

Ep. 308: Pulls vs Squats & Building a Career in Weightlifting | Jessie Stemo
This week, Jessie Stemo joins me for a wide-ranging conversation on building a career in weightlifting. We dig into her journey from “hobby land” coaching to doing it full-time, and what it really takes to make coaching sustainable in a sport without much money.
Jessie shares how she balanced one-on-one coaching with scalable team programming, the importance of brand and team identity at Power & Grace Performance, and why coaching is as much about relationships as it is about writing programs. We also dive into the role of communication, trust, and supporting the “whole athlete” — not just the bar path.
We finish with a deep dive into pulls: how to program them for both stronger and weaker lifters, their role in technical development and maximal strength, and how to peak them effectively for competition.
Enjoy.
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