Coaches who compete

I’ve been competing in powerlifting for 11 years, from local meets to international stages, achieving multiple Saskatchewan (SPA), Canadian (CPU), and North American (NAPF) records. Currently, I hold the title of #1 pound-for-pound lifter in Saskatchewan and am a 2024 Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships Bronze Medalist. My journey in competitive sports began in high school wrestling, where I earned city and provincial titles and a national silver medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. It was during this time that Coach Wall at the Shred Shed first inspired my pursuit of potential, both in sports and life.

I discovered powerlifting near the end of high school and was drawn to its clear goal: to get stronger. In 2017, I started coaching, helping friends interested in powerlifting. This led to the founding of Bridge City Barbell, where I’ve since coached athletes to success in major championships, including podium finishes at the World Championships, as well as at the North American Powerlifting Championships and Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships.

My coaching philosophy is grounded in ongoing learning in strength training and athlete management. I use a mix of training models—linear periodization, undulating periodization, block periodization, and auto-regulated RPE-based training—to create individualized programs. I believe in adapting programs to meet athletes where they are, using data and progress to inform adjustments in training.

Hi! My name is Thomas Johnston, I'm a physiotherapy student, and I’m very excited to be a part of the Bridge City Barbell team!

My passion for fitness started as a young athlete. Athletics has always been an important part of my life and I played as many sports as possible when I was younger, but I really fell in love with the sports of boxing, wrestling, and, most recently, powerlifting.

I discovered powerlifting in 2018 and was instantly hooked. I was very fortunate that, in just over a year in the sport, I was able to attend the 2019 North American Powerlifting Championships, where I brought home a gold medal after a tough battle with the local Costa Rican. Later, in 2021, I was also able to secure a provincial deadlift record in the junior 93kg class.

Between the joy I find in helping people, my education, and my passion for fitness, becoming a powerlifting coach felt like the natural next step. So, I started doing just that in the year 2020.

I wouldn't have been as successful in this sport, and I likely wouldn't still be in it, if it weren't for the people I've met along the way and the incredible community.

I've never experienced a sport as welcoming as powerlifting. It doesn't matter who you are, where you're from, or how strong you are, there's a place on the platform for everybody. This community brings a unique level of empathy rooted in the drive to better one's self, and I simply love being a part of that.

If you're seeking a straightforward, results-driven coaching approach, I'm here to help. My powerlifting journey began in 2017 in the football weight room, where I first embraced the core lifts of squat, bench, and deadlift. My interest in powerlifting grew, and by 2019, I entered my first meet.

In 2020, I opened Mongrel Barbell, a small gym dedicated to powerlifting and personal training, which helped foster a community of strength enthusiasts. Although Mongrel Barbell has since closed, its spirit lives on in my coaching approach and commitment to building strong, supportive teams. I first crossed paths with Danny at the 2021 Provincial Championships. By 2022, I moved to Saskatoon, becoming more involved with the strength training scene at Rise Strength Lab and growing closer to the Bridge City Barbell community.

In 2024, I decided to merge with Bridge City Barbell, bringing myself and my athletes into a united team. Combining forces just made sense—we could accomplish more as a single, stronger community.

I started lifting in the gym in 2015, and officially began my powerlifting journey as an athlete with Bridge City Barbell after competing in my first meet in 2023. I immediately discovered something I was passionate about. Competing and the process of training with a purpose completely changed the game for me and I’ve come to be a competitive lifter in the Open 63kg class. I’ve accomplished more than I thought possible, and after falling in love with competing, coaching athletes to do the same was a natural direction for me to take within powerlifting.

I love guiding athletes through the process of getting stronger — the good, the bad, and the ugly. My coaching style varies from athlete to athlete, but I typically use a form of undulating periodization across and within training weeks/blocks. The primary focus is on the main lifts, and accessories are mainly programmed to address potential areas of ‘weakness’ in an athlete's squat/bench/deadlift (and for fun). I strongly believe that the mental/psychological aspects of training are an important part of the process as well, and tend to dive into this with my athletes as it becomes increasingly important over time.

Outside of being a powerlifting coach and athlete, I am a full-time trainer at a physiotherapy clinic (I spend all my time in the gym) where I work with clients ranging from those rehabbing injuries to those wanting to build a strong squat, bench, and deadlift. Every client and athlete requires something different, and figuring out what ‘works’ is a huge part of a coach/athlete relationship that evolves over time as you grow in the sport.