NEXT MEET VIRUS Weightlifting Finals · December 3–6 · Pleasanton, California All Upcoming Meets
SAN RAMON · YOUTH, JUNIOR AND ADULT ATHLETES
Build Strength for Your Sport, or the Sport of Life.
You don't need to compete. The coaches behind our national champions teach every class, generally one coach for every seven athletes.
Competing & Training: Kimberly & Kason
WHY IT MATTERS
Why Strength Development Matters
Health guidelines call for muscle-strengthening activity at every age, yet most adults don't get enough. Coached strength training builds that strength step by step.
3+
days a week of muscle- and bone-strengthening activity are recommended for ages 6 to 17. For adults, 2 or more.
60.6%
of US high school girls reported muscle-strengthening exercise on fewer than 3 days a week in 2025. For all students, 49.4%.
2 in 3
US adults missed the muscle-strengthening guideline in 2024. At 65 and over, 77.8%.
Stronger at Any Age
Strength can be built at every age studied, including people in their 90s.
Strength for Your Sport
In trials of young athletes, adding well-designed resistance training to regular practice built more strength than the same practice alone, with smaller gains in jumping and sprinting.
Bone Density After Menopause
In a trial of postmenopausal women with low bone mass, supervised heavy lifting and impact training improved spine bone density. Talk to your doctor.
Low Injury Rates When Coached
Reported injury rates in well-supervised youth programs are low.
THIS SEASON · STRONGER TOGETHER
Follow Our Season
Teammates who cheer every lift, in class and at meets, from our youngest lifters to Masters. Competing is always optional.
3
national champions at the 2026 Youth Nationals, in U13, U15 and U17 women
WHAT WE TEACH
Two Ways to Train
What Is Strength Development?
Coached strength training for your sport or for daily life. You learn each movement with good form, then add weight a little at a time.
What Is Olympic-Style Weightlifting?
Olympic-style weightlifting is a sport of two lifts, the snatch and the clean & jerk. Lifters get three attempts at each, and their best of each adds up to their total. Competing is always optional.
Strength for Every Age
Barbell Strength Training
Energize · 6-10
STRENGTH DEVELOPMENT
Build Strength
Three strength classes, one goal: strength for your sport or daily life, taught step by step.
Energize · Ages 6-10
Bodyweight mechanics, balance, and gym basics
Barbell Strength Training · Ages 10-17
Generalized strength, taught step by step
Adult Strength · 18+ and Masters 35+
Strength for daily life, or train to compete
COMPETITION TEAM
Compete
Our Competition Team, including the Advanced class, develops athletes to compete in weightlifting, from local meets to the national stage, with programming and meet-day coaching.
Lifters coached to national titles and the World Youth Championships
Coaches who have competed at national championships and the World Youth Championships
COMPETITION TEAM · 12-17 · ADULTS
USAW National Coach
Led by USA Weightlifting National Coach Edwin Johnson, a rank earned through athlete results
1 Coach per 7 Athletes
Our usual class ratio, closer than the NSCA's suggested 1 to 10 for junior high (NSCA, 2017)
EVERY AGE
Who Our Classes Are For
Sport and PE do a lot of good, but neither is the same as coached strength training. Here's what it offers at each age.
What Strength Does at Each Age
What the research says for each age group. Results are averages from studies, not promises for any one person.
AGES 6-10 · ENERGIZE CLASS
A Strong, Safe Start
Energize teaches bodyweight mechanics, balance, and how to use gym equipment. Supervised resistance training can build strength in young people, including before puberty. Evidence in girls is thinner. (Behringer, 2010) Research has not shown that well-designed, supervised strength training harms growth. (AAP, 2020; Malina, 2006)
Who it's for: first-timers, whether they play a sport or not.
AGES 10-17 · BARBELL STRENGTH TRAINING
Stronger for Any Sport
Develops generalized strength, all-around strength for your sport or daily life, taught step by step. Strength training may also help young people feel more capable, especially while they keep training. (Collins, 2019; Schranz, 2014)
Who it's for: athletes in any sport, and anyone who simply wants to get stronger.
ADULTS 18+ · ADULT WEIGHTLIFTING
Strength for the Sport of Life
In large studies, muscle-strengthening activity is linked to lower risk of early death. (Momma, 2022)
Who it's for: beginners, former athletes and busy adults. Competing is optional.
MASTERS 35+ AND OLDER ADULTS
Strength for the Years Ahead
In trials of older adults, resistance training improved strength, chair rising and walking speed. (Liu, 2009)
Who it's for: anyone starting later in life. If you have a health condition, talk to your doctor first.
New to lifting? Expert groups call for qualified coaching, technique before load, and gradual progression. (Lloyd, 2014; NSCA, 2009; AAP, 2020) That is how we teach, with a high coach-to-athlete ratio in every class.
Shared for general information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or are recovering from an injury or surgery, talk to your doctor before starting a new exercise program.
HOW WE COACH
Taught Step by Step
Proper form comes first. Every lift is taught step by step, with a coach close by.
Learn the Positions
Practicing with a technique stick.
A Coach Close By
Coaches cue and correct form as you learn, from your first session on.
Strength That Builds
Weight goes up gradually, as technique allows.
Meet Your Coaches
The coaches behind our national champions teach every class, with a high coach-to-athlete ratio.
