Working your way up to the medal podium at the national level in weightlifting is tough. It’s a long, painful road with plenty of setbacks, obstacles, and moments of doubt. It gets even rougher when you sustain a major back injury that requires surgery. Think about that one for a second.
 
This is what the road has looked like for Christine Na. After a stellar collegiate cheerleading career, Christine became an Olympic weightlifter in 2014, working with longtime US weightlifting coach Bob Takano in southern California. She quickly rose through the national ranks, but there was trouble on the horizon. Back injuries are awful for an Olympic lifter, even if they’re minor. But this one was major, and it landed her on a surgeon’s table in 2016.
 
A surgery like this can turn your whole career into one big question mark. So…how did Christine Na bounce back from it? How does a silver medal at the 2018 American Open Finals in the 59 kg class with a 192 kg total sound? That’s an 85 kg snatch and 107 kg clean and jerk at 59 kg bodyweight, just a couple of years after lumbar surgery.
 
Needless to say, this is an athlete with a lot of guts and heart. She’s still on the rise, and the Performance Menu is honored to give you a look at the life of one of America’s top female competitors.
 
Tell us about your background. Where are you from, where do you currently live, what’s your occupation, family life, what kind of sports background do you have outside of lifting, etc.
 
I was born in Maryland but was raised my whole life in southern California. I still live in the greater LA area working as a physical therapist part-time, and weightlifting full-time. Before I found weightlifting, I was a gymnast as a youth, and a competitive all-star/NCAA Cheerleader at UC Santa Barbara. Go Gauchos! Other than work and weightlifting, I love to spend time relaxing with family/friends, and taking care of my fur babies. I have two cats named Boo and Finn. I also have a special needs English Bulldog named Dexter.
 
Describe your weightlifting history. When/how did you start? Who have your coaches been? What are your proudest accomplishments?
 
After graduating from my undergrad and retiring from cheerleading, I attended a weightlifting seminar at a local CrossFit gym. Since then, I have fallen in love with this sport and haven’t looked back. My very first coach was Matt Major (Oxnard, CA), who was also the one who held the weightlifting seminar. Since I had to move back to Los Angeles for grad school, I started working with Bob Takano of Takano Athletics in 2014.
 
My greatest accomplishment to date is probably my comeback after having lumbar surgery in 2016. I was dealing with this injury for over two years, and still competing at a national level (bad idea, don’t do that). My body eventually could not take it anymore, and I decided to get the surgery (this was also during my second year of DPT school). I literally had to start from scratch and learn how to lift all over again, change my bad habits, my body mechanics, my breathing, etc. which was probably the hardest thing I have ever done in my athletic career. I am so grateful for this experience as I have grown so much as an athlete, and a physical therapist. I am proud to say that I have overcome my weakest link and still making new PRs.
 
Please give a basic description of your training method. Just tell us as much as you can about your program, weekly/yearly planning, etc.
 
I usually train five to six days a week anywhere from 10-15 hours/week. Bob Takano does my programming and I pretty much just do whatever he tells me to do. He also trusts me as an athlete and physical therapist to take care of my body and do the accessory work on my own. This can be challenging sometimes because his programming is very high in volume (500-700 reps/week) and on top of that, I have to make sure my body is balanced and healthy.
 
Our yearly goals are to compete in all the top national meets and 2020 Tokyo Qualifiers. My highest medal is silver in AO Finals and National Championships. I am working towards that gold and getting on the international team.
 
Describe some of the obstacles you face, or maybe some things that frustrate you in your weightlifting life. What kinds of changes would you like to see, either personally or with the sport in general?
 
I believe one of the hardest obstacles as a competitive weightlifter is having to change my lifestyle. My number one priority is to be the best weightlifter I can be, so this can come with sacrifices especially with social life and finances. I am blessed to be able to work part-time and still afford to take care of myself financially, but I know this is not the case for every competitive weightlifter. I hope that as this sport grows more, we will see more sponsorships, stipends, and support for competitive weightlifters.
 
What are your plans and goals for your weightlifting career? How do you see your future in the sport?
 
My ultimate goal is to represent USA on an international meet. It is hard for me to publicly say that I am an Olympic hopeful because that is a very serious statement and people tend to abuse or use it too lightly. However, being an Olympian has been a dream of mine as young as I can remember, so I will work towards this goal as much as I can. When I am ready to retire from competing, I plan to give back to the community by joining the USAW medic team and/or volunteering as an official/coach.
 
Who are some of your major influences, people you look up to, etc.? Who are the people you want to thank for your success?
 
I love all the strong female weightlifters that have grown this community and have broken the social norm (Alyssa Ritchey, Jennyfer Roberts, Loredana Toma, Rebeka Koha, Sarah Robles just to name a few). I am so grateful and thankful to my family and my fiancé, Antonio, for supporting me and being my biggest cheerleaders. I also would not be here without my wonderful coach, Bob Takano.
 
We’re all grateful that you’ve been able to continue your journey, Christine. You’ve got a ton of potential and we’re looking forward to seeing what you can do in the future!