Before you plan your 2026 numbers, competitions or training blocks, take the time to look at who you have been as an athlete and who you are becoming. This reflection piece uses the Be Do Have model and fourteen deep questions to explore identity, behaviour patterns and outcomes, helping you build clarity before setting goals. This is not about motivation. It is about honesty, self awareness and setting foundations that actually last.

Mid-December is where most athletes quietly lose momentum, not because they lack motivation, but because life gets louder and routines get messier. This blog breaks down why the middle of December matters more than the start, how to stay connected to your training when everything feels unpredictable, and why adaptability (not perfection) is what carries your momentum into January. If you want to enjoy the holidays without abandoning the athlete you’ve worked hard to become, this is your guide.

Rating accessories a 3/10? That mindset is holding back your weightlifting. Well-designed accessory work builds strength, speed, resilience, technique, and power, the exact qualities that move snatches and cleans forward. If you're skipping them, you’re skipping progress.

December doesn’t need to derail your training, unless you let it.
The holidays pull at your routine from every angle, but this month isn’t about perfection. It’s about staying present, staying engaged and choosing the minimums that keep you moving forward. Short sessions still count. Flexible structure still counts. Protecting your recovery still counts.

This guide gives you the strategy to navigate December without guilt, without all-or-nothing thinking and without abandoning the athlete you’ve worked so hard to become. Because January doesn’t magically reset your progress, your momentum is built now, in the messy middle of the holiday season.

Training alone can make you disciplined, but training with others can make you better. When you lift in a room full of people chasing the same goals as you, everything changes: the energy, the effort, the standard, and the accountability. This blog breaks down why community plays such a huge role in progress, consistency, and enjoyment in weightlifting.

Progress in weightlifting doesn’t always look like a huge new number on the bar. Sometimes it’s a 1kg PB, a smoother rep, a more confident lift, or simply staying composed in a competition. These “small wins” are often the ones that matter most. In this blog, I break down why every PB counts, how to recognise progress beyond the numbers, and why celebrating these moments is essential for staying motivated, consistent, and confident as a lifter.

Progress in weightlifting isn’t always about adding more weight to the bar. Sometimes it’s about stepping back to move forward, building better positions, refining technique, or developing the strength base that supports your next PB. When training feels slower or “off,” it doesn’t mean you’re going backwards. It means you’re in a phase that’s setting you up for long-term progress.

Some sessions you’ll feel unstoppable. Others will feel like everything went wrong.
But that’s training, not every day is meant to feel amazing. The real progress happens when you keep showing up through the good, the average, and the bad, and learn from all of them.

Every lifter hits a wall where progress stalls, the bar feels heavier, the lifts feel off, and frustration creeps in. But plateaus aren’t punishment; they’re feedback. Do It Ugly First is a reminder that sometimes, progress begins when you stop chasing perfect and just get the bar overhead. It’s about giving yourself permission to lift, miss, learn, and move forward, even when it’s messy.

After a long competition season, it’s normal to feel like you need a break, but stepping back doesn’t mean losing progress. The offseason is your chance to rebuild strength, develop athleticism, and reset both physically and mentally. In this post, I’ll break down how to structure your offseason training so you come back refreshed, stronger, and ready to lift.

The six weeks leading into competition aren’t just about tapering — they’re about building evidence. Every lift, rep scheme, and timing detail is rehearsed to mirror the platform. By the time comp day arrives, openers aren’t guesses; they’re earned through repetition and confidence.

At MWBC, athletes don’t rely on adrenaline or luck — they rely on systems built for chaos, clarity, and composure. Every decision, from attempt calls to mindset, is shaped by purpose. That’s how PBs stop being surprises and start becoming confirmations of the work already done.

Because success on the platform isn’t luck — it’s built, one rep, one standard, one decision at a time.

Every lifter has days where the bar feels heavier than it should, the timing’s off, or nothing quite clicks. It’s easy to label those as bad sessions, but that misses the point.
Training isn’t about chasing perfect days; it’s about showing up and giving effort, even when it feels like the barbell is fighting back.

Effort is what drives real progress. It’s what builds resilience, awareness, and consistency, the traits that matter long after the PBs fade. Some days, your best effort will look effortless. Other days, it’ll look like grinding through every rep. Both count. Both move you forward.

Because the true measure of a great session isn’t how it looked, or what the numbers said, it’s that you gave everything you had that day.

Every lifter loves a PB — but it’s the hard days that make them worth celebrating. The missed lifts, long weeks, and sessions that test your patience are what give meaning to your progress.

This week’s blog breaks down why “hard” isn’t something to avoid — it’s something to lean into. Because if progress came easy, it wouldn’t feel half as rewarding when it finally happens.

All levels are welcome at MWBC. From your very first session to joining team training, here’s what to expect when starting weightlifting with us.

Effort isn’t something your coach can hand you, it’s something you prepare for. At MWBC, we see effort as the currency of progress. But you can’t just decide to “try harder” on the spot. The athletes who thrive are the ones who prepare themselves to be capable of effort: by fuelling properly, sleeping well, showing up with a plan, and treating every rep like it matters. Preparedness is what makes effort consistent, and consistent effort is what drives long-term success.

Training alone builds grit, but training with others builds something bigger: accountability, confidence, and the kind of energy you can’t manufacture solo. From shared banter to friendly rivalry, lifting with a community accelerates progress and makes weightlifting more fun. At MWBC, that’s exactly what we’re about, coaching, support, and a crew that hypes you up every session.

Training isn’t just about chasing new PBs or lifting heavier every week. The real progress comes from understanding your deeper “why” and setting goals that go beyond the numbers on the barbell. In this blog, we break down the three levels of goal-setting — superordinate, intermediate, and daily — to help you stay consistent and find long-term meaning in your training.

Progress in weightlifting doesn’t look the same for everyone. What builds one lifter up might break another down. Forget the Instagram highlight reels, real progress comes from finding what works for you, staying consistent, and enjoying the process.

Confidence in weightlifting isn’t built on mantras or mirror pep talks — it’s built on proof. Every tough session, every comeback from injury, and every kilo you’ve fought for adds to your “receipts.” Under pressure, the brain loves to replay your misses, but confidence comes from training yourself to remember the evidence. Journals, lifter values, and the right cues turn that proof into focus and resilience when the bar feels heaviest.

Training doesn’t have to be all or nothing. This blog breaks down common mindset traps that hold lifters back and shows how to keep making progress, even when life gets messy.