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It's Not a Fecking Pull
Multiple Commonwealth gold medal winner Michaela Breeze shares the story of her weightlifting career and her advice on learning the lifts, training and competing.
Whether you are a complete beginner, someone who wants to improve their technique or a competing weightlifter, you will find inspiration and valuable knowledge in this book.
Michaela is an athlete and coach with decades of experience in the sport who is not afraid to challenge existing assumptions. Expect clear advice, forthright views and a no-limit attitude.
Whether you are a complete beginner, someone who wants to improve their technique or a competing weightlifter, you will find inspiration and valuable knowledge in this book.
Michaela is an athlete and coach with decades of experience in the sport who is not afraid to challenge existing assumptions. Expect clear advice, forthright views and a no-limit attitude.
Paperback
Published January 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 17, 2025
So far I can see a 1 star review and a 5 star review. I’m going to split the difference and give is a solid 3.
When it comes to the technical guidance on how to execute and practice the Olympic lifts, this is some of the best work I’ve ever seen. This doesn’t surprise me, because I’ve been to Breeze’s seminar and learned some fantastic and simple cues from just 2 hours of work.
Her personal story is also very inspiring. As an athlete, she’s one of the greats, and I think she does a good job sprinkling in these biographical details to illustrate why she approaches coaching the way she does.
Where the book falls short for me:
- there’s a brief chapter on programming, but the guidelines are far too vague. Even one page with a sample program would have given me something to experiment with and learn from. I know there are lots of free programs elsewhere, but how would someone reading this book know where to start without any real recommendations? Given that this is meant to be a manual for Olympic lifters, it feels like a significant omission
- her understanding of mechanisms of pain and injury seem a bit outdated. For context, when describing how she broke her back, she explains she was at the tail end of a program where she was squatting 3x3@95% of her 1rm. If you have significant experience with strength training, on the face of it, you can see that that protocol is impossible. She either miscalculated her 1rm or was grinding out some agonizing rest-pause sets every session for weeks. And yet when she described her injury as one that was “waiting to happen,” she explains that the problem was with her lifting technique and glute activation.
As a coach, understanding load management is crucial, so it’s very concerning to see sentiments like this in a book targeting both coaches and athletes.
TL;DR Breeze is an excellent resource for lifting technique. She’s fully persuaded me that the book’s title is correct, and it’s already impacted my own training and how I coach clients. Her biography is impressive and inspiring. The book is worth reading if you plan to compete or coach competitors, but take the non-technique opinions with a grain of salt.
When it comes to the technical guidance on how to execute and practice the Olympic lifts, this is some of the best work I’ve ever seen. This doesn’t surprise me, because I’ve been to Breeze’s seminar and learned some fantastic and simple cues from just 2 hours of work.
Her personal story is also very inspiring. As an athlete, she’s one of the greats, and I think she does a good job sprinkling in these biographical details to illustrate why she approaches coaching the way she does.
Where the book falls short for me:
- there’s a brief chapter on programming, but the guidelines are far too vague. Even one page with a sample program would have given me something to experiment with and learn from. I know there are lots of free programs elsewhere, but how would someone reading this book know where to start without any real recommendations? Given that this is meant to be a manual for Olympic lifters, it feels like a significant omission
- her understanding of mechanisms of pain and injury seem a bit outdated. For context, when describing how she broke her back, she explains she was at the tail end of a program where she was squatting 3x3@95% of her 1rm. If you have significant experience with strength training, on the face of it, you can see that that protocol is impossible. She either miscalculated her 1rm or was grinding out some agonizing rest-pause sets every session for weeks. And yet when she described her injury as one that was “waiting to happen,” she explains that the problem was with her lifting technique and glute activation.
As a coach, understanding load management is crucial, so it’s very concerning to see sentiments like this in a book targeting both coaches and athletes.
TL;DR Breeze is an excellent resource for lifting technique. She’s fully persuaded me that the book’s title is correct, and it’s already impacted my own training and how I coach clients. Her biography is impressive and inspiring. The book is worth reading if you plan to compete or coach competitors, but take the non-technique opinions with a grain of salt.
February 2, 2024
Oof so much anger. Feel she has an axe to grind in every page. Very surface level, basic info and advice for beginners yet has sections at the back about doping, psychology, minutiae of international level travel etc. Also grated on me she used incorrect sports science terminology multiple times.
I know she’s problematic. And I wouldn’t have chosen to read/skim this book, but it’s done nothing to warm me to her. I feel like if she was my coach i would probably end up quitting…
I know she’s problematic. And I wouldn’t have chosen to read/skim this book, but it’s done nothing to warm me to her. I feel like if she was my coach i would probably end up quitting…
February 18, 2025
I’m quite new to Olympic weightlifting, this book has given me some tips to improve my technique and been an interesting read to find out more about the sport and its challenges. I follow the author on instagram and YouTube. I’m really hoping to get to one of the camps.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews