Redbeard Barbell has been coaching athletes since 2013, and in 2018 we opened our own gym space. We’ve been providing online coaching to powerlifting athletes since 2015, and we’ve built systems and processes to effectively manage athlete development remotely.

OUR PRIMARY FOCUS IS:

Competitive Powerlifting

WE ALSO DO:

Strength Training, Weight Loss, Paleo Nutrition, Athletic Performance,
Interval Training, Metabolic Conditioning

MEET THE TEAM

Tim Mercer

I've been around sports my whole life! I played baseball starting at age 4, and moved on to football and other sports during elementary school. I started working-out in the weight room when I was 12 years old and at age 16, started competing in powerlifting. I have a deep understanding of sports, fitness and training. I've also gained and lost weight multiple times, so I understand the struggles of people who battle weight gain.

“I started working out in the weight room when I was 12 years old, and at age 16 I started competing in powerlifting”

I've coached athletes in multiple sports, and I am a coach at my core! I love helping someone learn to deadlift properly, get to a healthy body weight, or learn to see themselves differently in the world. I strive to combine the fury of the vikings with the compassion my Norwegian grandmother showed every single day on earth, while working to help others become better versions of themselves.

B.S. Eastern Oregon University, 2007
IPF Master’s World Championships competitor 2022
Senior National Coach, USAPL, 2019
Certified Powerlifting Coach, USAPL, 2016
Certified Powerlifting Coach, USPA, 2015
Certified Personal Trainer, NCSF, 2013
Level 1 Sports Performance Certification, USAW, 2013
Paleo f(x) Attendee, 2014 & 2015
Crossfit Football, 2014
Kabuki Movement Systems- Principals of loaded movement 2020
Postural Restoration Institute- Integration for Fitness & Movement 2018
Balanced Bites Nutrition Seminar, 2012
RTS Classroom- Microcycles, Macrocycles, Individualization & Emerging Strategies 2016-17
Powerlifting Referee, USPA 2016, USAPL 2018, Powerlifting America National Referee 2023

Jackie Mercer

The introduction to sport and competition happened for me in the 3rd grade. Being tall for my age and for a girl I naturally gravitated towards team sports like basketball and volleyball. Although I was an athlete all through college my true introduction to the barbell didn’t really happen until I was in my late 20’s.

After college I refocused my time and attention, applying my competitive drive fully into my career which resulted in working way too many hours, eating a lot of junk, and steadily putting on the pounds until I reached my largest weight at 220lbs. Physically my body was hurting all the time, I had developed extreme anxiety that was beginning to take over my life and I was desperate for relief. This is how my journey began….

“Now days I’m 45lbs lighter... with 4 state records and an unwavering commitment to my long term health.”

Now days I’m 45lbs lighter, I eat as a means to properly fuel my body and its functions, I have nine powerlifting competitions under my belt, with four state records and an unwavering commitment to my long-term health. I also have a growing passion for giving back to this sport of powerlifting that has given so much to me, with a special desire to help other women find empowerment through fitness and strength training.

B.A. Pacific University, 2005
IPF Master’s World Championships competitor 2023
Certified Powerlifting Coach, USAPL, 2016
Powerlifting Referee, USPA 2016, USAPL 2018, Powerlifting America National Referee 2023
5 time Nationals competitor

COREY SHRADER

Sports and training has consistently been a keystone to my life. Growing up, I played team sports year around, (baseball, basketball, and golf). I participated in sports from grade school through my early
collegiate years. In post-college life, I had strayed from physical activity and had become bogged down in a more sedentary lifestyle. It was around this time that I became disillusioned with my lifestyle path
and I found my way back to the weight room.

“Every day I endeavor to use my passions for strength training, powerlifting, coaching, and problem-solving to help others to reimagine their potential”

In all of my years of sport participation, my least favorite aspect of being an athlete was weight training. I avoided it as if it were an infectious disease. Little did I know that by deciding to go back to the weight room with an open mind and fresh eyes, my passion for athletics and an active lifestyle would be re-ignited. I fully embraced the bar bell and weight training, and have not looked back since.

Coaching has long been something that has inspired me. My father had a decades long, incredibly successful career coaching at both the college and high school levels, so, it could be said that it is in my blood. I have a drive for solving problems and helping others. Every day I endeavor to use my passions for strength training, powerlifting, coaching, and problem solving to help others to reimagine their potential and strive to best their goals.

B.A. University of Pittsburgh, 2010
M.A. Urbana University, 2015

Photos via Lifting Large Media