I had another one of my genius moments recently, because I was trying to think of some good weightlifters to interview a few months ago and one of the names that popped into my head was…Greg Everett. At first, it struck me as a strange idea because, as most of you know, Greg is the owner of Catalyst Athletics and the publisher of Performance Menu. It sounded a little weird to me at first, interviewing a guy for his own magazine. But the more I thought about it, the more perfect it seemed.

Greg has reached a point in his career where he’s a very legitimate candidate for an interview with a high-level weightlifter. In 2014, he placed 5th at the National Championship. Eight months later, he won the National Masters Championship with a 318 kg total in the 105 kg class, 35-39 age group, breaking the US masters record in the Clean and Jerk in the process. A 318 total at 105 is national caliber weightlifting, regardless of age. But when a guy does that total at 35, it moves up to a new level of achievement. So in terms of athletic prowess, he’s covered.

However, we all know his involvement in the sport goes far beyond his competitive life. He’s also the author of the most popular weightlifting book in the world and the coach of one of the most successful teams in the country. I met Greg in 2008, before any of these things happened, and it’s been wonderfully exciting to work with him as Catalyst Athletics has risen to power and he’s established his name in the barbell world. I’m proud to give you a look at the life of my friend Greg Everett.

Many of our readers already know some of your background information because you and Aimee are the owners of Catalyst Athletics, but please give us the basics of your weightlifting life, just in case some newbies read this who don’t know much about you. When/where did you start, what kind of sports background do you have outside of lifting, who have your coaches been, etc.?

I would say I began truly to get serious about weightlifting as a sport in about 2004. I had taught myself the lifts in high school in a fairly rudimentary fashion, but unfortunately I didn’t know any coaches or weightlifters, and didn’t know of any gyms where you could snatch and clean & jerk, so didn’t have the opportunity to get involved at the level I wish I would have. I played all the typical sports as a kid and was always decent but never particularly interested. I was a skateboarder for years and rode competitive bicycle trials as a teenager, but no matter what I was doing, strength training and training in general were a focus for me.

When I met Robb Wolf in Chico, I finally had access to a good place to train the lifts and got serious about it. Shortly thereafter, I moved to southern California to be coached by Mike Burgener, who I had met through Robb. I had developed decent lift technique and somewhat respectable lifts on my own by that point, but Burgener is the one who really got me on the right track and helped me progress to the national level. He was both my coach and a mentor for me as a burgeoning coach.

Later, Bob Morris, the former head women’s coach at the Olympic Training Center, coached me for a year leading into the 2012 American Open, which was my first meet back after about a 5-year break from competition (aside from the local one I did to qualify). Between those two and since then, I have coached myself. Basically I’m a guy who got serious about the sport too late in life because of the circumstances and am doing the best I can with what I have to work with at this point.

Describe how your weightlifting life has changed since you and Aimee opened Catalyst Athletics. What are the biggest challenges involved with it? What are the biggest rewards?

The main struggle is that I had to really set aside my own lifting and prioritize my athletes and business. Really I became a coach sooner than I wanted to just because it’s the way things worked out. I love coaching, but it’s very difficult to balance the demands of being a coach and an athlete, and it’s a constant struggle for me. Despite my mediocrity, I take my training and competition very seriously, and it’s frustrating to know I’m not able to give 100 percent to it at all times. That said, at this point, I’ve managed to create a situation where it’s the best it’s been—I’m able to train three hours/day four to five days/week and still get done what I need to get done with regard to coaching and my myriad responsibilities with the business. It gets extremely stressful much of the time, and I’m constantly overextended and under a lot of pressure, but I’ve spent the last 15 years of my life learning to live like that.

There are a lot of rewards for me, though. Seeing my lifters progress is extremely gratifying and I get as much if not more enjoyment seeing them do well as I do for myself.

How would you rank the priorities in your life right now? When you look at where you’re at in life, and you think about all the things you’ve got going on, what’s the order of importance?

The first priority obviously is taking care of my wife and daughter. If I couldn’t support them doing what I’m doing, I would do something else. Fortunately, that’s not the case, because I would hate to do anything other than what I do now. Aside from that, my priorities are my lifters, then my business, then my own training. I feel like I’ve created a situation for myself after several years where I can keep all three of those things fairly equivalent in terms of the time and energy I’m able to put into each, but that’s the order of priorities when I’m under the gun, so my own lifting is the first thing I have to compromise.

Recently I’ve had to stick to training four days/week instead of five because I have way too much work to do, but I’m hoping this will change by the end of the year.

You recently won the National Masters Championship and set some American records. Tell us a little about how you’ve been able to continue training and competing successfully into your 30s.

As I said, my own training is really my last priority, but I have a very short priority list. I don’t do anything outside of weightlifting and my business, so I don’t have to split up my time among multiple interests. My days are very simple: I get up, I go to work, I work for a few hours, I train for a few hours, I work some more, then I coach, then I go home. I like routine and simplicity, and that helps me in a lot of ways.

I’ve also always taken very good care of myself when it comes to training, so I’ve been able to avoid serious injury (nothing worse than things like back sprains that kept me out of the gym for a few weeks at a time; no surgeries, etc.). I foam roll a lot, I’m diligent with warming up, I do contrast in the hot tub and cold pool three to five days/week, and an ice bath once a week, and I try to get a massage every two to three weeks. I’ve also had a standing appointment every Wednesday morning with an amazing chiropractor and manual therapist for the last four or five years.

This allows me to train very consistently without setbacks. I think this is the biggest thing I’ve got going for me—the most common complaint I hear from masters is how much pain they’re always in. My body hurts pretty regularly, but to relatively minor degrees.

What are the things you’re most proud of? Who do you want to thank or recognize for your success?

I think I’m most proud of how much influence I’ve been able to have and how many people I’ve helped in the sport of weightlifting in a relatively short time. The content I’ve put out through Catalyst Athletics is all over the world and I’m confident in saying that we’re involved in some way, whether it’s providing information, programming, coach education, etc., with more lifters and gyms than anyone else out there. My book is another point of pride—it’s been the most popular weightlifting book in the world for years now. It’s very rewarding to hear from so many people how much we’ve helped them.

I’m very grateful for Robb Wolf and Mike Burgener, because between the two of them, I had some great opportunities, and without them, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get to where I am.

Thanks Greg, on behalf of all of us. You’ve done a lot for a great many people, and you’ve done it the right way. We’re all in this together, so here’s to several more years of growth and success with Catalyst Athletics.