Coaches

Coach Wilkes

Coach Wilkes has been teaching competitive lifting since 1999 and is considered by many as one of the top coaches in USA Weightlifting. He has coached many Youth, Junior, Senior, and Master lifters onto the National and International levels. He is the head coach of Wilkes Weightlifting and has served as Men’s Coach for the USAW Men’s Team at the World Weightlifting Championships three times: in Poland in 2013, Kazakhstan in 2014 and Houston, Texas in 2015.  He was a coach for Team Muscledriver for the 2015 National Championships, where Team Muscledriver won best overall team for both the men and women. Most recently he coached his son Caine at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Coach Wilkes has been coaching and training athletes in football, track and field, swimming, and tennis for over 16 years, using Olympic Weightlifting as the center of his training. He also coached football at the middle and high school levels. He was the Strength and Conditioning Coach at a local High school for the football and track team. He is additionally Crossfit Level 1 certified. He brings the great combination of being an experienced meet coach as well as demanding technique from his lifters in the training room.

Coach Wilkes has coached numerous standout lifters including: Caine Wilkes – 2020 Olympian, 3-time Pan Am Champion, 3-time Pan Am Silver Medalist, 6-time National Champion, 6-time USA World Team member 
Kyle Ernst – 2005 Jr. Pan Am Champion, 2006 Jr. National Champion, 2-time Youth National Champion  
Coard Wilkes – 2011 American Open Champion, 2-time Junior National Champion, 2004 School age National Champion
Rick Bucinell – Six time Masters World Champion and World Record holder

Caine Wilkes

Caine has been weightlifting for over 20 years, initially to supplement his football training in middle school. Just a short time after, he decided to focus solely on weightlifting. He has been on the medal stand multiple times as a school-age, junior, and senior lifter, claiming his first national title in 2013. Also, Caine has won the Pan American Championships three times, and most recently was part of Team USA at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Caine is the first American to snatch over 400lbs in competition since Casey Burgener in 2008, as well as just the eighth American ever to total 400kg or more in competition.  Also, in 2015, Caine became just the fifth American ever to clean & jerk at or over 500 lbs in competition. He has one of the all-time highest totals by an American ever, at 416kg, combined from a 186kg snatch and 230kg clean and jerk.

Caine has been coaching alongside his dad for years at seminars and gyms, and coaches locally at gyms in the Charlotte area. He is a USA Weightlifting Level 1 Coach and has his Level 1 certification in CrossFit.

Tokyo 2020 Olympian (2021)
3-time Pan American Champion (2014, 2017, 2019)
3-time Pan American Silver Medalist (2016, 2018, 2020)
2020 Rogue Weightlifting Challenge, 1st Place Men
2019 Las Vegas International Open Champion
6-time World Team Member (2013-2015, 2017-2019)
6-time USAW National Champion (2013-2017, 2021)
2015 USAW National Championships, Best Male Lifter
2-time American Open Champion (2016, 2017)
2019 American Open Series 2 Champion
2015 Regional Series Champion
2012 National Championships, Bronze Medalist
2011 American Open Championships, Silver Medalist
2008 National Championships, Silver Medalist
2007 American Open Championships, Bronze Medalist
2007 Sicily Cup Team Member
2007 Junior National Championships, Bronze Medalist
2004 Youth Pan American Championships, Silver Medalist
2-time Youth National Championships Silver Medalist (2003, 2004)

Coard Wilkes

Coard has been in the sport of Olympic weightlifting for over 15 years.  He began lifting along with the high school football team’s strength and conditioning program, coached by his father.  During that time, he developed a love for the Olympic lifts and the challenge of increasing his total.  In those years he has won several National titles and competed and medaled in international competitions.  In 2007 Coard got his Level 1 certification in CrossFit and has been coaching ever since.  

2011 American Open Champion
2-time Junior National Champion (2008, 2009)
2006 Youth Pan American Silver Medalist
2004 School Age National Champion