USAW Level 1 Certification Course
Become a Certified Weightlifting Coach with USA Weightlifting’s Level 1 Certification
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Become a Certified Weightlifting Coach with USA Weightlifting’s Level 1 Certification
If you’re serious about coaching weightlifting the right way—safe, effective, and backed by the best—there's only one place to start: USA Weightlifting’s Level 1 Coach Certification.
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What You'll Gain#
By earning the USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach Certification, you’ll walk away with more than just a certificate—this course equips you with the tools, knowledge, and experience to become a safe and highly effective coach. Here’s what you’ll gain:
Expert Coaching Techniques
Learn from some of the best in the business. USA Weightlifting instructors are world-class professionals with hands-on experience coaching Olympians, professional athletes, collegiate athletes, and tactical athletes. You’ll be taught the most effective coaching techniques and strategies, crafted from years of experience and backed by scientific research. This course will give you the skills to coach athletes with confidence, no matter their experience level.
- Understand the biomechanics of weightlifting and how to teach them effectively.
- Master the art of correction and cueing, ensuring your athletes improve technique while staying safe.
- Learn how to develop individualized programs that are both effective and safe.
Proven Teaching Progressions
The course breaks down weightlifting movements into manageable steps so you can teach them to athletes of all ages and abilities. The progressions have been tested and refined by top coaches to ensure they maximize learning while minimizing the risk of injury. Whether you’re working with beginners or elite athletes, these proven progressions will guide you every step of the way.
- Start with the foundational movements, such as squats and presses, and build your athletes’ skills progressively.
- Develop a thorough understanding of Olympic lifts, from the clean and jerk to the snatch.
- Learn how to progressively add complexity to training while ensuring long-term athlete development.
Hands-On Experience
This certification isn’t just theoretical; it’s highly practical. You’ll get to apply what you learn through hands-on training sessions, where you’ll work directly with athletes and receive feedback from instructors. This practical experience will ensure that you can confidently put your new knowledge into action.
- Get real-time feedback from experienced coaches.
- Learn to troubleshoot common coaching issues and discover effective solutions in the moment.
- Build your coaching instincts through practice and observation, helping you become a more intuitive coach.
Ready-to-Use Training Plans for Novice Athletes
As a USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach, you won’t just learn theory—you’ll be equipped with practical, ready-to-use training plans that you can implement right away. These plans have been designed and tested by top coaches to ensure your athletes experience steady, measurable progress while minimizing the risk of injury.
- Receive structured, periodized training plans that assume no experience with strength training and cover fundamental movements and build to include snatches, cleans, and jerks.
- Access ready-made templates you can modify for specific needs and immediately apply with beginners, intermediate lifters, or those preparing for competition.
Continuing Education Credits
The USAW Level 1 Certification provides valuable continuing education credits through a variety of professional organizations. The course is pre-approved for CEUs/CECs through both NASM and ACSM. Many other organizations accept this course for self-reported CEUs and USAW provides the necessary information to self-report.
Invest In Your Coaching Career
By the end of the course, you won’t just be a certified weightlifting coach—you’ll have the confidence, skills, and community to thrive in your coaching career and truly make an impact on your athletes. Ready to invest in yourself and become the coach you’ve always aspired to be? Enroll today and get certified with USA Weightlifting’s Level 1 Coach Certification—where champions are made.
Who Should Take The Level 1 Coaching Course?#
This course is perfect for anyone passionate about coaching weightlifting, from beginners to seasoned professionals. Whether you are:
- Become A Coach, opens in a new tab
- Aspiring to become a weightlifting coach
- A current coach looking to deepen your knowledge
- A fitness professional wanting to add weightlifting to your offerings
- An athlete who wants to better understand technique and learn the mechanics of coaching
- A tactical coach looking to improve performance and minimize injury risk
- A sport coach looking to take on strength and conditioning duties
- A student 16 or older looking to jump start a career in fitness
If you're dedicated to improving your coaching skills and advancing your career in the sport of weightlifting, this course is for you.
Pricing & Duration#
Pricing
- $549 (Includes all course materials, exam and certification)
- $99 for a yearly USAW coach membership (required for all course participants)
Duration
- In person courses last 13 hours
- Typically, courses are held Saturday 8a-5p and Sunday 8a-2p
- Flexible scheduling is available with both in-person and online course options
- Online courses last 9 hours and are held on weekends as well as weeknights.
Click HERE for more info on online courses.
Elevate Your Coaching, Empower Your Athletes. #
Sign Up Today and Take Your Coaching To The Next Level.
