Interview: TJ Greenstone
It’s getting more and more rare to hear about a weightlifter who wins national championships while working a full-time job and raising a family. These days, most of our top lifters are receiving some kind of financial help that keeps them from having to punch a timecard at a job every day. This is a great situation, because it’s exactly the way it needs to be if we want to compete with the professional lifters from places like China.
TJ Greenstone is an interesting figure because he works full time as a collegiate strength and conditioning coach, has a wife and kids, and is our current US National Champion in the superheavyweight class. This isn’t a combination you see very often. With a 160 kg snatch and a 207 kg C&J, TJ capped off his Nationals win after already having won the 2015 University National Championship and the 2018 American Open. As a former collegiate football player, he manages to lift these weights despite working around the brutal wear and tear that comes from life on the gridiron.
It takes a ton of willpower and self-discipline to be an Olympic weightlifter. When you try to do it at an older age, supporting a family, raising kids, building a career, and holding your body together after another sport already beat the hell out of it, you’ve got something special inside. The Performance Menu is honored to share TJ’s story with you.
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.
Born in Houston, lived in Pittsburgh briefly, raised from 5th grade on in Atlanta (if you know anything about weight limits in youth football, the move down south was a Godsend). I currently live in Indianapolis, Indiana. Growing up, I played every sport under the sun: soccer, football, baseball, swimming, gymnastics (like the little kid daycare kind), track and field. I’m currently a strength and conditioning coach and adjunct professor at Butler University. I work directly with Football, Men’s Soccer, and Women’s Volleyball. My wife and I have two sons, Jackson (two), and Nolan (one). They are easily the source of our greatest joys as we’ve learned to become parents.
Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who have your coaches been? What are your proudest accomplishments?
In college, I hang power cleaned 325lbs as a 17-year-old with straps within my first month on campus at Vanderbilt University where I played football. I’d give myself a solid B+ for technique. Fast forward to the summer going into my junior year, I improved that number to 410lbs. A coach by the name Gabe Teeple put the bug of the sport of weightlifting in my ear as something to consider after my football career was over. I eventually chose the strength coach route and took my USA Weightlifting Level 1 and Level 2 with Harvey Newton. He began “coaching” me. What was a mentorship turned into a friendship as my career progressed on. I competed at my first meet in a middle school cafeteria in St. Louis in December of 2012. I totaled 280 (120,160). No coach on-site, no one counting attempts. Just a 23-year-old meathead figuring out the sport of weightlifting. I competed unattached with Harvey running my cards at all major national meets, if he attended. If he was unable to make it, he would call a friend, we would meet up at weigh-ins, and he/she would help me out. In 2018, I joined East Coast Gold and Leo Totten, who I originally met through the vendor circuit at strength coach conferences over the years.
My proudest moments individually would include winning 2015 Universities, winning the American Open in 2018 after partially tearing my Achilles in 2018, and winning 2019 Nationals. I’m also very proud of my opportunity to represent USA Weightlifting as a national course instructor. Teaching and coaching is a passion of mine, and this has allowed me to continue to learn and pass on the knowledge that I’ve been given to others.
Please give a basic description of your training method. Just tell us as much as you can about your program, weekly/yearly planning, etc.
My training method is fairly classical in the sense that far from meets, there is a lot of variation. The closer I get, the less there is. I program for myself and always have outside of the 12 weeks prior to a national competition (Harvey Newton’s taper program works like a charm!). I pull a lot from my athletic background of training, utilizing basic movements (push, pull, hinge, squat) as accessories. I utilize a PR chart to find weaknesses and try to focus on those in the offseason. Depending on the state of my body (while I’d never change it, 15 years of football causes your body not to respond to repetitive, full range of motion at high speed movements over long periods of time very well), I often have a lot of remedial work at the end of training sessions. I shoot for 1,600-1,800 repetitions during offseason months and taper as low as 900-1,000 in a competition month. My volume and frequency have changed as I’ve grown older as well. I cannot handle five to seven training days like I could when I was younger, so I’ll be lucky if I can get four in. Lastly, depending on the time of year and how much coaching I do, volume gets adjusted as well.
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’ve faced is injuries and recovery. Partially tearing my Achilles and now dealing with an issue in my knee sets you back. When you’ve fought through what feels like a lifetime of football wear and tear, you often second guess yourself as to why you keep going. Being that weightlifting isn’t a “money” sport in the United States, it can be difficult to compete in and work full time, while still being a great husband and father. Once you reach a certain level, in order to recover, you need funding. You need a manual therapist every week, massage therapy, time for cold tubs, time to meal prep, time to sleep enough (perfect world- 9+ hours a night) in order to do this sport drug-free. You can only be great at so many things in a 24 hour period. Thousands of dollars are spent by athletes around the country on travel, training, nutrition, and recovery that you truly have to love it or have money from somewhere ( a coach, USAW, a long-distance relative who left you a bag of cash?) to continue to climb the ladder. Lastly, the qualification process makes it difficult to have a full-time job as well. Not that I’m anywhere near that level, but it seems like he/she who competes the most internationally has the best shot. That may fly in other countries where all they do is compete, but while it holds athletes to more frequent testing, it also limits a lot of potentially successful athletes who can’t swing it.
