As a Doctoral Candidate in Clinical Psychology at 5X, along with being a Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Intern, one would assume that Brooke Leonelli has enough on her plate.
You can add participating in weightlifting competitions.
Leonelli had always been active growing up, whether participating in dance, cheerleading, or running cross country. After she stopped running, Leonelli needed something to fill the void. She quickly turned to CrossFit, a craze that swept the nation in 2013, and soon fell in love with it and promptly began pushing herself even further.
“I was really into CrossFit but started noticing in the last two-and-a-half years that I loved the Olympic lifting aspect of it,” she said. “I particularly love the fact that there are weight classes, so it kind of put me on an even playing field with a lot of the other athletes.”
After going all-in on her newfound love of weightlifting, she turned to a good friend who also happened to be a coach and currently lives halfway around the world in Greece. While that long-distance might seem like a barrier to some, it has not stopped Leonelli from rapidly progressing.
“He coaches me remotely, [and after] I started working with him, I fell in love with it,” she said. “I send him videos through a training app, and he reviews my videos and comments on my technique [while] trying to fix things for me; that has been incredibly beneficial.”
Leonelli competes in the snatch, which is the first of two lifts contested in weightlifting, followed by the clean and jerk. The goal of the snatch is to lift the barbell from the ground to overhead in one continuous motion. Next comes the clean and jerk, which is a two-part lift. After lifting the barbell to the shoulders, the lifter jerks it overhead to arm's length, with no restrictions on the time necessary to complete the lift or on leg movements.
Her first true test came in September 2019, when she engaged in her first competition. After participating in CrossFit meets previously, she did not know what to expect.
Suffice it to say, it was quite the contrast.
“In CrossFit, the competitions are loud, and people are yelling, doing multiple workouts, and you have a chance to redeem yourself later if you have a bad workout,” said Leonelli. “With weightlifting, you have three attempts at each lift, and you have six times on the platform to have your technique and focus dialed in, and if you mess it up, you can completely bomb out at the meet.”
During the first meet, another aspect that came into play was the weight she was lifting due to it being in kilograms; she had been training in months leading up to the competition in pounds. After trusting her coach to know her abilities and stack the weight bar accordingly, it was a smashing success. Leonelli went six-for-six -- almost an unheard-of accomplishment to hit on all the lifts -- ultimately taking home the title of Best Female lifter.
“[After winning my first meet], I was just completely addicted because I felt that I could do something in this sport,” she said. “I did not do as well in my second meet, but at the next one, I qualified for nationals, which has been my goal all year.”
Her success continued recently, on July 2, when she competed in the 55-kilogram weight class against others from around the country at Nationals in Detroit, Michigan, where only the best of the best gets to showcase their abilities. She again rose to the occasion, registering a 69-kilogram (152 pounds) snatch and an 87-kilogram (191 pounds) clean and jerk.
“Overall, I am proud of myself,” Leonelli said of her showing. “Some people work years just to qualify for Nationals, and I did that only a little over a year into weightlifting; plus, it was my goal just to qualify, so I was stoked to be there [and not to mention] it was an incredible experience!”
As Leonelli looks towards completing her doctorate and ultimately pursuing a career as a clinical psychologist for the Army, she looks at competitive weightlifting as the perfect marriage between her career and her love for the sport.
“I never pursued a career in fitness because I enjoy the separation of my hobby and passion for fitness and a career,” she said. “[Wanting to be a] psychologist for the Army allows me to mix those things; my ability to be strong and fit, as well as my love for psychology.”
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