Find A Course Near You, opens in a new tabWhether you're embedded in the sport of weightlifting or want to elevate your training programs for athletes in other sports that require conditioning, see how USAW's Level 1 Coaching course can shift your training.
Testimonials#
Coach Mike R., Certified USAW Level 1 Coach
"As someone new to weightlifting, this certification gave me a strong foundation to build my coaching career. The material was clear, comprehensive, and accessible, and the support from the USAW instructors has been incredible."
Coach Sarah J., Certified USAW Level 1 Coach
"The USAW Level 1 Certification provided me with the tools I needed to confidently coach athletes of all skill levels. The hands-on experience was invaluable, and I felt fully prepared to lead my athletes to success."
Frequently Asked Questions#
Yes - when you participate in USAW's Level 1 Coaching Course, you'll attain CEU's recognized by NASM and ACSM. We encourage you to submit for CEUs with your certification body, such as NSCA, ASCM, NASM, CSCCa and ACE. Each organization has different requirements for obtaining CEUs or CECs. Our USAW Level 1 and Level 2 courses each have 13 contact hours.
To report CEUs for the NSCA, please select that you attended a non-NSCA event with 13 contact hours. You earn 0.1 CEUs per contact hour so a total of 1.3 CEUs are earned for L1 or L2. For those holding the SCCC credential from the CSCCa, one would earn 0.5 CEU's for each hour of attendance at approved non-CSCCa conferences or meetings. For USAW Level 1 and Level 2 courses, this would be 6.5 CEUs earned. USAW is not a pre-approved ACE CEC provider, however, participants in USAW courses may petition ACE to receive CECs for attending the course. Petitions allow ACE to review the material covered and make a CEC value determination. All petitions can be submitted through your My ACE Account under Petition for CECs.
Yes. While USAW hosts the Level 1 Coaching Course world-wide (primarily in the USA), we offer Online options so you can accomplish the certification from anywhere.
The SafeSport Certification is required to be a Level 1 (or higher) coach; it is also required to become a Club Administrator at a USAW weightlifting club, officiate at any competition, and volunteer or serve on any USAW committee or working group. Based on the important information it provides, we recommend all USAW members take the SafeSport certification, which is free of charge. SafeSport training can be accessed here.
Inclement weather that creates unsafe travel conditions may cause a course cancellation. In addition, USAW requires a minimum of 8 registrations per course. In the event a course does not reach the minimum participation level it is subject to cancellation.
In the event that USAW cancels or reschedules a course, a full refund or free transfer to another course date will be made available. USAW will make every effort to cancel courses at least 48 hours before the start of the course, though extenuating circumstances such as inclement weather may cause later cancellations. To request a refund or transfer to another course of your choosing, please email education@usaweightlifting.org. When transferring be sure to check our course calendar to let us know which course you’d like to move into.
What happens if USAW cancels or reschedules the course I signed up for?
In the event that USAW cancels or reschedules a course, a full refund or free transfer to another course date will be made available. USAW will make every effort to cancel courses at least 48 hours before the start of the course, though extenuating circumstances such as inclement weather may cause later cancellations.
To transfer to another course, please email education@usaweightlifting.org to let us know what future course you would like to enroll in.
To request a refund, please email education@usaweightlifting.org with your original course date and location. Please note that USAW is not responsible for any hotel, travel or other costs incurred by course registrants in the event a course is canceled or rescheduled.
Yes. You are able to make a one-time transfer at no additional cost to another course date if the transfer is done prior to the close of registration of the course you originally registered for and the new course is at least 14 days in the future. For example, if your course was scheduled to run June 15, the last date to transfer out would be June 1. At that time you could register for any course beginning June 15 or later in the year.
To request a transfer to another course, please email education@usaweightlifting.org to let us know what course you would like to enroll in. Participants must complete the course within 1 year of originally scheduled course date.
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No, you are not required to purchase additional insurance as a condition of completing a USAW course or maintaining your certification. However, it is a wonderful benefit to coaches who are seeking insurance coverage.
USAW’s Certified Coaches General Liability Policy provides coverage to protect insured USA Weightlifting certified instructors/coaches from third party claims of bodily injury, property damage, personal injury and advertising injury due to alleged negligence arising from coaching or officiating activities. The policy costs only $65 for $1,000,000 coverage for a full calendar year.
To find out more information on this coverage offered to you please visiting here.
To purchase USAW General Liability Insurance, please click here and log into BARS.