I’m pretty sure you all know who Jessica Lucero is. She’s been one of the dominant athletes in USA weightlifting for several years who’s been winning national championships, breaking American records, and representing the United States on the international stage. I was fortunate enough to help work with Jess in many of her top competitions during the years she competed for Catalyst Athletics, and I was always impressed by the heart and soul she put into her performances. Her career had a lot of ups and downs, great moments of accomplishment mixed with obstacles and challenges. Sometimes there was joy, while other times it was heartbreak. And year after year, she just kept showing up and fighting back. I’ve always believed resilience is the best quality a weightlifter can have, and I can’t think of another US lifter I’ve seen in recent years who showed this more than Jessica Lucero. When we went to the 2016 Olympic Trials and she smashed three American records, it was one of the most exciting moments I can remember.

When she announced her retirement from competition a few months ago, I knew I wanted to get a career retrospective interview from her. She’s been to the top of the mountain, she’s fought the wars, and the weightlifting community can learn a lot from reading about her road. It’s an honor and a privilege to share Jessica’s story with you.

Our readers all know about your accomplishments on the platform, but 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. 

So, I was born in Cleveland, Ohio. My mom and I moved to Longwood, Florida (a suburb of Orlando) when I was in 6^th grade. I played soccer on a travel team in Ohio and we competed all over the country and at National Championships in our age group. I’m currently finishing up my undergraduate degree in early childhood and adolescent behavioral health. I have a goal for a graduate program too, but I am focusing on one degree at a time. I am married to a CrossFit athlete and we both run a few small businesses. Christian, my husband, owns an athletic tape company called Grip Tight Tape and runs a podcast called Pardon Me Podcast. I’m running a weightlifting and fitness programming business called Uplift. We have an Olympic weightlifting team, which is my passion of course, but we are also coaching people who are training to be Green Berets and even helping support women being fit and healthy housewives. Today, my own athletic journey is focused on recovery, general health, and happiness. I am recovering from one surgery now and excited to get back into finding a fitness regimen that excites me. I want to continue to feel athletic, powerful and strong.

What are the highlights of your career? When you look back at everything you’ve done, what stands out as your proudest moments and best experiences?

The number one highlight of my career is breaking the American Records at Olympic Trials. It was the proudest and most confident I have ever been. I felt honored to have medaled at a Pan American Championship also, after not medaling internationally since I was a junior. Lastly, qualifying for Pan American Games was a huge accomplishment. I was not proud of my performance at PAG, but to be on that stage was a big moment for my career regardless.

What about the lowlights? Describe some of the obstacles you faced, or maybe some things that frustrated you in your weightlifting life.

Not qualifying for the Olympic Games in 2016 after having the year of my life and giving literally every ounce of myself to the sport for YEARS leading up was heartbreaking. Overcoming that mentally took a few years to get back on my feet and feel like myself again. I lost myself a little bit from depression and feeling like I had failed. I was experienced in not reaching goals, as my career had been long and not at all linear, but that one was tough. I was and still am disappointed in myself for how I handled that emotionally and wished I would have taken some time to get help through all of that before jumping back into another World Championships, even though training was going well—my head was distracted and I knew it

What kind of advice would you give to an aspiring weightlifter? What should lifters focus on the most in their weightlifting journeys? And what should they avoid?

I will always say that dreaming big is a positive gift you can give yourself. I would say to make sure your dreams are yours and for the right reasons. Do not create dreams because you want to be like someone else. Do them because you feel called in your soul to it. Weightlifting is so hard and the media is not always helpful, so it makes the road bumpy and you have to love what you’re doing deeply to push through everything that is coming your way.

When focusing throughout the journey, I would suggest that the most important topics are going to be technique, recovery, and your mindset. Training is secondary to all of it. You have to have a coach you trust and once you do, your only job is to do what they say and be the best you can be outside and inside the gym. That includes sleep, nutrition, hydration, recovery, etc. Your coach can only do so much for you…you have to step up. And if you really want it bad enough, you’ll dedicate all of your time outside the gym on how you can be better and prepare for your next session.

I would suggest avoiding getting sucked into the social media trap. Social media is great for gaining popularity and possibly adding to your financial support to do what you need to do for your recovery and making the most out of your time. In other words, the more sponsorship money you can make (outside of any support through USAW) can go towards not having to work other jobs and focusing only on resting between sessions. It can help fund your PT or other therapy you WILL need and even potentially heighten opportunity for spreading awareness/popularity to the sport. What you have to be careful of is that it becomes your idol. Social media can be a major distraction and can influence your thoughts negatively in comparing yourself to other athletes, comparing your coach to other coaches, and causing doubt in yourself and your choices. You can be more driven to gain followers and likes than training itself, and it can really suck you in. You need to use it as a tool to help you and not allow it to control you or distract you.

What are your plans for the future? Family life, involvement in weightlifting, new career opportunities?

My plans for the future are multi-leveled. I want to be a clinical therapist specializing in adolescents. I want to run a weightlifting team and coach athletes to reach their fullest potential. I want to continue to learn and grow in the sport and as a person. I believe that it takes constant work to be grounded, especially living in California and living in a world/sport dominated by Instagram and other websites. I want to live in the real world and make real change both on the internet and in real life.

Christian and I had two miscarriages when I was still competing. They were both unplanned and absolute surprises but really influenced me in every way. I would love to be a mother one day if that is what is meant to be, but right now I am focused on supporting the athletes on my team (Uplift Weightlifting) and teaching them everything I know. I also have considered working with USAW somehow to help create change and continue to support the growth (not just in size but in evolution) of the sport in the United States.

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 question is so loaded, and to be honest, I have been very lucky in sport to have had the opportunity to learn from and grow up around some insanely intelligent and amazing individuals. If I had to pick a few, I would say that I would love to have a team purpose like Kevin Doherty at Hassle Free. I would love to run a business with the grace and intention as Cara Heads Slaughter. I would love to build a positive, successful and close community the way Spencer Arnold has, and I would love to inspire and educate the way the Greg and Aimee Everett have been able to.

I had so many coaches over the years that left an impact on me in different ways, some of them in good ways and some taught me a lot of both positives and negatives that I won’t bore the audience with here. The positives are:

·      Danny Camargo taught me how to have fun and love the sport.

·      Zygmunt Smalcerz was the first coach who really believed in me and took a chance. He advocated for me when the NGB did not believe I was good enough to live/train at the OTC.

·      Aimee Everett taught me mental toughness and literal tough love. I would not have had a breakthrough in the sport and reached my potential without her.

·      My husband taught me the meaning of being a professional. Everything I did, every choice I made, even the foods I picked from the grocery store made a difference. He taught me to focus on the details and showed me what it truly takes to be a champion every day, in every moment.

I think I speak for everybody in US weightlifting when I say CONGRATULATIONS on your career, Jess. It was an honor to work with you and see your achievements. Best of luck to you and Christian as you move into the next chapter of your life!