Team USA weightlifter Kristin Pope has had an interesting career path in the sport. Some parts of her history are the kinds of things we hear a lot when lifters tell us their stories: she’s a former gymnast, she was introduced to weightlifting through CrossFit, she’s had to overcome some physical difficulties to be successful in the Olympic lifts, etc. As with most high-level lifters, she’s had to fight through some bumps in the road to make it to the top.
 
However, there’s one thing she said in this interview that caught my attention, because I think it’s one of the best pieces of advice you could ever give to somebody who wants to be a great weightlifter. Early on, she decided to go “all in” with her career. This means she was willing to do whatever she needed to do in her life to pursue her dreams. Moving across the country, battling through injuries, dedicating her life to the sport, putting other parts of her life on hold. bouncing back from moments when she tasted failure…the whole spectrum of being an athlete. She made the decision to go all in, and that’s the only way you can ever have a shot at greatness.
 
And that’s why Kristin is knocking on the door of a 200 kg total and breaking into the mix of making international teams. She’s becoming one of our top female American lifters, and she’s got the potential to do a lot more. The Performance Menu is pleased to share her story with you.
 
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 am from Atlanta, Georgia, and I currently live here! I have moved around a good bit over the last few years but ended back up in my hometown and bought a house this past year and built out my gym I train in on the property. I own and operate Barbells and Bows - and within the business, I sell apparel and coaching nutrition with flexible dieting principles. I am married, going on eight years. My sports background is in gymnastics—I competed for 13 years through level 10. I retired due to injury after five ankle surgeries and stared coaching gymnastics through college.
 
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 in 2013—I transitioned over from CrossFit. I did for CrossFit about a year and half before switching to Weightlifting- the running, box jumps, etc. in CrossFit were bothering my ankles since they are filled with scar tissue. I started out weightlifting being absolutely terrible at it and could only do power lifts, not the full squat. I had horrible mobility and it took me a really long time to develop proper technique. I moved around a lot to get coaching including North Carolina, Florida, and California. I went all in with my career because I wanted to reach my full potential in a sport, feeling like I didn’t get to finish out my gymnastics career. I have been coached by several highly regarded coaches in my career including Travis Mash, John Coffee, & Danny Camargo. I am now coached remotely by Aimee Everett with Catalyst, and being coached by a female has been my favorite experience so far. I competed in the 2017 University World Games and the 2019 Las Vegas International Open for Team USA. In June, I am competing in London for Team USA at the British Open. My best lifts in competition are 91kg and 108kg.
   
Please give a basic description of your training. Just tell us as much as you can about your program, weekly/yearly planning, etc.
 
I train five times a week for about three hours per day. When I joined Catalyst, I was pretty beat up, injured and mentally defeated after being bounced around ending up in some bad situations, so Aimee had to completely start over with my training at ground zero. We started out training 3x per week with very basic fitness training (i.e., step ups and abs) and we have built up to training with the most volume and intensity I have trained at in my career. I am very proud of all we have accomplished, changing me in to a reinvented athlete this year. Aimee programs week to week, sometimes day to day and we are finishing up a high-volume phase now in preparation for Nationals and the British Open. We are competing so many times this year, so in between competitions we stay at heavy singles for the most part.
    
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 have faced directly in weightlifting is my lack of ankle mobility. If my ankles were not so destroyed from my gymnastics career, I would be able to have a more upright squat position and that would be amazing. The other thing that was a limiting factor for me in my earlier years of competing was my anxiety, but as I have matured as an athlete in this sport, I have been able to overcome a lot of mental hurdles. I have a great appreciation for the sport giving me the opportunity to better myself in this way.
 
One of my main goals in the sport along the way has been to introduce as many women to weightlifting as possible, since it has changed my life in such positive ways. If I had known weightlifting was a sport earlier, I would have started much sooner, right after I retired from gymnastics. There was a seven-year gap in between my two athletic careers. I have women messaging me daily saying they found and started Olympic weightlifting from my YouTube videos and posts and that is something I am really proud of and want to keep seeing more of. I want the sport to keep progressing in a way that women can embrace that they can be both strong and feminine.
 
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?
 
From the start, I have always said my goal is to reach my full potential. I am still figuring out what that means and looks like. Along the way, I have made small goals like making Team USA for the first time, making the podium at Nationals, and now making a Senior International team. My next immediate goals are to total 200kg in competition, and to make a World Championship or Pan American team.
 
I want to have children soon, so I know I don’t have a lot of years left at this level. That being said, I will always be a weightlifter and will probably always compete. I would love to start coaching my own athletes soon.
 
Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?
 
I trained at Coffee’s Gym in some of my first few sessions of trying weightlifting, and John showed me photo after photo of Robin Byrd (Goad) and she was someone I really idolized in my early weightlifting days. I definitely have both John and Robin to thank for sparking an interest in this small strange sport. I have had several amazing coaches along the way, and each of them gave me unique life lessons that I carry with me still—some positive things and some negative— but I am thankful to all of them for helping me move through my journey and find myself as a person and an athlete. Most of all, I have to thank Aimee, though. I was so close to retiring this past year, and she believed in me when I didn’t. Aimee knew what I was capable of and she helped pull it back out of me. I am now training and competing better than ever before, and I know we will finish this road out strong together.
 
Keep fighting it out, Kristin. You’ve got plenty more kilos in the tank, and you’re on the right team to make it happen!