Adam

Beytin

I learned about power cleans in high school, and cleans and snatches were part of our lifting program while I wrestled for the University of Maryland, College Park from 2001 to 2005. I officially got into Olympic Weightlifting afterwards, in 2007.

I learned in the varsity weight room that I was better at lifting than I was wrestling - as far as I know my old team power clean record still stands. Watching Shane Hamman and the 2004 Summer Olympics, I dreamed about how great it would be to go that far in weightlifting. I mentioned it in passing to some of my teammates and coaches and was surprised to find they all believed that I had the potential. My wrestling career ended with a shoulder injury in 2004 and surgery in 2005, and after I recovered I started training with Augie Maurelli, then-head strength coach at Georgetown. He directed me to the 2007 Maryland State Championships where I introduced myself to as many people as I could. A couple of weeks later I started training with Leo Totten in Gettysburg, PA and Coach Jami Willette-Brown in Fredrick, MD.

Favorite competition lift:

Snatches are great because they can feel so easy but they're very fickle. Cleans and jerks take more energy but give you more leeway. Currently I would pick clean and jerk.

Favorite training lift:

On a good day snatches are the most fun, but I may have shifted my allegiance to the almighty RDL.

BS with honors in Computer Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park with minors in Japanese and Piano Performance.

Quick Facts

My ultimate goal has always been to go to the Olympics.

Favorite food:

If you can name a single favorite food then you don't eat well enough! My girlfriend and I love to cook, so I try out a lot of things. However, I am quite partial to sushi.

Favorite book:

I was a big Stephen King/Michael Crichton fan as a kid, and Christine and Jurassic Park were some of my favorites in elementary school. Now I like a lot of classics, like Lord of the Flies, but I am embarrassed to admit that Harry Potter may currently be my favorite series.

Favorite TV show:

I don't like TV much, but Archer is awesome.

Favorite song that gets you motivated:

Music was a motivator while I wrestled, but it doesn't do it for me as a lifter.

Hobbies/interests outside of weightlifting:

I have too many to count! I am a software engineer that takes up side projects for fun. I love robotics and artificial intelligence - that's how I got my job - and I also work on flight dynamics and power systems. I like to play piano and guitar, although I don't have much time for them anymore, and I was a singer in college. I'm still involved with wrestling as the head coach of the University of Maryland Wrestling Club, and I love to rock climb when I have time off from lifting. Cooking is a big part of my life, and I am working on getting a bit into baking, which is science for hungry people.

Most people don't know that....

I prefer my coffee black. Otherwise it's called "dessert."