Walt Neubauer is a terrific example of this. After starting his coaching career in a CrossFit gym in 2013, Walt opened up his own facility in Wilmington, North Carolina in 2016 and began working with the legendary East Coast Gold program. In only a few years, his Wilmington Weightlifting Club has become a weightlifting hot spot for hungry young competitors, older veterans, and everything in between.

I found out about Walt because he’s been coaching longtime Team USA superstar Travis Cooper since 2018. Travis is now in his 30s and he’s still winning National Championships, so obviously Walt’s guidance has been legit. But aside from Travis, Walt is one of those coaches you notice at national meets because the guy basically spends the entire weekend back in the warmup room working with his lifters. He’s got a small army of national-level competitors, including University National Champion Estelle Rohr, Youth Pan Am alternate Ava Davis, and several others.

Walt is in the sport for all the right reasons. He puts his athletes’ success as the top priority, he’s not trying to drag all the attention to himself, and he preaches the expectations of work ethic and commitment. Programs like his are the infrastructure of USA Weightlifting, and we are privileged to share his 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.?

I was born and raised in northern New Jersey but have called Wilmington, NC home since 1995. I am a husband, father to two amazing daughters and full-time weightlifting coach. Growing up, my main two sports were wrestling and football, but I also had brief stints with baseball, lacrosse and running track. I wrestled collegiately and even coached it briefly after.

Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who were your coaches? What were your proudest accomplishments as either an athlete or coach?

I started weightlifting after being introduced to the lifts after recovering from a knee surgery. I never had a coach, which led to a lot of experimentation and learning on my own, which was certainly challenging, especially at a time when access to information on weightlifting was not as readily available as it is today.

It is honestly difficult to pick a “proudest” moment, but I am always much happier and feel more fulfilled when one of my athletes achieves a tough goal that they were striving for than when I ever did anything. It is much easier for me to appreciate others’ success than it is any of my own, which is one of the many reasons I love coaching.

You’ve developed a successful coaching program. Describe the overall program, your philosophy, your daily operations, etc.

Thank you, and I love our weightlifting family. I have always felt that leadership is most effective and successful when viewed as a position of servitude. So, we have a huge focus on developing an environment that helps to create results through philosophies such as focusing on long term benefits over short term results, listening instead of ordering, influencing rather than controlling and being adaptable and tactical with customized, individualized programming and coaching. We operate with an open gym structure, but there is always at least one coach present to help our athletes with whatever they may need. All of our coaches have come up within our system and understand the standards and expectations that we have established over the years.

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?

I love my weightlifting life and would say that the “obstacles” that are most frustrating are the things outside of the gym that I have to do so that I can be with my athletes. While necessary, beneficial, and often times a lot of fun, I would always choose to be in the gym or at a meet coaching over doing the marketing, paperwork, and administrative work that it takes to run a business. I appreciate the opportunity to be in such a well-respected publication as the Performance Menu and feel like taking the time to capitalize on these opportunities are things I personally need to improve upon.

As far as changes within the sport in general, I believe that we need to continue to strive and fight for a clean sport internationally. I feel like we have made tremendous strides this past quad, but we aren’t there yet. If we want to maintain our Olympic status, we need to catch and hold cheaters accountable and prove to the IOC that we are doing the things necessary to truly be a clean sport.

What are your plans and goals for your coaching career? How do you see your future in the sport?

My plan is to continue coaching for the rest of my natural life and really can’t see myself doing or wanting to do anything else. I have been incredibly blessed thus far in my coaching career and have been ahead of schedule with what all my original goals and expectations were.

My current goals continue to be centered around athlete development and performance. Helping the athletes that choose to hire me as their coach achieve their personal goals has been incredibly fulfilling and I hope to be able to continue to do so for many more decades.

I try to not envision specifics when I look to my future in this sport, rather I try and focus on what I need to do now in the present. That being said, I feel my future lies in the gym and back room coaching weightlifters.

When I think of the experiences I have had and the relationships that I have been able to build, it can sometimes feel quite surreal. What I do know is that I still have so much to give to this great sport and community that has given so much to 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?

This is probably the most difficult question for me to answer because there have been so many, and I do not want to leave anyone out. I know this may sound corny, but I first have to give thanks to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If not for his sacrifice and teaching us all how to live and love, I simply would not be who I am today.

Within the world of weightlifting, I am grateful for Harvey Newton, who taught my first coaching course and taught me so much of this sport’s history. He was extremely influential in my getting started and was also the first person who encouraged me to dream big dreams in weightlifting and to pursue them aggressively.

I also have to thank the late Glenn Pendlay, who was an influence on me to a large degree in my early coaching career. The way I teach and believe the lifts should be performed from a philosophical standpoint is based off much of what Glenn taught and believed. Leo Totten has also been a tremendous mentor and influence on me, especially from a cultural standpoint. I have always felt a special connection and synergy with Leo and am thankful that he has always made himself present whenever I have reached out for his sage guidance. He is also incredible at building relationships with people, and I aspire to emulate him in that way.

I would be remiss if I did not thank all of the athletes who have and continue to trust me with being their coach. Without them, this dream could not be pursued.

Keep doing it exactly the way you’re doing it, Walt. Programs like yours always reach success because they’re built on the right foundation. We’ll look forward to more great things in the coming years!