
Why Lifters Break Under Pressure (And How to Fix It) – With Hilary Galvin
From Evidence Strong | Weightlifting Science by Evidence Strong
March 11, 2026 · 28 min · Episode 131
About this episode
Hilary Galvin discusses the phenomenon of choking in weightlifting and how to help lifters perform better under pressure.
🏋️♀️ Extended version of this interview: https://www.patreon.com/posts/underperforming-152008960 🏋️♀️ Have you ever heard of “choking”, when a lifter is unable to perform on the platform what should be an easy lift? Hilary Galvin devoted her undergraduate thesis to this phenomenon, researching choking in Irish weightlifters. Hilary Galvin is a personal trainer, weightlifting coach, and psychology graduate with nine years of experience in the sport as an athlete, fan, and technical official. A former nurse with ten years of clinical experience, Hilary recently transitioned into coaching and brings a strong background in health and psychology to her practice. She is passionate about helping lifters and everyday people improve their confidence, resilience, and performance through evidence-informed coaching. Enjoy! ❤️ Join Evidence Strong Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/evidencestrong ▶️ Watch the episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9L-_m0WGD_7xV0sf87Zy7oMVDdtqR3bG 🖼️ Weightlifting research infographics: https://evidencestrong.com ✉️ Follow Hilary Galvin: 🔹 https://www.instagram.com/hilary.weightlifting 💪 Follow Evidence Strong: 🔹…
People in this episode
Host: Evidence Strong
Guest: Hilary Galvin
Topics covered
- choking in weightlifting
- performance under pressure
- psychology of athletes
- coaching techniques
- confidence building
Keywords
- weightlifting
- choking
- performance
- psychology
- coaching
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Evidence Strong, Patreon, YouTube, Instagram
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