What are your plans and goals for your weightlifting career? How do you see your future in the sport?
Winning Nationals (albeit the top two guys in my class weren’t present, take this as my public thank you for that) was a huge goal for me. It was the first time in my career where I think I started to see what I can do and started believing that my body was capable of bigger numbers. Right now, I’m trying to get and stay healthy. I’m dealing with a knee injury that has set me back quite a bit but hoping over the next calendar year I can figure things out and return back to competing at a high level. Outside of the weightlifting world, I would love to continue to influence lifters/athletes and future coaches, possibly pursuing a Ph.D. one day and doing research to continue to validate all the great uses and benefits of weightlifting for sports performance.
Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?
About 92.5% of my knowledge and experience in the world of weightlifting I owe to Harvey Newton. He’s provided me with so much insight, so much information, so much knowledge, and never asked me for a dime. In the world of social media, it’s often the squeaky wheel that gets the grease or the recognition. Harvey is the classic car in the garage somewhere that you aren’t allowed to take pictures of (don’t take that as an age joke, please). You have to get in your car, travel to see him in person, and experience talking to someone with that much knowledge face to face over an IPA. Additionally, watching my father bench press 400 pounds when I was 13 created a passion for the weight room in me. Coach John Sisk and Dwight Galt and their staffs who coached me while I played in college. My wife who has sacrificed so much time and financially to me and my weightlifting endeavors. My mom and sister who are my biggest fans. Leo Totten and the East Coast Gold family for offering their support as I continue to chase the dream of lifting large things. And lastly, but most importantly, God for leading me through life, who’s given me opportunity after opportunity to become the husband, father, coach, and athlete I am today.
Best of luck in your career, and all the great things you’re giving back to the sport, TJ. Here’s to much bigger lifts in the future!
TJ Greenstone is an interesting figure because he works full time as a collegiate strength and conditioning coach, has a wife and kids, and is our current US National Champion in the superheavyweight class. This isn’t a combination you see very often. With a 160 kg snatch and a 207 kg C&J, TJ capped off his Nationals win after already having won the 2015 University National Championship and the 2018 American Open. As a former collegiate football player, he manages to lift these weights despite working around the brutal wear and tear that comes from life on the gridiron.
It takes a ton of willpower and self-discipline to be an Olympic weightlifter. When you try to do it at an older age, supporting a family, raising kids, building a career, and holding your body together after another sport already beat the hell out of it, you’ve got something special inside. The Performance Menu is honored to share TJ’s story with you.
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.
Born in Houston, lived in Pittsburgh briefly, raised from 5th grade on in Atlanta (if you know anything about weight limits in youth football, the move down south was a Godsend). I currently live in Indianapolis, Indiana. Growing up, I played every sport under the sun: soccer, football, baseball, swimming, gymnastics (like the little kid daycare kind), track and field. I’m currently a strength and conditioning coach and adjunct professor at Butler University. I work directly with Football, Men’s Soccer, and Women’s Volleyball. My wife and I have two sons, Jackson (two), and Nolan (one). They are easily the source of our greatest joys as we’ve learned to become parents.
Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who have your coaches been? What are your proudest accomplishments?
In college, I hang power cleaned 325lbs as a 17-year-old with straps within my first month on campus at Vanderbilt University where I played football. I’d give myself a solid B+ for technique. Fast forward to the summer going into my junior year, I improved that number to 410lbs. A coach by the name Gabe Teeple put the bug of the sport of weightlifting in my ear as something to consider after my football career was over. I eventually chose the strength coach route and took my USA Weightlifting Level 1 and Level 2 with Harvey Newton. He began “coaching” me. What was a mentorship turned into a friendship as my career progressed on. I competed at my first meet in a middle school cafeteria in St. Louis in December of 2012. I totaled 280 (120,160). No coach on-site, no one counting attempts. Just a 23-year-old meathead figuring out the sport of weightlifting. I competed unattached with Harvey running my cards at all major national meets, if he attended. If he was unable to make it, he would call a friend, we would meet up at weigh-ins, and he/she would help me out. In 2018, I joined East Coast Gold and Leo Totten, who I originally met through the vendor circuit at strength coach conferences over the years.
My proudest moments individually would include winning 2015 Universities, winning the American Open in 2018 after partially tearing my Achilles in 2018, and winning 2019 Nationals. I’m also very proud of my opportunity to represent USA Weightlifting as a national course instructor. Teaching and coaching is a passion of mine, and this has allowed me to continue to learn and pass on the knowledge that I’ve been given to others.
