I’ve been saying it for years. Gymnastics is the best place to recruit female Olympic weightlifters.
 
Susan Murphy is a former competitive gymnast who left the sport because of a back injury, stumbled onto CrossFit, and then found her love in Olympic weightlifting. This pattern is probably more common these days than many of us think, but the results in Susan’s case have been above average so far. In just a short time, Susan has already developed into a national-level competitor for Catalyst Athletics. Her potential is just starting to show, as we saw at the 2017 American Open Series I competition, where she placed 3^rd in the 75 kg class with a 194 kg total.
 
I met Susan for the first time at the 2016 National Championship, where I was introduced by her coach and my buddy Mike Gray. The thing that stood out to me was her level-headed attitude towards weightlifting. This is a sport that attracts a lot of head cases and loose cannons, but Susan isn’t one of them. She has a calm, relaxed approach to this sport, while still maintaining the level of intensity and commitment that’s required for a successful athlete. She’s already rising up through the ranks quickly, and it’ll be exciting to see where she goes from here.
 
Tell us about your background. Where are you from, where do you currently live, what’s your occupation, family life, what kind of sports background do you have outside of lifting, etc.
 
I grew up in Las Vegas, the middle child of five kids. Growing up, my mom swore I walked on my hands more than my feet. I walked on my hands or cartwheeled around the house, yard, and on the soccer field. I begged for years to be able to take gymnastics classes and was finally able to start at age nine. I excelled and moved on to the competitive team within a year. Gymnastics was my first love, and I credit my years in gymnastics for preparing my body and mind for weightlifting.
 
A back injury should have ended my career in gymnastics in middle school, but I was stubborn and continued competing until I finished high school despite chronic pain that limited my performance. This injury led me to pursue a career in physical therapy. I was hoping to learn how to help athletes continue to do the sports they loved, and selfishly I wanted to “fix” my broken back. Once I completed my physical therapy degree, I landed my dream job working with middle school and high school athletes in San Diego, CA.
 
Outside of lifting, I work full time treating kids/teens, and part time teaching physical therapy students. I also recently took on some responsibility of coaching and programming for the barbell club I train with. Whatever free time I can find, I spend at brunch, coffee shops or at the beach with my dog.
 
Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who have your coaches been? What are your proudest accomplishments?

After grad school ended, I suddenly had a ton of free time. I stumbled upon CrossFit and became obsessed. I was training five or six days per week, often staying after class to work on weaknesses. I enjoyed it immensely for about six months. CrossFit brought back my competitive drive, but my natural inclination for focusing on technique over time led me to realize I just wanted to do weightlifting. I was able to stay at my CrossFit gym and do some “extra credit” weightlifting work for a few years with some well-intentioned coaching. However, it eventually became clear that I had to move on if I wanted to compete on the national stage. I stumbled upon Outlier Barbell, which was a Catalyst Athletics affiliate, and emailed Mike Gray asking if I could join. Luckily, Mike agreed to take a chance on me. One week after joining Outlier Barbell, Mike told me I would be doing a local meet in six weeks at which I would qualify for Nationals, which was 12 weeks away. The qualifying total was five kilos above my best training total, and I had only six weeks to get there!
 
I had weightlifting experience prior to Outlier Barbell, but I will always hold that Mike Gray was my first weightlifting coach. He taught me a lot about technique, but the most important thing he taught me was grit. That first training cycle was tough. In addition to being more volume than anything I had ever done, I was trying to completely relearn weightlifting technique. At the same time, I had a particularly rough patch in my personal life with several serious illnesses in my family. Mike helped me channel my life stress into weightlifting. I showed up to that local meet more mentally and physically prepared than I had been for any competitive event in my life. Due to some rookie mistakes, I only made one snatch, which meant I need to PR my clean and jerk to qualify for nationals. My proudest accomplishment in weightlifting so far was hitting that 100 kg PR clean and jerk that qualified me to nationals.
 
After nationals, I was invited to formally join the Catalyst Athletics national team. Mike Gray continues to be my coach, but I now have the opportunity to work with the whole Catalyst team.
 
Please give a basic description of your training method. Just tell us as much as you can about your program, weekly/yearly planning, etc.
 
I train five days per week for one and a half to three hours per day. Two or three days a week I train at 5:30 am or 7:30 pm. It has taken me some time to learn that I have to be forgiving with myself when I am not lifting my best at the crack of dawn or after working for 10 hours. On the tough days, I try to focus on moving the best I can and putting 100 percent mental focus on the lifts I can complete successfully.
 
My training program weekly/yearly is planned by the coaches at Catalyst Athletics. Generally speaking, I have a deload week every fourth week, and I compete two to four times per year.
 
Describe some of the obstacles you face, or maybe some things that frustrate you in your weightlifting life. What kinds of changes would you like to see, either personally or with the sport in general?
 
The biggest obstacle I face with weightlifting is my schedule. I work 8:30 am to 7:00 pm, four days per week, which means I have to train super early or really late after working on my feet all day. It also means I am training alone several days per week, which can be a challenge.
 
I have considered changing my life to create more time to focus on weightlifting, but at the end of the day I enjoy my career and have student loans to manage. It isn’t in the cards for me to be a full-time athlete and I have accepted that. However, I think it is amazing that USAW has developed a stipend program to help support athletes. I hope they continue to expand the program to give more athletes the opportunity to focus on weightlifting full time.
 
What are your plans and goals for your weightlifting career? How do you see your future in the sport?
 
After I injured my back in gymnastics, my progress stalled. I managed to keep showing up and competing, but I didn’t get any better. I feel like weightlifting has given me a second chance to be an athlete. It has given me the opportunity to see what my mind and body are capable of achieving. I’m not sure where my career is going to take me, but I plan to keep pushing forward as long as my body will let me. I have some numbers I would like to hit in the back of my head, but for now, I’m just glad to be a part of team Catalyst.
 
Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?
 
Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to spend time with Jessica Lucero, and she is an inspiration. She lives and breathes weightlifting; her energy and focus are contagious. It’s an honor to be on the same team as her. I have to thank my training partner Samantha Kleinschmidt who is an amazing athlete, a bonus little sister, and a good friend. It has been my pleasure watching her turn into a fierce athlete over the past few years. Of course, I have to thank Mike Gray for seeing my potential and continuously pushing me to be better, and teaching me to trust the process. Thank you to Greg and Aimee Everett for inviting me onto their team, inviting me into their home to train, and supporting my weightlifting career.
 
You’re a great part of the team, Susan. Keep plugging away, and we’ll all look forward to watching your progress!