Mark Giffin

Mark is the head personal trainer and owner of Vault Barbell Club. With 15 years of personal training experience and decades of high-level sport experience, Mark has worked with a diverse range of clients. Each with unique needs and goals, some having never touched a weight and some world champions, Mark applies the same sound concepts that ensure progress while doing so in a safe and attentive manner.

As a Coach & Trainer

  • Coach and trainer to many, many competitive powerlifters, novice to world champions
  • Trainer to hundreds of lifters and individuals, including personal trainers, gym owners and powerlifting coaches
  • Rare combination of technical knowledge and experience combined with unique ability to deconstruct the lifts and correct them where necessary using understandable and explicit feedback that empowers a lifter to learn and “feel” the safe and correct way to lift

As an Athlete

  • 29 year career as a competitor
  • 38 competitions
  • 29 championship level competitions
  • 11 international championships: 2 Commonwealth Championships, 2 Pan-American Championships, 1 North American Championships, 3 World Championships
  • 50+ Canadian National Records
  • Multiple Commonwealth, North American and Pan-American records
  • 9 World Records
  • Canadian, North American, Commonwealth and World Champion

As a Volunteer

  • Two terms as President, Canadian Powerlifting Union, 2013 to 2019
  • Category 2 Referee, International Powerlifting Federation
  •  Meet Director, 8 open meets and 3 Championships
  • University of Guelph Football Program, Assistant to the Strength and Conditioning Coach, 2 seasons