and his performance was very impressive. He snatched 72kg, clean & jerk 101kg – total 173kg. His total has increased by 30kg over the past 2.5 years.
Marc has hit some amazing PRs till date –
Back Squat –153kg
Front Squat – 126kg
Snatch – 72kg
Clean & Jerk – 101kg
Deadlift – 180kg
May 2025
In this newsletter
Upcoming events for June 2025.
June 19th, 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm – Snatch Seminar
Join coach Josh as he hosts a Snatch Seminar! This seminar is for those athletes that already
have some weightlifting experience and are looking to improve and work on their Snatch.
This seminar is open to the public.
The seminar will last for 1 hour & 30 mins, and it will be specifically on Snatch.
Price – $29
June 21 st – Vancouver Classic Weightlifting Competition
This competition is the best opportunity for athletes willing to try competition for the first time.
The competition will be held at Vancouver College, 5401 Hudson Street, Vancouver BC.
June 27 th to June 29 th – 2025 Canadian Masters Weightlifting Nationals
Date: Friday, June 27th to Sunday, June 29
Venue: The Genesis Centre, 7555 Falconridge Boulevard Northeast #10 Calgary, AB T3J 0C9
Athletes competing from our club:
Ron Sweeney (M70-71kg weight class)
Judy Hazelwood (W65-63kg weight class)
Marc Connor (M55-94kg weight class)
Micah Cabanlig (W30-58kg weight class)
Recap from May 2025
May 3rd – Youth Spring Open 2025
The following athletes competed in Youth Spring Open 2025:
Matthew Boshart (12yrs old) – Snatch 37kg, Clean & Jerk – 41kg – Gold medal
Maxim Rupasova (14yrs old) – Snatch 62kg, Clean & Jerk – 76kg – Gold medal
May 28 – Free Intro to Weightlifting
We had 6 new friends joining for Free Intro to Weightlifting. Each of the participant were beginners to weightlifting. The free intro to weightlifting was for about 90 mins. Each of the participants learnt the basics of weightlifting.
Athlete of the month for May 2025 - Joo Yeon Park
Joo is our athlete of the month for May.
Joo has been practicing Taekwondo for over 7 years now. She joined us in September 2024 with a goal to gain strength and resolve her back pain. When Joo started training with us; she had little to no experience about Olympic Weightlifting.
Joo’s initial training was focused more on learning basics of barbell training – squats, deadlifts, presses, etc. She was too far away from performing Snatch, Clean & Jerk. However, with her consistency of 3 times training per week, she progressed faster into performing Snatch, Clean & Jerk.
Joo did have some shoulder problems while training and we had to make changes to her program to resolve her shoulder problems. However, she did not give up on weightlifting and continued with her rehab & strength training program for about 4 to 6 weeks. After 4 to 6 weeks, she has now fully transitioned into weightlifting program and is training harder.
Joo will be completing almost 10 months of training with us. Starting as a complete beginner to barbell training and having no experience with weightlifting, Joo had hit some amazing PRs –
Back Squat – 54 kg x 5 reps
Front Squat – 43 kg x 5 reps
Snatch – 25 kg
Clean & Jerk – 32 kg
We are very happy to see her progressing and competing in future.
April 2025
In this newsletter
- Upcoming events for April 2025.
- Recap from March 2025.
- Athlete of the month for April 2025 (to be updated by end of April).
Upcoming events for April 2025
Free intro to weightlifting: Aprill 13th, 11.00 am to 12.30 pm
On the 13th of April we will be hosting a free introduction to weightlifting.
This is a good opportunity for beginners to learn about weightlifting and go over the fundamentals. No prior experience is required. All are welcome to join. The participants can bring their family, friends and have fun.
