When I asked Daniel Russell to do this interview, he seemed a little confused at first. I think he wondered why I was asking to interview him, possibly because many of the people we’ve featured in this magazine have been Olympians, World Team members, etc.
 
I explained to Daniel that the reason I chose him is because he’s a damn good weightlifter who represents an important demographic of our sport. He’s been in weightlifting for almost 10 years at this point. He has placed in the top seven at the National Championship and American Open Finals, along with medaling at the AO Series competitions. His best total is 320 kg in the 105+ class, which is a better number than the vast majority of people in our country can match. Additionally, he owns a gym and runs his own team now, coaching lifters in his White Buffalo Weightlifting Club to future success. He might not have an Olympic Team on his record, but he’s got a substantial list of accomplishments in the sport as both an athlete and a contributor.
 
I’ve always believed people like Daniel are some of the most respectable members of our US weightlifting community. High-level national lifters who use their experience to build teams and instill the next generation with the values and work ethic this sport demands. Winning a World Championship isn’t the only measure of success in this game…not by a long shot. That’s why it’s a pleasure to give you a look at a veteran US lifter who’s paying it forward.
 
Tell us about your background. Where are you from, where do you currently live, what’s your occupation (if you work in addition to training), family life, what kind of sports background do you have outside of lifting, etc.
 
I’m from a small town just outside of Tampa, Florida called Land O’ Lakes (no we don’t make the butter). I went to Land O’ Lakes High School, where I wrestled. Outside of wrestling, I grew up playing soccer, racing motocross, and playing hockey. I currently live in Louisville, Kentucky with my girlfriend, Laura Barito, who is also a weightlifter and competes nationally. We own a gym together here, White Buffalo Training Systems. We do everything from CrossFit to personal training, and we have our own weightlifting team as well (White Buffalo Barbell). I also own a mobile detailing business and spend a few days a week detailing cars in addition to helping to run a gym and coaching. Our family life consists of four doggos. My family is primarily back in Florida, hers is here in Louisville.
 
Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who have your coaches been? What championships and international teams do you have on your record? What are your best lifts?
 
I started weightlifting after an ACL injury ended my soccer career in college in 2008. By the end of my rehab in 2009, I was doing power cleans and push jerks in the University of South Florida Rec. Center as a means to get back onto the soccer field. Needless to say, I never made it. Someone told me I could compete with a barbell and that was all I needed to hear. I took a trip down to Sarasota, Florida to my first weightlifting gym (Advanced Fitness and Performance) with my first coach, Andrew Sweeney, who was a college friend of mine and a coworker at the time. Joe Seth, the owner of the gym, would later take over as my coach there after Andrew moved on. I’m still in contact with both of them to this day. I lifted under Andrew and Joe from 2010-2013. I moved to New Jersey in 2013 and that’s when I met Nick Curry, who was my coach until he passed in November 2018. I currently work under Phil Sabatini. Under Nick, I competed in my first American Open (now AO Finals) in 2015, and first Nationals in 2016. Since then, I have competed in Nationals in 2017 and 2018, AO Finals in 2016 and 2018, AO series 3 2017, and AO series 1 2018. At AO3 in Grand Rapids 2017, I took silver in the snatch and bronze in the total as a +105. My best finish at a national meet was the 2017 Nationals in Chicago, where I finished 7th. I also took 7th at AO finals in Milwaukee in 2018, both at +105 as well. My best lifts are 147kg Snatch, 177kg Clean and Jerk. My best competition total is 320. I did that at AO 1 last year (143/177).
 
Please give a basic description of your training. Just tell us as much as you can about your program, weekly/yearly planning, etc.
 
