Lauren McHugh

Lauren McHugh found the barbell by way of the ballet studio. Years of dance gave her an obsession with precision, positions, and what a body can be taught to do — and when she found Olympic weightlifting through CrossFit, all of it transferred. She stepped onto a competition platform for the first time in January 2014 and has spent the twelve years since chasing the same thing she chased in the studio: the perfect rep.

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As an athlete, Lauren is a two-time USA Weightlifting Masters National Champion, taking the title in both 2023 and 2025, and swept bronze at 2024 Masters Nationals. She has medaled at local and regional competitions throughout her twelve years in the sport, and she still competes today — she coaches from the same platform she trains on.

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As a coach, Lauren is a USA Weightlifting Level 2 coach and a National Technical Official, which means she both teaches the lifts and judges them. She knows precisely what separates a good lift from three red lights, and she coaches with that standard in mind. She has been teaching the Olympic lifts for over six years, starting in 2019 with teammates and training partners and moving into formal coaching at CH Fitness and Performance in January 2024, where she trained and coached under Olympian Cara Heads Slaughter. She is also certified in Red Cross First Aid and CPR.

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Arlington born and raised, Lauren co-founded Monument Weightlifting to preserve the passionate Weightlifting community that Cara built at CH Fitness and Performance. What she wants most is for people to feel comfortable and confident under the bar and at home at Monument — whether it is your first day touching a barbell or your tenth year on the platform.

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Reach out to Lauren today to schedule an assessment and find your place on the platform!

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