Recap from March 2025
Junior Provincial Championships 2025: March 8th, 2025
Yasmin Dhiman (10yr old, 45kg weight class): Snatch 16kg, Clean & Jerk 24kg & Total 40kg – SILVER MEDAL
Maxim Rupasov (15yr old, 109kg weight class): Snatch 56kg, Clean & Jerk 71kg & Total 127kg – GOLD MEDAL
Spring Break Youth Weightlifting: March 17th to March 28th, 2025
We also had a spring youth weightlifting event for two weeks. Two new youths joined our youth program and were able to learn basics of weightliftingss.
Masters Provincial Weightlifting Championships 2025: March 29th, 2025
Ron Sweeney (M70- 73kg weight class): Snatch 40 kg, Clean & Jerk 51kg & Total 91kg – GOLD MEDAL
Judy Hazelwood (W65-64kg weight class): Snatch 33kg, Clean & Jerk 42kg & Total 75kg – GOLD MEDAL
Erico Duque (M30-109kg weight class): Snatch 70kg, Clean & Jerk 105kg & Total 175kg – GOLD MEDAL
Marc Connor (M55-96kg weight class): Snatch 71kg, Clean & Jerk 97kg & Total 168kg – GOLD MEDAL
Micah Cabanlig (W30-55kg weight class): Snatch 48kg, Clean & Jerk 58kg & Total 106kg – SILVER MEDAL
Athlete of the month for April 2025 – Tyler Hoehn
Tyler is our athlete of the month for April. Tyler started his weightlifting journey in Jan 2024. He initially joined our Free intro to Weightlifting on Jan 10, 2024. He started as a beginner to weightlifting with little to no experience.
Tyler’s initial training was focused more on improving mobility, building strength & learning weightlifting technique. He is very focused on achieving his weightlifting goals irrespective of his busy work schedule, family and personal life. He practices weightlifting not just for fitness but wants to get better at every aspect of weightlifting.
Tyler will be completing almost 1.5 years with us. He has been consistently training for atleast 3 times per week. During the past 1.5 years of his weightlifting journey, Tyler has hit amazing PRs –
Back Squat – 110 kg
Front Squat – 95 kg
Snatch – 63 kg
Clean & Jerk – 77 kg
Tyler continues to train harder with a goal to lift big weight overhead. We are very proud of his progress.
March 2025
In this newsletter
- Upcoming events for March 2025.
- Update on implementation of change in weight categories for first time for Canadian Junior Weightlifting Championships happening June 6 – 8, 2025.
- Recap from Feb 2025.
- Athlete of the month for March 2025 (to be updated by end of March).
Events for March 2025
Junior Provincial Championships, Mar 8th, 2025, Site B Community Center, Port Moody
Athletes competing:
Yasmin Dhiman (11yrs, 45kg) – it will be her first competition. Lifting at 9 am.
Adam Gaudet (17 yrs, 61kg) – lifting at 10.45 am
Max Rupasova (15yrs, 96kg) – lifting at 3 pm
Spring Break – Mar 17th to Mar 28th
With spring break coming up, we will be holding a free week of youth weightlifting which will be a great opportunity to introduce youths into Olympic Weightlifting and teach them how to lift well. The classes will be held on Mon, Wed & Fri at 4 pm to 5 pm. Olympic Weightlifting is beneficial for kids for their overall athleticism and functional strength as they grow.
Master’s Provincial Championships, Mar 29th, 2025, Site B Community Center, Port Moody
Athletes competing:
Micah Cabanlig (32yrs, 59kg)
Judy Hazelwood (64yrs, 64kg)
Marc Connor (54yrs, 96kg)
Ron Sweeney (73yrs, 73kg)
Erico Duque – it will be his first competition.