Please give a basic description of your training method. Just tell us as much as you can about your program, weekly/yearly planning, etc.
My training method is fairly classical in the sense that far from meets, there is a lot of variation. The closer I get, the less there is. I program for myself and always have outside of the 12 weeks prior to a national competition (Harvey Newton’s taper program works like a charm!). I pull a lot from my athletic background of training, utilizing basic movements (push, pull, hinge, squat) as accessories. I utilize a PR chart to find weaknesses and try to focus on those in the offseason. Depending on the state of my body (while I’d never change it, 15 years of football causes your body not to respond to repetitive, full range of motion at high speed movements over long periods of time very well), I often have a lot of remedial work at the end of training sessions. I shoot for 1,600-1,800 repetitions during offseason months and taper as low as 900-1,000 in a competition month. My volume and frequency have changed as I’ve grown older as well. I cannot handle five to seven training days like I could when I was younger, so I’ll be lucky if I can get four in. Lastly, depending on the time of year and how much coaching I do, volume gets adjusted as well.
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’ve faced is injuries and recovery. Partially tearing my Achilles and now dealing with an issue in my knee sets you back. When you’ve fought through what feels like a lifetime of football wear and tear, you often second guess yourself as to why you keep going. Being that weightlifting isn’t a “money” sport in the United States, it can be difficult to compete in and work full time, while still being a great husband and father. Once you reach a certain level, in order to recover, you need funding. You need a manual therapist every week, massage therapy, time for cold tubs, time to meal prep, time to sleep enough (perfect world- 9+ hours a night) in order to do this sport drug-free. You can only be great at so many things in a 24 hour period. Thousands of dollars are spent by athletes around the country on travel, training, nutrition, and recovery that you truly have to love it or have money from somewhere ( a coach, USAW, a long-distance relative who left you a bag of cash?) to continue to climb the ladder. Lastly, the qualification process makes it difficult to have a full-time job as well. Not that I’m anywhere near that level, but it seems like he/she who competes the most internationally has the best shot. That may fly in other countries where all they do is compete, but while it holds athletes to more frequent testing, it also limits a lot of potentially successful athletes who can’t swing it.
What are your plans and goals for your weightlifting career? How do you see your future in the sport?
Winning Nationals (albeit the top two guys in my class weren’t present, take this as my public thank you for that) was a huge goal for me. It was the first time in my career where I think I started to see what I can do and started believing that my body was capable of bigger numbers. Right now, I’m trying to get and stay healthy. I’m dealing with a knee injury that has set me back quite a bit but hoping over the next calendar year I can figure things out and return back to competing at a high level. Outside of the weightlifting world, I would love to continue to influence lifters/athletes and future coaches, possibly pursuing a Ph.D. one day and doing research to continue to validate all the great uses and benefits of weightlifting for sports performance.
Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?
About 92.5% of my knowledge and experience in the world of weightlifting I owe to Harvey Newton. He’s provided me with so much insight, so much information, so much knowledge, and never asked me for a dime. In the world of social media, it’s often the squeaky wheel that gets the grease or the recognition. Harvey is the classic car in the garage somewhere that you aren’t allowed to take pictures of (don’t take that as an age joke, please). You have to get in your car, travel to see him in person, and experience talking to someone with that much knowledge face to face over an IPA. Additionally, watching my father bench press 400 pounds when I was 13 created a passion for the weight room in me. Coach John Sisk and Dwight Galt and their staffs who coached me while I played in college. My wife who has sacrificed so much time and financially to me and my weightlifting endeavors. My mom and sister who are my biggest fans. Leo Totten and the East Coast Gold family for offering their support as I continue to chase the dream of lifting large things. And lastly, but most importantly, God for leading me through life, who’s given me opportunity after opportunity to become the husband, father, coach, and athlete I am today.
Best of luck in your career, and all the great things you’re giving back to the sport, TJ. Here’s to much bigger lifts in the future!
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Matt Foreman is the football and track & field coach at Mountain View High School in Phoenix, AZ. A competitive weightliter for twenty years, Foreman is a four-time National Championship bronze medalist, two-time American Open silver medalist, three-time American Open bronze medalist, two-time National Collegiate Champion, 2004 US Olympic Trials competitor, 2000 World University Championship Team USA competitor, and Arizona and Washington state record-holder. He was also First Team All-Region high school football player, lettered in high school wrestling and track, a high school national powerlifting champion, and a Scottish Highland Games competitor. Foreman has coached multiple regional, state, and national champions in track & field, powerlifting, and weightlifting, and was an assistant coach on 5A Arizona state runner-up football and track teams. He is the author of Bones of Iron: Collected Articles on the Life of the Strength Athlete. |
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