Edwin Johnson
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR
USA Weightlifting National Coach; Fortified Strength head coach of a USA Youth World Team member
Kimberly Wiese
SENIOR COACH
USAW Level 2 coach; two-time USA Youth National Champion
Kristian Go-Williams
SENIOR COACH
USAW Level 2 coach; Youth and Senior National competitor
Kason Luu
COACH
USAW Level 1 coach; 2024 Youth Nationals bronze medalist
Stevie Majoros
JUNIOR COACH
USAW Level 2 coach; North American Open medalist
ADULT STRENGTH · ADULTS 18+ AND MASTERS 35+
It's Never Too Late to Get Strong
Adults train here too, from first-timers to Masters lifters. Train for daily life, or train to compete.
Athletic Director Edwin Johnson (Coach Ed), a Masters lifter, at the 2024 USA Weightlifting Masters National Championships.
Start With an Empty Bar
Never lifted, or back after years away? You begin with the basics and build from there.
A High Coach-to-Athlete Ratio
Coached in every class, with periodized programming and Vald force plate testing.
Times That Fit a Work Week
M/W/F 5:30-7pm, Tue/Thu 12-1:30pm, and Saturday open gym 10am-1pm. $330/month.
Come As You Are
No Experience Necessary
Beginners start with the basics, and all equipment is provided.
Technique First
Proper form, body awareness and safe development are our top priorities.
Competing Is Optional
Train for your sport, for daily life, or for the platform.
Help With Tuition
If your household qualifies for low-income programs, we offer tuition assistance.
Classes and Times
CLASS
WHO
DAYS AND TIMES
PRICE
SIGN UP
Energize Class
Bodyweight, balance, gym basics
Youth 6-9
Tue/Thu 4-4:45pm, Sat 8-9am
$139/month
Barbell Strength Training
Strength development
Youth 10-17
M/W/F 5:30-6:30pm
$259/month
Barbell Strength Training
Strength development
Youth 10-17
Tue/Thu 4:45-5:45pm, Sat 9-10am
$259/month
Barbell Strength Training
Strength development
Youth 10-17
Tue/Thu 5:45-6:45pm, Sat 9-10am
$259/month
Competition Team
Competitive Weightlifting, including the Advanced class
Youth 12-17
M/W/F 3:45-5:15pm, Sat 10am-12:30pm
$330/month
Adult Weightlifting
Strength training, or the Competition Team
Adults 18+ and Masters 35+
M/W/F 5:30-7pm
$330/month
No Athlete Should Go Without Training Because of Cost
If your household qualifies for low-income programs, we offer tuition assistance. Ask us privately at tuition@fortifiedstrength.org.
Sign Up opens PushPress, our class sign-up site.
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Class full? Join the waitlist.
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Family Membership: adults with an active youth membership get 50% off Adult Weightlifting (M/W/F plan).
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Training away from San Ramon? Fortified Remote: our team's programming with video feedback from our coaches, and meet-day coaching at local and national events. Ages 16+, $30/month.
Donate & Support Youth
We never want any athlete to go without training because of cost. Fortified Strength is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with tuition assistance.
CONTACT
Get in Touch
Questions about classes, tuition assistance or competing? Send us a message, or reach Athletic Director Edwin Johnson directly.
2411 Old Crow Canyon Rd, Suite O, San Ramon, CA 94583
Messages go to info@fortifiedstrength.org.
Sources for this page (16)
American Academy of Pediatrics: Stricker PR, Faigenbaum AD, McCambridge TM (2020, reaffirmed 2024). Resistance training for children and adolescents. Pediatrics 145(6):e20201011. doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-1011
Behringer M, et al. (2010). Effects of resistance training in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis. Pediatrics 126(5):e1199-e1210. doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-0445
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Merlo C, et al. (2026). Dietary and physical activity behaviors among high school students, Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2025. MMWR Supplements 75(1):12-24. doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7501a2
Collins H, et al. (2019). The effect of resistance training interventions on "the self" in youth: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine Open 5(1):29. doi.org/10.1186/s40798-019-0205-0
Fiatarone MA, et al. (1990). High-intensity strength training in nonagenarians: effects on skeletal muscle. JAMA 263(22):3029-3034. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2342214
Lesinski M, et al. (2016). Effects and dose-response relationships of resistance training on physical performance in youth athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Sports Medicine 50(13):781-795. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2015-095497
Liu CJ, Latham NK (2009). Progressive resistance strength training for improving physical function in older adults. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (3):CD002759. doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD002759.pub2
Lloyd RS, et al. (2014). Position statement on youth resistance training: the 2014 International Consensus. British Journal of Sports Medicine 48(7):498-505. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2013-092952
Malina RM (2006). Weight training in youth: growth, maturation, and safety; an evidence-based review. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 16(6):478-487. doi.org/10.1097/01.jsm.0000248843.31874.be
Momma H, et al. (2022). Muscle-strengthening activities are associated with lower risk and mortality in major non-communicable diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies. British Journal of Sports Medicine 56(13):755-763. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2021-105061
National Strength and Conditioning Association: Faigenbaum AD, et al. (2009). Youth resistance training: updated position statement paper from the NSCA. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 23(5 Suppl):S60-S79. doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e31819df407
Schranz N, et al. (2014). Can resistance training change the strength, body composition and self-concept of overweight and obese adolescent males? A randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Sports Medicine 48(20):1482-1488. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2013-092209
US Department of Health and Human Services (2018). Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. health.gov (PDF)
US Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2030, objective PA-04: adults who do enough muscle-strengthening activity, data for 2024. odphp.health.gov, PA-04 data
Watson SL, et al. (2018). High-intensity resistance and impact training improves bone mineral density and physical function in postmenopausal women with osteopenia and osteoporosis: the LIFTMOR randomized controlled trial. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 33(2):211-220. doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.3284
World Health Organization: Bull FC, et al. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine 54(24):1451-1462. doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955