Bio
My name is Riley Stefan and I’m the head weightlifting and stretching coach at Leverage Athletic.
If I had one word to describe myself it would be easy: weightlifter.
It all started when I became a science nerd. I completed my bachelor’s in Exercise Science at Lindenwood University and was enlightened with the study of human physiology. I also had the opportunity to compete on the olympic weightlifting team at Lindenwood. I spent years investing myself in the olympic weightlifting techniques while getting first-hand experience in a team-driven environment. Under the guidance of former olympian Jianping Ma, our team of 50+ collegiate weightlifters secured three straight University National Championship titles in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
Upon graduation from LU, I began my Master’s work at Northern Illinois University. I’m currently working as a graduate assistant in the exercise physiology program, while studying in the graduate exercise physiology cohort myself. I will graduate with my M.S.Ed in exercise physiology this fall!
My purpose as a leader at Leverage is to help athletes develop a foundation of strength. Whether we are working on stretching, the olympic lifts, squats or pulls, bodybuilding, or gymnastics, technique is always the name of our game. When we train together, we slow things down to focus on the movement patterns, body awareness, and rhythm. Improvements in performance take time and practice, but I’m here to help you make strides in the right direction every day.