Up until recently under Nick, my program was based on a Russian Candidate to Master of Sport Model. Weekly I would train four to five times. I would say on average under Nick it was four days throughout the time we worked together. He would send me an entire week at a time, with every single lift planned out to the kilo. Yearly we would plan to peak for Nationals and AO finals, with some local or regional meets prior to those that were used as heavy training days. We did that for the last few years after I qualified for my first AO Finals and Nationals. The beginning of the year was typically a prep phase with a good amount of volume at lower intensities. Same thing after Nationals. We would typically plan a 20-22 week build up to each meet. Volumes and intensities would vary in waves throughout, with the biggest lifts happening in the peak for each meet. Nick was big on long-term progression and we would plan accordingly. I never spent a ton of time squatting insanely heavy. His rationale was that it didn’t mean much to squat 250kg if you could only total 270. So he planned squats in proportion to the lifts. Most of my volume would be spent in the 70-80% range for the competition lifts. I liked Nick’s style a lot, and it’s currently the system I use for my own athletes. It’s very different from most others. Under Phil, I seem to get my volume done in very few sets with many reps. Under Nick, we did two to three reps at the most at one time (except for squats) and the volume was spread over many sets. It wasn’t uncommon for a workout to last 3+ hours. I can’t speak a whole lot about Phil’s program yet since I have only been on it for two weeks at the moment, and it’s a preparatory reactivation program that is supposed to last five weeks. However, what I do know about his programming is that there is also a long-term plan in mind, much like Nick’s. This was something I took into consideration when I asked around about coaches after Nick passed. I am currently training four days a week under Phil.
 
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?
 
Can I say life in general is an obstacle? In all seriousness though, you’d think owning a gym would make it easy for me to train consistently, but it’s the exact opposite. It’s like owning your first home. There’s always something to do. Something needs cleaning or fixing. Someone needs a program last minute or something needs to be done. Classes need to be coached, the list goes on. One of the biggest obstacles I face lately is prioritizing my time and giving myself some time that doesn’t involve work (both gym-related and car-related).
 
Sleep patterns are another obstacle. In the fitness industry in particular, late evenings and early mornings at work are common. During the middle of the day, the question is always nap vs train. This is where the challenge of prioritization comes in. Frustrating as it may be, I wouldn’t trade my job(s) for anything. I can always be better, and I keep telling myself I’ll get this sleep thing nailed down one day.
 
Personally, within the sport I would LOVE to see high school weightlifting be more of a big deal. I would also like to see PED usage come to an end, but that’s never gonna happen.
 
What are your plans and goals for your weightlifting career? How do you see your future in the sport? Do you plan to stay involved in weightlifting after your top competitive years are over?
 
In terms of my current lifting, I’m going to keep training and competing at this level for as long as my body lets me. I’m 31 now, so some adjustments will have to be made (another reason why I asked Phil to coach me), but I don’t think it’s impossible to lift at nationals at a masters athlete age. WHEN I decide to step away, I’ll probably compete at the national masters events, who knows, maybe even worlds. I don’t think I will ever stop lifting. So long as I can lace up my shoes, I’ll be moving a barbell. I 110% plan to keep involved in the sport after my competitive days are done. Coaching is another passion of mine, and right now we’re starting high school programs across Kentucky and southern Indiana. If I can give back to my athletes half of what this sport has given me. I would die a happy man.
 
Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?
 
One of my biggest influences and a mentor to me was, of course, Nick Curry. He took a skinny, underdeveloped kid from Florida that thought he knew it all and turned him into a halfway decent weightlifter with all of the “old Russian secrets” to use at his disposal. The rest of Team New Jersey also played hearken to that. They were all so positive and so encouraging all the time. That I know was Nick’s doing. He would never let any of us be down on our training. Only positive. That carried over into the way that we supported one another, and it was one of the many reasons training with them at FDU was so memorable. Andrew Sweeney and Joe Seth were also some of my biggest influences and they are 100% responsible for me getting involved in coaching and pursuing my career in the fitness industry. I can thank Joe alone for helping me pass the CSCS from his many lectures during our training sessions lol. By proxy, Leo Totten is also another influence. He influenced Joe, who heavily influenced me. Eight years later, I finally lift for East Coast Gold.
 
I’d like to thank Andrew and Joe for getting me involved in the sport and convincing me to stay for a while. I’d like to thank Nick and the rest of Team New Jersey for the countless things they did for me both on and off the platform that helped me get to where I am today. And I would like to thank my girlfriend, Laura Barito, for putting up with me even when I’m difficult, and being the best platform coach ever (I mean literally ever, ask Leo and he’ll agree). I’ve had a lot of great people in my corner and a lot of positive influences throughout my time in the sport. I’d like to thank anyone else I’ve crossed paths with that have made the sport more enjoyable for me as well.
 
Thanks for contributing to our magazine and our sport, Daniel. Catalyst wishes you all the success in the world as you continue your journey.