Who I am

I’m Chris Van Nostrand, Founder and Head Coach at Strength Wise Barbell.

My passion for strength training, nutrition, and competition began early. But it wasn’t until my late 30s that I began to put the pieces together, thanks to my discovery of powerlifting. The sport gave me everything I’d always wanted in a sport. Aggressive but controlled training, a mixture of sport science and experimentation, and a competitive outlet focused on personal growth.

These experiences revealed the value of defining fitness on our own terms and started my coaching journey.

Fueled by a desire to unleash the latent athleticism of other masters athletes and spread the gospel of barbells, I left my career as a marketing executive. Since then, I’ve coached over a hundred clients from all walks of life.

My focus is improving performance for masters athletes at any level, whether you’re signing up for your first 5k fun run or an elite powerlifter. I also love teaching lifting to beginners, particularly teenagers looking to get more active and build confidence.