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Wei Cong

@a.weicong

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1/6 of @enso.powerlifting
Powerlifting Coach. Physiotherapist.

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It only took a couple of years and a block to get here.

B 100x8
D 180x4 by @a.weicong

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a month ago

The last training montage before I went Taiwan. I'm proud of myself for finishing one block of training since APO'25 (it's been 4 months). All the falling sick, deconditioning, travelling and busyness of life just gets in the way of training sometimes, and in many ways I'm grateful for the opportunities to be busy with life. Not so much the cough though . .

So far the end of this block puts me in a good position to play around with even more volume next block, so that'll be something I'll push back into the program. I'm also looking forward to doing more competition-specific movements, cos it's been a while. I've been developing new ideas off my own training and experiences, and in some ways that's been interesting when I apply them to my athletes. That said, I pay close attention to this transference of strategies, to not dole out anecdotal prescriptions simply cos they worked for me. by @a.weicong

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7 months ago

Being sick for 4 months really put a dent into my fitness, so I’ve been mindful to treat myself like a deconditioned patient coming back into training.

As I would tell my athletes recovering from the flu, I started with just clocking steps. This period easily took the longest as I would get breathless just walking 5-10mins. My day job thankfully comprised of a lot of short stints of walking, and it was funny that I get more breathless than my 80yo ahmas.

I slowly climbed up my steps weekly from 6k to 8k, before transitioning to Zone 2 training. I started with a snail’s pace (you can literally stroll past me) at 5 mins, making sure that I can sustain a full session without triggering my coughs. This slowly climbed up in duration to 25 mins. At the tailend, I was able to start Zone 3-4 training, alternating between 1 min of jogging and 1 min of walking for 5-10 sets.

So far, it’s been working well and I can easily clock 13k daily steps without feeling exhausted at the end of the day. I was deliberate in building up my cardiovascular base with a lot of Zone 2 training to make sure that I could tolerate the prolonged sessions in the gym, and to sustain myself through the long handling sessions at Nationals. Shown here are some clips of my training over the last few weeks. It’s been a rewarding experience seeing how my body responded to the paced and intentional reconditioning. by @a.weicong

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8 months ago

Part 2 is here. This post breaks down 4 strategies that worked behind the scenes at Tertiary Nationals 2024, all aimed at maximising team points heading into 2025.

They’re not magic bullets, just sound planning: how to recruit, place lifters, and stretch every point possible. It’s what helped pave the way to a podium finish at Uni Cup 2025.

FISU 2026 will change the game, but not the fundamental principles. Who’s laying the groundwork this time?

@powerliftingntu
@powerliftingnus
@sitpowerlifting
@susspowerlifting
@tertiarypowerliftingunion by @a.weicong

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a year ago

Riding the ADHD train, I dove into the numbers behind World Uni Cup 2025. For those who geek out over macro strategy (like me), this post unpacks how team points are calculated, breaks down performances across countries and unis, and offers a closer look at Team Singapore’s journey.

But beyond the stats, I’m hoping we can uncover how understanding these details helps the next team make smarter decisions and elevate the landscape for everyone. If you spot errors or have insights of your own, drop them in the comments.

This is part 1 of a 2-part post, the latter of which will review strategies I recommend(ed) during Tertiary Nationals 2024. Tertiary Nationals 2025 is around the corner - who will come up with the next winning strategy?

@powerliftingntu
@powerliftingnus
@sitpowerlifting
@susspowerlifting
@tertiarypowerliftingunion by @a.weicong

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a year ago

I went into APAC 2025 handling athletes unfamiliar to me. In a pinch, these are the practices I leaned heavily into to fulfil my role as their platform coach.

One. I always start off the conversation by asking about past pains. Powerlifting injuries are notoriously persistent, and will only flare up with increasing weight. Front-loading the warm-ups provide ample time to drop the opener. Discuss contingencies for attempt selection if it's a good or bad day - a minute passes by fast, you don't want to have such conversations then. Getting this information early also helps me run through any pain management tools I have under my belt. Painkillers, isometrics, soft tissue release and PNF go a long way in making a difference in the warm-up room. I’ve detailed some of my go-to tools in the graphics.