Implementation of weight categories for the first time for Canadian Junior Weightlifting Championships – June 6- 8, 2025
Junior Nationals will be utilizing the new weight categories. Athletes will qualify from an old weight category and select their new weight category, either the one above or below it. For example, a female that qualifies as a 71kg, 7Ikg, can compete as either a 69 kg or 77kg. This is a one-time deal for the implementation of the new weight classes.
| Female Qualifying Totals | ||
| New Weight class(kg) | Current weight class(kg) | Total(kg) |
| 48 | 45 | 83 |
| 53 | 49 | 89 |
| 58 | 55 | 97 |
| 63 | 59 | 102 |
| 69 | 64 | 107 |
| 77 | 71 | 113 |
| 86 | 76 | 118 |
| 86+ | 81 | 121 |
| 87 | 125 | |
| 87+ | 132 | |
| Male Qualifying Totals | ||
| New weight class(kg) | Current weight class(kg) | Total(kg) |
| 60 | 55 | 129 |
| 65 | 61 | 140 |
| 71 | 67 | 149 |
| 79 | 73 | 157 |
| 88 | 81 | 167 |
| 98 | 89 | 176 |
| 110 | 96 | 182 |
| 110+ | 102 | 187 |
| 109 | 191 | |
| 109+ | 201 | |
Recap from Feb 2025
We held a family day weightlifting event on Feb 13th for members to bring in their family members/ friends to try out Olympic Weightlifting. We had 3 new friends signed up for free class. The class was meant for beginners who were interested in learning weightlifting and know more about the sport but were not sure how or where to get started. The class covered weightlifting basics and movements involved, and the benefits of strength training and why weightlifting is good for functional strength.
Max is our athlete of the month for March.
Max started his weightlifting journey in June 2022 when he was just 12 years old. He started weightlifting as a complete beginner. His initial training was focused more on building strength & learning weightlifting technique. Max will be completing almost 3 years with us.
Max participated in his first weightlifting competition in June 2023 – Junior Spring Open 2023. He made a total of 63kg (Snatch, Clean & Jerk).
Max just competed for BC Junior Weightlifting Championships 2025 at 15 years old. He made a total of 127kg (Snatch, Clean & Jerk) and got a gold medal. His next goal is to compete at National Level. Over the span of 2 years, Max has competed in several weightlifting competitions and has added 64kg to his total.
Prs for Mar – Snatch 56kg & Clean & Jerk – 71 kg.
Max trains 4 times per week. He is very committed and follows the training protocol.
February 2025
In this newsletter
1. Events for February 2025 (in-house).
2. Weightlifting Canada & British Columbia Weightlifting Association updates on new weight categories & it’s implementation.
3. Recap from Jan 2025.
4. Athlete of the month for Feb 2025 (to be updated by end of Feb).
Events for February 2025
Family day celebration, Thurs, Feb 13th 5.30 to 8.30 pm – All are invited to join the celebration. All our members will be training as usual and following their programs. Members are encouraged to invite their family members to try our intro to weightlifting class for free. This class is meant for beginners who want to learn weightlifting and know more about the sport but are not sure how to get started. The intro to weightlifting class will start at 6 pm and end by 7.30 pm. One of our weightlifting coaches will be conducting the class. To register for the intro to weightlifting – text us on 604 500 5866 or email to info@liftwithmobility.ca.
Weightlifting Canada & British Columbia Weightlifting Association updates on new weight categories.
- The new weight categories will be starting from June 1, 2025
- National Level – Weightlifting Canada will be implementing as under:
- 2025 Senior & Junior National Championships will be as per the new weight categories;
- 2026 Senior & Junior National Championships will be as per new qualifying totals along with the new weight categories.
- Provincial Level – BCWA will be implementing as under:
- 2025 Masters, Junior and Senior Provincial Championships will remain at the old weight categories. The new categories will not be facilitated in competition in BC until later in the year. The Vancouver Classic competition in June will be the first competition to host the new weight categories.
- BCWA is reviewing the new weight categories alongwith the new qualifying totals for Senior Provincials 2026 and will release them in spring and will go into effect from May 15th, 2025 onwards.
Recap from January 2025
We had two beginner classes (Intro to Weightlifting) in the month of January. The classes were intended to introduce beginners to the sport of weightlifting, covering basics of weightlifting and the type of movements involved in the sport. The classes were set up in a way that will allow beginners to know about the sport without being overwhelmed, as this being their first experience. This was a good opportunity for them to see what areas are lacking in their overall movement patterns and see how weightlifting can help address these issues.
