The Ultimate London Weightlifting Club
WHY LONDON STRENGTH?
Strength Community Done Right
London Strength was founded by Kristian McPhee as a way to bring together the best coaches in London. Weightlifting has seen as huge growth in participation in the past decade but very little in the way of better clubs and strength communities in the London area. We are here to change this.
Our community comprises of a "leave your ego at the door" and an open mind approach to training. With our performance results speaking for themselves through our sister club Brunel Weightlifting, the British records and international lifters, national champions and recognition from British Weightlifting.
You are in good hands to learn how to lift - whether you want to learn the correct technique or win a medal on the national stage!
TEAM
Experience, Care & Understanding
KRISTIAN MCPHEE
Director & Head Coach
In my athletic career I trained Parkour to a high level for eight years from a young age moving into full time Olympic Weightlifting since 2013. Winning three national titles (Student, Under 23 and Senior) and was a member of the GB talent squad. In my coaching career with experience teaching dancing, skiing and parkour I had moved into weightlifting coaching fluidly. Creating dozens of national champions and British record holders and several national team members with aims to build these young athletes into international champions!
I also aim to spread good teaching practice across the UK as a current British Weightlifting coaching course tutor and the Southern regional talent pathway coach for the national governing body.
Coached by 3-Time Olympian Mike Pearman
BSc Anthropology - LSE
Graduate Diploma in Law - Brunel
Currently studying MSc in Strength & Conditioning at St Mary's University, Twickenham
OMAR KESHTA
Coach
Omar is one of the UK's top weightlifters with years of coaching under his belt. Omar pursued a career in powerlifting when he was just 15 and he competed nationally and internationally where he broke 6 world records and 1 European record for the under 18 age category.
Training under the legendary Brunel Weightlifting with Mike Pearman & Kristian McPhee whilst completing his undergraduate and masters in electronic and communication engineering he transferred into Olympic weightlifting in 2016, where he won gold at the English and British championships, breaking the u23 British records all across the board.
Currently a member of the GB squad as he trains to be the top in the world. With his knowledge and experience Omar loves to help people of all levels and abilities, making sure they lift to the best of their ability!
SHAFIQ MALIK
Coach
With a long career in PE teaching and coaching weightlifting and fitness, Shafiq brings the energy, the personality, the knowledge and the expertise to London Strength. Working across London with many clubs and a long term coach to Brunel Weightlifting, Shafiq has coached up to the highest level in the UK with many British champions and record holders winning under his coaching.
NOORIN GULAM
Coach
Noorin is a international athlete with 5 international caps to her name, her recent competition was the 2019 Senior World championships.
In addition to her successful athlete career she has 7 years of experience in weightlifting coaching athletes at all different ages and levels of experience. Noorin has worked with national and international coaches and has a accumulated a wealth of knowledge of different techniques used within the world of weightlifting. All this experience is backed up by her degree in sports psychology and coaching sciences where she spent years learning about the body and mind and how to bring the best out in everyone.
DEBORAH ALAWODE
Assistant Coach
Since beginning weightlifting in 2014, Deborah has gained a breadth of experience both as an athlete and as a coach. She currently holds all three British U23 records for the Women’s -71kg category, having won Gold in numerous British U20 and U23 Championships, and British University and Colleges Championships, Silver in English Senior Championships 2019, and Bronze in British Senior Championships 2019. Deborah acted as an assistant coach in Stars For The Future Weightlifting Club before qualifying as a Level 1 Weightlifting Coach in 2017. Since then, she has been volunteering as a Student Weightlifting Coach in University College London (UCL) Barbell Club, where she coaches a select number of students, writing programmes and providing in-person and video technical feedback. Throughout her lifting career, she has gained experience coaching lifters in competition, and she hopes to complete her Level 2 Certificate in Coaching Weightlifting in the near future. Outside of weightlifting, Deborah has completed 4 years of her 6-year degree studying Medicine at UCL, but is currently taking 3 years out to complete a PhD in Alzheimer’s Disease.