Two. Vibe out your athlete. The first attempt is usually the most nerve-wrecking, and also where their competition persona emerges. Observe their personality and emotional response. How is their arousal level? How do they hype up? Use this information to fuel or calm them.

This is also where I build consistent, predictable rituals. Once I start a habit, I will repeat it. Even if the athlete’s back is full of chalk, the action builds trust and reduce cognitive effort on them. I literally take things off my athlete’s hands, so that they can lock in.

Three. Calibrate max efforts and technique. Numbers on the page don’t tell the full story, strength fluctuates. Review videos of athlete’s past meets and grinds. How does it slow down? What is their technical threshold? With an experienced lifter, their RPE 10 will always be their RPE 10, regardless of the weight on the bar.

Reviewing their technique allows me to review their competition standards as well. Get strict about technical errors. I used to ignore it, believing that it's not my job. This changed after I got blasted by 3 red lights after the opener. No more! Cue if you must, drop the opener as required. Once the referees flag you on your opener, they will only pay more attention to catching the same error, not less. Don’t give them that ammunition. by @a.weicong

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a year ago

Just wrapped up reflecting on APAC 2025, and these 3 patterns kept showing up in conversations with other coaches.

The thing about international competitions is they have a way of stripping away assumptions we didn't even know we had. What worked in training or at local meets suddenly needs recalibrating.

1. The weigh-in lesson hit hardest. We celebrate when cuts feel easier, but that 2kg difference in baseline can completely shift how an athlete moves under load. We saw this play out with a few lifters who couldn't figure out why their groove felt different. The flag that I watch for is when athletes feedback that they feel “flat”.

2. Lowering your opener isn’t a sign you’ve lost strength; it’s often just smart lifting. International meets come with their own quirks. Maybe the carpet’s slippery, or the rack height feels off compared to training. The point is: your opener is there to buy you flexibility to help you handle the unexpected. You still get chances to jump bigger between attempts, opening up enough space to still finish with the total you planned.

And if squats moved easy? Empty the tank on your deadlifts. Remember: losing 5kg on your total from a missed attempt stings more than holding back an extra 2.5kg you weren’t quite ready for.

3. The anchoring thing is something I'm still working through as a coach. This is a hard lesson that I’ve learnt through many failures on the platform with my own athletes. It's hard to let go of what an athlete should be capable of and focus on what they're actually showing you in warm-ups. But that's where the real platform coaching happens. Ditch the meet card and respond.

These kinds of conversations - where we share what actually happens, not just what we plan - are what make us better as coaches and as a community. Shoutout to everyone who’s shared their stories; this is how we keep building collective knowledge. taken in Himeji Japan by @a.weicong

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a year ago

It was a surreal 5 days of coaching at APAC 2025 in Himeji alongside fellow @powerliftingsingapore coaches. As coaches, there's a mental load that we carry — that of the hopes and expectations of our athletes' journeys. We've all been there as athletes who've failed, so we want to make sure that our athletes never have to walk alone again. We want so badly for them to grow and to succeed, that we gladly carry that weight. For the longest time, that load is solely for the individual coach to carry.

This meet was a massive and different beast, with an extremely large team competing simultaneously across 2 platforms and multiple sessions a day. No longer was it possible to function as a silo between the individual coach and athlete. It became a real team effort to pull through when the stakes got high, and when the tides turned against our favour. In those moments, only coaches would be able to understand one another as they fight in the trenches. 15 hours in an enclosed steel box would trauma-bond you like no other experience.

I'm glad I was able to show up and help out. I poured every facet of knowledge I had over the years of tears and mistakes into this experience. I knew for sure that no athlete walked alone at this meet, so I worked hard to make sure that no coach had to walk alone either. Your mental load is no longer just yours to carry, and I hope I eased some of your burdens in some small ways.

