It’s not very often you hear about a guy who starts Olympic weightlifting at 35 and then goes on to snatch over 300 lbs. right around the time he turns 40, but that’s the story with Shane Sevcik. I can also positively verify that he’s the first 300 lb. snatcher I’ve ever known who used to be a male cheerleader.
 
2017 was a good year for Shane. He won the World Masters Games in the 35-39 105+ kg class with a monster 309 kg total, and then went on to improve that mark to 315 kg at the American Open. These are fantastic numbers, and he’s clearly on the road to more. His story is an impressive one to me personally, because it’s not often I meet weightlifters who have been injured as much as I have. Once a guy starts using words like “de-glove” and “amputation,” I tip my hat to him.
 
It’ll be exciting to see what the big guy accomplishes in the coming years as a masters weightlifter. It hasn’t taken him long to rise to the top of the world in his division, and much better things could be on the horizon. The Performance Menu is honored to give you a look at one of the strongest over-35 weightlifters you’ll ever find.
 
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 was born and raised in Jacksonville, Oregon. It’s a super small town (2000 people) outside of Medford. Whenever you say you’re from Oregon, everyone assumes Portland, but I’m on the other end of the state, on the California border. I grew up as a typical latchkey kid, played every sport imaginable. We had to entertain ourselves after school, so sports were the go-to. My primary sports were football, basketball, wrestling, golf, gymnastics, and one year of cheerleading in college after losing a bet. I’ll elaborate on that later. I’m VP and Portfolio Manager with Morgan Stanley. My wife Heather and I have been together for seven years, and we have a two-year-old son named Greyson, with one more on the way.
 
Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who have your coaches been? What are your proudest accomplishments?
 
I started weightlifting truly through CrossFit. I was never exposed to the Olympic movements as a kid. My local schools didn’t have a real S&C program; it was more of a circuit training bodybuilding type program. The first time I ever did a clean was my senior year of college. I went to University of Oregon originally to play football, but a shoulder injury and surgery ended that. However, during my senior year, my girlfriend got wind that I used to do gymnastics. Through a bet and some negotiations, she convinced me to become a college cheerleader my senior year. So, through that I met Jimmy Radcliff and did my first clean at the Casanova Center. Weightlifting and stunting are very similar in movement pattern and coordination required.
 
However, it wasn’t until much later in life that I actually started weightlifting. It wasn’t until CrossFit in my mid-30s that a barbell was ever consistently in my hands for anything other than a bench press. So, I consider my official start to weightlifting to be five years ago at 35. I have only ever had one real coach, Dean Limb. It has always been tricky because Dean is in Klamath Falls, about an hour and a half away. So, I consider myself more of a self-taught(ish) garage gym guy that gets programming and tune-ups from a coach going into meets I deem important. That being said, I travel a bit and always drop in to train with any great coach I can find. I’ve done several of Greg’s programs, and always see Broz when in Vegas, or Jasha Faye when I’m in the Bay Area.
 
My proudest accomplishment is probably winning the Masters World Games in 2017. This is the proudest only because I think it is something my son will be proud of me for. However, I think my biggest achievement is qualifying for USA Senior Nationals as a 40-year-old that’s had some pretty horrific injuries.
 
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 am really a rookie at this, so I’m still learning. Typically, I train five days a week for about 90 minutes each. I stick to pretty basic classic lifts with squatting. I’ll do power variations when my knees are hurting and blocks when my back is bugging me. I would consider my training to be more of a Bulgarian style for wimps. I use Catalyst’s “8 Week Rough” as my base training template and modify it to fit my needs.
 
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?
 
My biggest obstacle has always been injury. My body is pretty broken. I’ve got two ruptured discs in my back. I’ve had three shoulder surgeries because of 20+ dislocations. I’ve most recently had a STEM cell procedure to try and fix a tear in my patellar tendon. However, the worst one was a car accident where I was run over by a truck a couple of years ago. I had a compound dislocation, fracture, and de-gloving of my heel and ankle from my lower leg. After a week in the hospital and two surgeries, they still weren’t sure if my foot would start recirculating or if they would have to amputate it.
 
A change I’d love to see in the sport is to see it introduced as a core movement in high school athletics. The more teens with a barbell in their hands the better. In terms of functional real strength, it’s about as good as you’ll ever find. My son will have no choice growing up. He will do a couple years of gymnastics to learn body coordination, and he will do weightlifting to gain a base of strength. Whatever else he wants to pursue is up to him.
 
What are your plans and goals for your weightlifting career? How do you see your future in the sport?
 
My biggest goal is simply to qualify for Senior Nationals for as long as I can. I love the fact that I’m competing with youngsters that I could be father to. I’d like to win a couple more Masters Worlds, especially when my son is old enough to care and come stand on the podium with me.
 
Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?
 
Major influences would be my coach Dean Limb; it was an unsanctioned charity meet that introduced me to it, Jasha Faye for being one of the greatest guys/coaches/friends you could ever meet, John Broz for sitting and coaching me for hours every time I come to Vegas, and Greg Everett and Catalyst Athletics for putting out so much literature and information on the sport of weightlifting. I'd say all of them played a major role in getting me into and keeping me into weightlifting.
 
Continued success, Shane. We’re glad Catalyst Athletics has been able to help you on your road. Keep on representing the old dudes in style!