Tim Swords is a big weightlifting coach in Texas who trains big Texas weightlifters and football players. That’s a very simple description of the man, but there are several more things I can say about him. I’ve known Tim basically my whole career in the sport. I’ve competed against his athletes and worked alongside him as a coach. I don’t think there’s anybody in weightlifting I have more respect for.

Tim and I both come from a football background, like many male athletes who have found their way into Olympic weightlifting. As you may or may not know, football is the king of the mountain in the state of Texas. Because of this, parents who want their kids to play in the NFL are always on the lookout for a coach who can train them in that direction. Tim is a former blue-chip football player who discovered the value of using the Olympic lifts to improve performance on the field. And because his method of training athletes is highly focused on the Olympic lifts, many of his trainees have become competitive Olympic lifters. At this point, Tim’s garage gym in his house has rolled out a long list of national champions and international team members. He’s one of the most successful coaches in the United States.

And the thing I like most about Tim is the fact that he’s in this sport for the right reasons. He likes working with athletes and helping them get better, whether they’re Olympians or young kids who aren’t going to become superstars. He gives his best to all of them, regardless of their performance level. The Performance Menu is proud to give you a look at the background and methods of a tremendous American coach.

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 am originally from New Martinsville, West Virginia, a small town in the Ohio Valley a little south of Pittsburgh, PA. My parents are from the Chicago area and my father was a multiple sport athlete at Notre Dame. I have four very athletic brothers (we have three Division One football players from this group) and two athletic sisters that really didn’t play sports until they got out of school. I currently live in League City, Texas now for 27 years and work in the Medical and Safety Department for Bayer Corp., a German company that makes everything from aspirin to Polycarbonate plastic that was used to cover the Olympic Stadium in the 2008 Olympic Games in China. I played all the sports as a kid and I tried everything athletically from diving to track and field to eventually being a prep All-American football player and landing 16 division one football scholarships. I had these opportunities on the East coast from Boston College to Auburn University. I chose East Carolina University because they graduated three at my position and I went there and played almost every game for four years. I later signed some professional football contracts and accomplished a lifelong goal of competing at the highest level of sport.

Describe your weightlifting history as you developed into the role of a coach. When/how did you start? Who were your coaches? What are your proudest accomplishments as a coach?

My brother Tom Swords played the biggest role in me starting to lift weights. He is an extremely strong man, and even now at 69 years of age, he can do things with weights that most 25 year olds can’t do. He got me started reading the old Strength and Health and Muscular Development Mags in the early 70s He also put me on a program with some of my friends. We didn’t really understand how to do the lifts, but we tried. There wasn’t any YouTube in those days, so all we had were articles and pictures from these magazines. I was hungry to learn from anyone that would help me grow as a strength athlete to help me develop as a football player. I started to train in a famous garage gym named Luke’s Gym. Most of these guys were powerlifters, but they welcomed all kinds of lifting. This place was a unique in the strength athletes that it developed and the ones that went on to be World Powerlifting Champions and even was visited by folks like Bill Kazmaier of World’s Strongest Man fame, and many others. It was hard not to get strong in an environment like this one. As a 21-year-old, I was totaling over 1800 lbs. in the power lifting movements with basically just a belt and some cheap knee wraps. While most of the guys in this gym were strength athletes, I understood that Olympic lifting was a better fit for football because of flexibility and force production needed to hit your opponents. So I always trained the lifts to the best of my ability.

At East Carolina University, we got a new strength coach named Jeff Johnson. Jeff was a very talented Olympic lifter and our program changed completely to using these lifts for football. I admit it was a dream come true for me, because now I actually had an Olympic lifting coach. It was frustrating at first because of some flexibility issues, but I kept working on it and I realized that I was hitting people harder and harder on the field and some of them didn’t get back up. I was having more success from doing the lifts due to the training. My bodyweight went up and my speed got better.

I became an assistant Strength and Conditioning coach at ECU and this is where the love of coaching came from. I was working with all the athletic teams at the University and I found that I enjoyed working with kids more. I would work with inner city kids on the weekends and I really enjoyed that a lot. I have many proud moments as a coach. Aside from the seven Junior world team members and four Sr. National champions, I would honestly say that watching a young kid do his or her best and being rewarded with a medal is the greatest accomplishment for me as a coach. In my mind, it’s all about building self-esteem in the kids I work with.

Please give a basic description of your training method. Just tell us as much as you can about your program, weekly/yearly planning, etc.

Athletes here in Texas search me out because of strength and conditioning background. Because of the fact that I played football, “America’s Real Game,” I get calls every week from parents wanting their kids to get stronger for Texas high school football. I have a clear understanding that Olympic lifting is the best way to train for explosive sports, so we start on a three day a week training plan that that concentrates on learning the lifts first, then working strength followed by lots of core work.

If an athlete shows interest in Olympic lifting or is a talent, I try to move them in that direction. This year I had two guys from my program that were in the NFL draft. Both signed contracts and neither of them wanted to Olympic lift, but they did the lifts. One of these guys hang cleaned 170 kilos for a triple and never went to a meet. I have many workouts I have written over the years and the Olympic lifts are the meat and potatoes of my programming.

I train kids as young as nine years old. Most kids this age will train only a few days a week. I do not want to burn them out and I want to make it fun for them while learning the skill. The next age group up will train three days a week with continued learning and working on leg strength. Nationally qualified lifters will train up to seven times a week, like Cameron Swart and Sarah Robles.

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 face is lack of money. I am sure any weightlifting coach can relate to that. Even with a garage gym that has trained over 800 athletes, space is not as much of an obstacle as having the funds to go to compete. The changes I would like to see would be, making things clearer on making international teams, qualifying totals for national meets etc. I am not frustrated with the sport of weightlifting. When that time comes, I will just coach kids and move in another direction in Sports Performance strength and conditioning.

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

My future plans are to train the youth in my area and give them an alternative activity after school will help them accomplish their goals athletically. I have been doing it for 27 years in Texas and as long as I have the health, I will continue to do it. My future plans also include a specialized training school in the future after my retirement. Time will tell about this program, but I have some ideas on how and what I need to do to make it come together here in the Houston area.

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

I would like to mention a few good friends and coaches aside from my brother Tom and my coach Jeff Johnson that have helped me in my evolution as a coach. My first training partners Scott Tusic and Bill Kyle. My good friends Dr. Kyle Pierce, Mike Burgener, Joe Dube, Marty Cypher, Dick “Smitty” Smith. I also have to mention Dennis Snethen, who helped me with different aspects of weightlifting and Joe Delago with help with equipment when I first started.

We hope you’re in the game for many years to come, Tim. Keep hitting it hard in the garage and producing great athletes for the United States.