If you follow Olympic weightlifting in the United States at all, you know who Colin Burns is. His name has been red hot over the last few years as his road to the top of our national rankings has plowed forward. A multi-sport athlete with an incredibly diverse background, Colin made the final commitment to Olympic lifting when he was 25 years old. Sounds too old to get a start in this sport, right? After all, we all know you have to begin focused weightlifting training when you’re a pre-teen if you want to make it to the World Championships. Apparently that rule doesn’t apply to everybody, though, because Colin has rocketed to the international stage.

His breakthrough performance came at the 2014 US National Championships in Salt Lake City, where he battled one of the most competitive 94 kg weight class lineups in history. Colin broke the legendary Tom Gough’s American record in the snatch that day, eventually winning the gold medal and cementing his name as one of our nation’s best. Now, at 31 years old, he knows the clock is ticking. Some of the finest opportunities in the game are lying directly in front of him, including the one everybody wants…the Olympic Team. Here at the Performance Menu, we made sure we grabbed him for an interview while he’s on the way up. Let’s take a look at the life of weightlifting superstar Colin Burns.

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 Fort Collins, Colorado, I grew up in the small town of Monroe in southern Wisconsin. I currently live in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as a resident athlete at the Olympic Training Center. I am a full time athlete, but my second job is coaching weightlifting as well as strength and conditioning for athletes of other sports. I have played just about every sport under the sun, except basketball. Most exclusively, I grew up in karate from a very young age, swam for about eight years, played baseball from t-ball through high school, and wrestled quite successfully. My true love in sports, though, was football. I played football from the time I could hold one until after my junior year of college. I was a running back for the now D-III powerhouse University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where I was an All-Region player and team MVP, in my sophomore year of eligibility. Unfortunately, after a number of concussions, I was forced to stop playing. After that I turned my focus to judo, where I trained with a number of programs including the Texas A&M Judo Team as well as in Colorado Springs, where I was a member of the Olympic Training Center Judo Team for 3 years. I have one brother and one sister, and am the proud parent of a five-year-old Rottweiler, who is almost as annoying as I am… at least that’s what I hear.

Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who have your coaches been? What are your proudest accomplishments?

I came to weightlifting through a crazy roundabout way. This is my third sport in which I have competed at a high level. The first time I did a real weightlifting movement was my sophomore year of college when I had transferred to UW-Whitewater. My clean was 110kg the first time I went heavy. I power snatched something like 70kg from the hang. My strength coach at the time, Steve Brown, played a huge role in my eventual path to the sport, though he probably doesn’t know it.

After training on my own for a few years after football, I eventually landed at the Olympic Training Center as a judo athlete. This is really where my conversion took off. My first strength and conditioning coach was Mike Favre, who is currently the Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports at the University of Michigan. Mike incorporated the movements a little more than when I was playing football, and was the first one to progress me to doing a full snatch.

It was during this time that I started working on own career in strength and conditioning, as I was working on my degree, so I was looking at these things from a different perspective than as a weightlifter. After about a year and a half, the judo team was given a different strength coach, and this new guy was Bo Sandoval. Bo, who is currently the Assistant Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports at the University of Michigan, was recently awarded the Assistant Strength Coach of the Year by the NSCA. There was a day when I walked into the gym after judo had some significant rule changes, and I was also taking an internship back in Wisconsin where I wasn’t really going to have anywhere to train for judo. I told Bo I would compete in weightlifting if he would write my programs. He agreed. I was 25 years old. I had about 3 months before I left for my internship so I was able to train with him, Bob Morris, Vanessa McCoy, and Bo’s now wife, Amanda Sandoval (formerly Hubbard). Let’s just say there was no shortage of technical mastery in the room, minus me at the time, of course.

Bo would continue to be my primary coach until about June of last year. It was around that time that I was at the training center for a camp, and we decided to give Zygmunt’s programming a try. Things went well, so Zygmunt has been coaching me since. Another person who has helped me tremendously is Ursula. I refuse to use her last name because she is that iconic. Like Prince, or Sting, she needs no last name. She has been my meet coach for a few years. With Bo’s job, it is always hard for him to get away and travel to meets. Ursula has always stepped in without question and we have built a great competition relationship. This was my motivation for joining Texas Barbell last year. She has coached me in meets for years, so both Bo and I agreed it was a good move. They say it takes a village to raise a child; I believe the same can be said of developing quality weightlifters.