Barry is our athlete of the month – Feb.
Barry started his weightlifting journey in Oct 2021. He started
weightlifting as a complete beginner. His initial training was
focused more on improving mobility, building strength &
learning weightlifting technique. Barry will be completing
almost 4 years with us.
Barry has been consistently training since 2021. He trains 3
times per week. He is very dedicated, self-disciplined and
follows the training protocol.
Starting as a complete beginner, Barry has achieved huge
milestone in weightlifting – Back squat 135kg, Front Squat
120kg, Snatch 56kg and Clean/Jerk 74kg. Barry continues to
train harder consistently.
January 2025
In this newsletter
- Events for January 2025.
- International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Updates.
- Recap from December 2024.
- Athlete of the month for Jan 2025 (to be updated by end of Jan).
Events (in-house)
Free Introduction to Weightlifting Class
When: Sun, Jan 12 @11-12:30pm & Wed, Jan 15 @6:30-8pm
Who can attend? – Beginners welcome! These classes are for beginners who want to learn more about weightlifting (Snatch, Clean & Jerk) but are not sure how to get started.
IWF updates - New weight categories for the competitions starting June 1, 2025.
| Senior/Junior Men | Senior/Junior Women | ||
| New categories (kg) | Previous categories (kg) | New categories (kg) | Previous categories (kg) |
| 60 | 55 | 48 | 45 |
| 65 | 61 | 53 | 49 |
| 71 | 67 | 58 | 55 |
| 79 | 73 | 63 | 59 |
| 88 | 81 | 69 | 64 |
| 98 | 89 | 77 | 71 |
| 110 | 96 | 86 | 76 |
| 110+ | 102 | 86+ | 81 |
| 109 | 87 | ||
| 87+ | |||
| Youth Men | Youth Women | ||
| New categories (kg) | Previous categories (kg) | New categories (kg) | Previous categories (kg) |
| 56 | 55 | 44 | 45 |
| 60 | 61 | 48 | 49 |
| 65 | 67 | 53 | 55 |
| 71 | 73 | 58 | 59 |
| 79 | 81 | 63 | 64 |
| 88 | 89 | 69 | 71 |
| 98 | 96 | 77 | 76 |
| 98+ | 102 | 77+ | 81 |
| 109 | 87 | ||
| 109+ | 87+ | ||
Recap from December 2024
We had a blast on the Game of PRs held on December 31st, 2024 with potluck and max outs.
- Erico C & J 106kg
- Micah C & J 60kg
We had 5 athletes competed in Winter Open weightlifting competition on December 8th –
- Ron 73yrs old competed for the first time (Snatch -43kg & Clean & Jerk – 53kg)
- Judy 64yrs old (Snatch 30 kg & Clean & Jerk 40 kg).
- Adam 16yrs old – qualified for Canadian Nationals 2025 (Snatch 68kg & Clean & Jerk 78kg) – Gold Medal.
- Matthew 11yrs old (Snatch 35kg & Clean & Jerk 39kg) – Silver Medal.
- Jaiden 16yrs old (Snatch 46kg & Clean & Jerk 60kg) – Gold Medal.
All the athletes who competed during the event were very competitive and did exceptionally well.
Rachel joined us in August 2024 with a goal to learn weightlifting and get stronger. She initially startedwith personal training sessions with our Coach Karan to build foundation and resolve hip and shoulder pain. After completing her foundations for weightlifting, Rachel joined our weightlifting classes and started training with our team of weightlifters in October 2024.
Since October 2024 she has been consistently training for atleast 3 times per week at the same time managing her busy work and family life. Starting as a beginner to weightlifting – she hit Snatch PR of 29kg & Clean & Jerk PR of 38kg in the month of Jan 2025.
We are so proud of Rachel for continuing to strive to get better at weightlifting.
