Client Reviews

All clients will be asked to fill out a review form after their first month of being coached and/or their competitions. This will ensure Scientific Old School Powerlifting to stay on point and keep working on improvements in the future. All reviews can be noted down anonymously and are always voluntary.

Sjoerd Schoufs

(National champion Powerlifting & record holder)

(Qualified Europeans/worlds 2020)

I got to know Mitchell back in 2019 at my first official Powerlifting meet. After that Mitchell became more involved in my training and soon ended up training me completely. Because of his coaching I made a lot of progression in a short period of time.

The thing I like the most about his approach is that he can substantiate his methods of training. it’s not just subjective. His very personalised approach has motivated me beyond imaginable and I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together.

Wouter van der Linden

(Strength Training athlete/recreational Powerlifter)

After 10 years experience in strength training I started a training program with Mitchell. My goal was to become stronger whilst maintaining my current weight. I also wanted to become more consistent in my technique so I could train injury free.

To accomplish this we didn’t have to work too much on my nutrition. I already had a good base. To become better at the Squat, Bench press and Deadlift Mitchell made a skill analysis and a plan of approach for the technique.

Based on my weak points Mitchell developed a very specific training program with a focus on mobility and my ‘sticking points’.

To my surprise the mobility work really paid off. Because of this I was able to execute the lifts better, making it more injury preventive and allow more progression.

Mitchell has a lot of knowledge about the musculature and because of that knows like no other how to properly execute exercises. He stays up to date with the most recent research to make sure his training methods are always up to date. I really enjoyed this, being a researcher myself.

I had a lot of fun training with Mitchell and definitely recommend him as a coach. Especially if you want to get better at the main lifts! Mitchell has a lot of knowledge that he loves to share. Making his coaching even valuable for the long term.

Desie Dircks

(Competitive Powerlifter, qualified nationals 2023)

I got to know Mitchell in 2019 during his internship at TOPFIT. At the time I was in the middle of preparing for my first official Powerlifting meet.

Mitchell had an important contribution in finetuning my technique. He is very detailed and sees everything! He will find a solution or exercise for every improvement there is. Because Mitchell competes himself he understands what can hold you back as an athlete. Including your mentality!

With his sense of humour he put me at ease and often made me able to lift more than I thought I could. When he came to my second competition he came not as an assistant, but as a coach. At the meet his presence is very comforting. Not only practical, but also very fun!

Robin den Haak

(Competitive Powerlifter) 

I started looking for a coach at the beginning of 2022 because I wanted to take powerlifting seriously. That's when I came across Mitchell. I chose Mitchell after our first online consultation call, which really gave me the feeling that Mitchell could help me further.   
Working with Mitchell clearly shows that he ensures that  everything is fully individualized. As a result, I improved tremendously in my technique/strength and muscle mass in a very short period of time. Mitchell helped me understand what my body can handle and he makes sure to help you understand why he makes you do certain things, which makes you more motivated to do it right. I can now immediately notice when my technique is off and adjust it for the next set.

After a holiday and coming back very sick/losing a lot of weight for multiple weeks, we had to start from scratch and I could only lift less than half of what I had done before. Mitchell helped build everything back up in a matter of weeks and was very understanding of the frustrations that came with it in that period.

In November 2022 I had my first powerlifting competition. I was very nervous, but Mitchell made sure I went in confident and well prepared. The only goal I had was to get 9/9. We ended up 9/9 (as the only one in my flight of 12) and a PR in every lift with ease.

All in all I am very satisfied with Mitchell as a coach. I am excited to start building for bench nationals and many more great experiences!

Marc Jensen

(Strength training athlete/recreational Powerlifter)

I got to know Mitchell in late 2020, where we quickly became friends and started talking about our mutual love of weight lifting.

It wasn't until the end of July, 2022, that he became my coach. In the last 3 months, as of writing this, I have seen a ridiculous amount of progress in a rather short amount of time. I have broken my All time PR’s from 5 years worth of training and drastically improved my technique.

Mitchell is a firm, but fair coach. He puts a lot of emphasis on technique. He goes to great lengths to make sure the athletes understand why they're doing certain movements. His love for the sport definitely shines through in his coaching.

I am beyond excited to see the progress we will continue to make in the future.

Alicia Jegerings

(Competitive Powerlifter)

I have known Mitchell since 2019 when he was working at Sportcentrum TOPFIT. In September of 2022 when my coach retired, I was taken in by Mitchell. I was dealing with a lot of long term injuries which had gotten worse after a competition in July. I couldn't do any movements without intense pain for the rest of the week.

Mitchell started adjusting my program in a way where I could train without any pain and implemented exercises specific to relieve the injuries and work on the weak points that were causing those injuries.

In just a few weeks I was able to do all the lifts not only pain free, but also slowly build up my strength again. Within just 4 months I am now close again to my all time PR’s and enjoying pain free training again after many years.

Mitchell really coaches with passion. His knowledge is very clear and he makes sure to find a way to help me understand everything we do as well. Mitchell has taken all my personal goals into account when coaching me and he really listens to me, which makes me feel more understood and motivated.

I came to Mitchell in December 2022. I was looking for a coach because I wanted to take powerlifting seriously and had no idea how to do it myself. After all the good stories I had heard from a friend of mine I wanted to see if Mitchell would train me.

I saw a passionate coach who wants the best for his clients and the sport. Together we chose to participate in a beginners competition, to see if powerlifting suits me. The main goal of the match was to enjoy with nine good turns (a nice PR was a bonus). We entered the competition with only two months to prepare.

Mitchell has a lot of competition experience which reassured me. I was afraid that I had not gotten much stronger and more technical in the short time. Still, not only did I get 9/9 and two new PRs, but I also noticed that my technique has improved considerably.

Mitchell clearly already has a lot of knowledge and experience in the sport. He can therefore analyse and improve my technique well. Mitchell always explains why, for example, something has to change in the technique or why a certain exercise is good. In addition, his knowledge of preventing injuries helps ensure that the training sessions are always conducted safely. This results in a very personal program, aimed at improving technique and strength, while taking into account your personal goals.

I can say that I am very satisfied with the coaching and I am curious about the progress I will make with Mitchell in the future!

Tijn Quivooij

(Competitive Powerlifter)

Gijs Schoonaard

(Competitive powerlifter)

At the end of December 2022, I was looking for a new powerlifting gym to feel a bit more motivated and perhaps learn some new stuff about powerlifting. Mitchell happened to be there (in his leggings, just finished from his workout) talking to someone. I just figured he was a regular cardio type gym goer. Boy, was I wrong. When I started my workout, Mitchell saw that I was having some trouble with my technique and offered some tips, just because he wanted to help.

I was considering getting a coach for myself and a couple weeks later I reached out with some goals to learn from him as an athlete, but also as a coach myself. Now here we are, wearing leggings myself and having every single detail about my deadlift changed (The lift I was most proud of). Mitchell has showed me a personalised, better technique that made me realise I am now finally making a proper deadlift. He has taught me that in powerlifting and technique, patience is key. And that maxing out or getting rep PR’ s at maximal effort all the time is not the goal as a powerlifter in training.

Mitchell has been a fantastic addition to my training and coaching in my daily life. I see no limit to my potential, since I started working with him. I know that I am being coached by one of the best coaches around right now (even though in training it sometimes feels like I said something wrong about his cat the way he treats me... ), All for the better though. I feel motivated, stronger, mentally healthier and I am having fun in my training again. I can’t wait to keep learning from Mitchell and I look forward to my next meet