One of the coolest experiences you can ever have in weightlifting is being a new face on the scene who makes an impressive debut at a big meet. At the national level, everybody knows who the top names are and there’s always a lot of familiarity because most of the best lifters in the country have been putting up huge results for a long time. There’s nothing more fun than showing up at a national competition as an unknown name, shocking everybody with huge lifts, and then watching them all look over their shoulders at you, asking, “Who the hell is that?”
 
John Downey has been one of those guys over the last couple of years. He started Olympic weightlifting in 2014. It’s currently February 2017, and he has already medaled at two national competitions. A 140 snatch and a 175 C&J in the 85 kg class are the kind of numbers a weightlifter would normally have to work ten years for. John has hit them in two. He might be relatively new on the scene, but it hasn’t taken long for people to know who he is. Coming into the game late usually means you’re going to be behind. Not the case with this guy.
 
As a Catalyst Athletics lifter coached by Greg Everett, the future looks bright for John. Let’s take a look at one of America’s rising stars.
 
Tell us about your background. Where are you from, where do you currently live, what’s your occupation (if you work in addition to training), family life, what kind of sports background do you have outside of lifting, etc.
 
I’m from Corona, CA, about an hour east of Los Angeles. My girlfriend and I recently moved up to Sunnyvale, CA when she got her first nursing job at Stanford. I have my own business, which allows me to work from home and focus a lot of time and energy on weightlifting. When I was really young, around 5-7, my parents insisted on having me try out a good number of sports to figure out what I liked. I wound up picking football, and played that for 11 years until the end of high school. At that point, I was honestly pretty tired of it, and I was ready to try something new. In college at UCLA, I played one season of lacrosse and powerlifted with my roommates at the same time. Both were challenging enough that I decided to pick between the two and chose powerlifting. After about 3 years of training with my friends, I wanted to make the switch to Olympic weightlifting.
 
Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who have your coaches been? What championships and international teams do you have on your record? What are your best lifts?
 
I started weightlifting two years ago in October 2014. I tried training on my own for a bit (in fact I used some of the free programs on the Catalyst website) before deciding that I really needed a coach if I was going to have any chance of being nationally competitive. My first coaches were Sean Waxman and Juan Martinez when I was still living in LA. I trained under them for about 10 months, and they took me to my first National Championship where I placed 6^th. Shortly after that, my girlfriend got her job at Stanford, and Sean put me in touch with Greg Everett. I’ve been lifting for Greg and Catalyst for a little over a year now, and placed 3^rd at this year’s Nationals. My best snatch is 140 kg and best clean and jerk is 175 kg. I haven’t made any international teams yet, but I’m very excited to continue to improve and earn my spot in the coming years!
 
Please give a basic description of your training. Just tell us as much as you can about your program, weekly/yearly planning, etc.
 
My training lately has been focused primarily around complexes like 3-position snatch. Usually there will be a good amount of volume on top of all the complexes for the first 4-6 weeks of a 12-week cycle. During the final weeks, I usually have 15 on-the-minute singles followed by a heavy single as we work the intensity up for competition.
 
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 used to become really frustrated with my training whenever I would miss. I wanted to reach the numbers overnight that I felt I should be hitting. It wasn’t a realistic expectation, but in my head, I had the leg strength to lift the weights because of my relatively high squat numbers. When I didn’t make lifts, I couldn’t understand why and was constantly frustrated. In order to correct this, I added a brain health supplement to my routine, and I started focusing less on my results and more on my daily actions that would eventually drive my results. I felt more recovered both mentally and physically. Training has not only been more productive, but it has also been a lot more fun.
 
What are your plans and goals for your weightlifting career? How do you see your future in the sport? Do you plan to stay involved in weightlifting after your top competitive years are over?
 
I definitely plan on making multiple international teams over the next eight years or so. My ultimate goals are to make the Olympics in 2020 and 2024. I also plan to continue lifting for fun after those years are up. I have always been the type of person who needs to do something challenging every day.
 
Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?
 
Pyrros Dimas was one of the first weightlifters I saw videos of back when I was powerlifting in college. Ever since then, he has been my favorite lifter. My parents, John and Vikki, my sister, Misa, and my girlfriend, Alison, have been extremely supportive every step of the way. I’m so glad they’ll be with me for all the great times to come.
 
You’ve got tons of potential, John. Our readers look forward to watching you develop and work your way up the ladder in the future!