To the athletes and coaches of APAC 2025. I see you. Keep moving forward, you are far from done. Let this become a pivotal moment in your powerlifting journey and go down as a core memory. I know it did for me in the parking lot of a 7-11. taken in Himeji Japan by @a.weicong

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a year ago

V1-1-3

Was on last minute leave today with Tanya, so we spent a nice chill day hanging out and going to the gym. I’m always grateful for these days as they’re the good old days that I’d be able to look back on, but aware enough to know that I’m living in them in the moment.

It was also great to see my athletes thrive on the international stage. While there is a sense of frustration at the distance, I do get immense pride seeing my athletes handle themselves out there. These outings are always an opportunity to showcase their sportsmanship, self-efficacy and resilience. My coaching encapsulates a slice of that display, and I’m proud of them. First down, one more to go! by @a.weicong

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a year ago

V1-1-2

The session didn’t start out well, and I was dealing with a flare-up and stomach pains. It was a good time to spiral, and my first instinct was to go there. The second was to push through and take it like how I’ve been doing over the last few years of training. The third was when Tanya nudged me out of it, and I’m reminded of my athletes who go through the same frustrations and how they’d respond. It became a good time to practise what I preached, and so I chilled out and came back to finish the session another day. In the grand scheme of things, this is a small change, but one I’d continue to practise. by @a.weicong

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a year ago

V1-1-1

I’m incredibly grateful to be squatting this, so imma talk about it. I’ve been dealing with systemic pain and it flares up the most with squats, which usually feels like my right knee imploding. One key factor in the past few months has been to pay myself more attention and love, and weeding out what irritates my system. I’m at a stage in my training age that I’m counting the good sessions and practising gratitude. While this session went great, I’m cautiously optimistic 😌 by @a.weicong

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a year ago

Ark Powerlifting Open 2024

Chee Wan @cw_lifts

What can I say about this meet for Chee Wan? A few missteps and assumptions were enough to derail our game-day plans, and as a coach, it was frustrating to witness from the sidelines. Chee Wan came in strong, aiming for a big total based on his solid training results, but as we know, training progress doesn’t always guarantee meet-day success.

The first misstep was on me—I was too lax with his weight management leading up to the meet, assuming that, as this was his fourth or fifth time doing a gut-and-water cut, the process would go smoothly. We also made the mistake of assuming the venue would be warm enough for him to sweat off the last few hundred grams of body weight upon arrival. Unfortunately, he missed weight by just 200g during the initial weigh-in, pushing him to the back of the line for a re-weigh—a minor inconvenience, but manageable. The real issue arose when both of the meet scales broke just as Chee Wan was due to weigh in again. This forced the APO crew to scramble for a replacement, leaving Chee Wan dehydrating for an additional two hours.

The extended dehydration, coupled with the hot environment, inevitably led to severe cramps. At one point, Chee Wan even had to pry his fingers off the bar after his squat attempt. We made the call to stop after the second squat to conserve his energy and focus on rehydrating as much as possible before bench. Thankfully, this strategy worked, and by the end of the bench, Chee Wan was functioning close to 100%.

Although it wasn’t the day we had envisioned, I’m incredibly proud of the sportsmanship and resilience that Chee Wan demonstrated in the face of challenges beyond our control. He handled the situation with poise and determination, even when the cards were stacked against him. The next meet will be a better one, and I have no doubt he’ll come back stronger and more prepared.

SQ: 170, 180 (+2.5)

BP: 102.5, 110, 115

DL: 190, 210 (-15), 227.5 (X)

7/8, 505kg total (-12.5kg) @ 58.9kg

Chee Wan walked away with the gold medal in this meet. Many thanks go to @geordi.t for handling the man on gameday!

Chee Wan is coached by @a.weicong by @a.weicong

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2 years ago