Figuring out what is my proudest achievement as a weightlifter is hard. I have had such a great ride over the last year. I can pick two. First possibility is winning the National Championship in what is probably one of the most competitive divisions in recent history, and a field that included two Olympians and multiple World Team members. Ursula coached a perfect meet in the back, and things happened exactly as I needed them to. The second possibility is competing at the World Championships and placing 15th, which was the second best men’s place which gave us crucial points for Olympic spots, and took the American Record in the snatch in the process. Putting the numbers up on an international platform is a huge thing for me.

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 has evolved significantly over the years. Currently I have the same schedule and similar programming as the rest of the residents at the Olympic Training Center. We train nine sessions a week. Main lifts are done with two sessions Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, while squats and auxiliary work are done on our single days Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Outside of that, I just do what I’m told. Zygmunt and I talk about what meets we want to do, and he takes care of the rest. In my experience as a coach, I believe if you have confidence in your coach, you can let them take care of as much as possible. I need to separate myself from the coach role as much as possible; otherwise I burn my brain out on things I really don’t need to focus on, because that’s his job. Of course I still keep him informed on things and my thoughts, but he does that work, and final decision is his. It really allows me to focus on training and doing what I’m supposed to do, rather than trying to focus on everything.

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?

One of my biggest obstacles for the longest time was having the financial means to focus solely on weightlifting. This sport isn’t like some others in that you can do it on the side and be highly successful. It takes more time, focus, recovery, and just all around involvement. Luckily, through my success I have been able to take advantage of things like the Olympic Training Center as well as the other opportunities as a coach that have opened up. Honestly, my biggest obstacle is time. I’m 31 years old, and I’m just six years into the sport. I’m seriously flirting with the line of time to develop vs. peak age for performance. But as long as things keep getting better, I can’t complain.

As far as anything else, it’s peripheral. We sacrifice for this sport because we want it more than the other things. To me, it’s just worth it. I think the organization is making huge strides in the right direction for the athletes. Financial assistance is making a huge adjustment this year, which is usually every lifter’s number one issue. I think the next change that I would like to see is some cohesion in the country. I had a great conversation with Chad Wesley Smith of Juggernaut Training Systems, who is a sponsor of mine, about ideas to create more high quality weightlifters. We talked about how we need some sort of system. What system, who knows? That isn’t even the biggest issue at this point. As Chad put it, “Any system is better than no system.” I have no idea how or what the first step would be, but there is no doubt we would be better served if we could come together to develop athletes and programs rather than everyone taking their own angle and hiding their “secrets” from the rest. But, again, it’s hard to say things like that when people have to make a living.

As far as the sport as a whole, it would be great to see less tarnished name from doping scandals. Entire teams being banned because so many members are popped is doing terrible things for our sport. Doping control consistency isn’t a matter of keeping the playing field level anymore. It’s getting to the point where something has to be done in order to keep the sport as a viable option to be included in the Olympic Games. If things get worse, I don’t see it as an impossibility for the International Olympic Committee to consider scrapping us all together, simply because of all the negative associations. I mean, if wrestling can be put on the chopping block, weightlifting can’t be far behind in line.

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

My ultimate goal is to make the 2016 Olympic Team. I don’t think that’s any secret. Being as old as I am, I don’t know that there is a competitive career after that. I do, however, see myself staying involved in this sport for as long as I can. Not just as a coach, but as someone who can help keep the current progress rolling. Currently I am a member of the Board of Directors for USAW as the Athlete Director. This is my first step in getting involved on a higher level. I want to help grow this sport and the organization long after I am done competing. Through all of my sports in my athletic career, none have been as completely satisfying as weightlifting. This is a sport I want to help make better and spread to the masses who have no idea what they are missing out on.

Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?

The majority of my influences were never far from home. My number one fire of inspiration is still my mom. She passed away last year, and even until her last days she never stopped asking me how training was going and if she could do anything to help. She really showed me how important it is to pursue the things you love and want, and take care of those close to you while you do. Family has been the biggest supporter. My long time coach, Bo Sandoval, who has done more than just coach me, but has been a mentor for my professional career as well. Chad Wesley Smith and Juggernaut Training Systems have offered me huge opportunities for growth as an athlete as well as a coach. Bob Morris, Andy Tysz for a single interaction that changed how I approach my training, Amanda Sandoval, Queen Bee Ursula, Zygmunt, and I have no doubt I am leaving some off of this list. I could likely write pages about the impact each of these people have had in a positive way towards my success thus far. Also a huge thank you to my other sponsor, Virus International, (“RONIN” gets 10 percent off and free shipping at www.virusintl.com!) They have been overly generous with providing me with the best training gear I could hope for. Finally, thank you for offering me this opportunity to share a bit about myself! I’m proud to be asked to be a part of something to help the continued growth of our sport and its athletes.

Your mother would be very proud, Colin. Keep driving forward and representing all of us against the best in the world.