Mike Listro's Weightlifting Legacy: Strength, Determination, and Breaking Records

Mike Listro began lifting weights in his basement at thirteen after watching the movie Rocky. He started training on the Olympic lifts without coaching in 1978 after watching a weightlifting competition on the T.V. show Wide World of Sports. He picked up training tips from Strength & Health magazine.

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Teenage and Junior Achievements

In February of 1980, as a spectator, Mike went to a weightlifting competition at the Belleville Barbell Club. He spoke with coach Bucky Cairo, and the next thing he knew, he was lifting in his first competition at the McBurney YMCA in New York City the next day.

Mike weighed a whopping 116 lbs and placed first. He snatched 60 kilos/132 lbs and clean & jerked 82.5 kilos/182 lbs. Next, he lifted in the Teenage Nationals and increased his lifts by 7.5 kilos. Mike traveled to Waterloo, Iowa, to compete in the 1980 Junior Olympics. He lifted in the 52 kilo/114 weight class and tied for first place with lifts of 67.5 snatch and 92.5 clean & jerk.

Mike continued to progress and competed in Colorado Springs at the Junior Olympics again in 1981, this time in the 56-kilo/123 lbs. weight class. He snatched 77.5 kilos and clean & jerked 102.5 kilos/226 lbs (103 lbs over bodyweight). It was good enough for 2nd place.

1982 was a big year for Mike. He won his weight class at the Teenage Nationals in Michigan with lifts of 87.5 kilos/193 lbs in the snatch and 115 kilos/253 lbs in the clean & jerk. Mike was slowly gaining weight, weighing 128 lbs for this contest.

Mike competed in the Junior Olympics for the third year in a row, this time in Tennessee. He won first place with lifts of 87.5 snatch and 110 clean & jerk, not quite as good as his performance in Michigan, but his body weight was now up to 60 kilos/132 lbs.

Mike made some considerable increases in 1983, including a growing spurt. He moved up to the 67.5-kilo/148 lbs weight class and traveled to Minnesota for the Teenage Nationals. Although he didn’t place in the top three this time, he lifted more weight than ever before. He snatched 100 kilos/220 lbs and clean & jerked 135 kilos/297 lbs. But coming in fourth place didn’t sit well with Mike, and he vowed to train harder.

Mike traveled to Notre Dame for the 1983 Junior Olympics, winning the gold medal with big lifts of 107.5/237 snatch and 140/308 clean & jerk. His performance qualified him for the Junior Pan American Games in Colorado Springs, where he placed third with lifts of 107.5 snatch and 132.5 clean & jerk.

Mike trained extremely hard for the upcoming 1984 Teenage Nationals in Ohio. He won the gold medal with lifts of 110/242 lbs snatch and 142.5/314 lbs. His 252.5 total fell just five kilos short of qualifying him to compete at the Junior World Championships in Italy.

He followed that up with his third Junior Olympics title in Florida, where he snatched 115/253 and clean & jerked 137.5/303.

After seven years of hard training, the 5’5” Listro moved up to the 75 kilo/165 lbs weight class and qualified for the 1985 Senior Nationals in Washington, where he placed third. Mike snatched 120 kilos (100 lbs over bodyweight) and clean & jerked 150 kilos/330 lbs. (double bodyweight).

His performance qualified him for the 1986 Panoi Cup in Budapest, Hungary, his first International competition. Mike placed 11th against the World’s best lifters, snatching 122.5 and clean & jerking 155. He followed this with a fourth-place finish at the 1986 Senior Nationals in Florida. Mike snatched 122.5/270 and clean & jerked 157.5/347.

In 1987, Mike qualified for the Montreal Cup, where he placed second with lifts of 122.5 snatch and 162.5 clean & jerk. He followed this up with a third-place finish at the 1987 Senior Nationals in Michigan, where he snatched 122.5, and clean & jerk 160.
Mike qualified for the under-23 European tour. He would place first in Sweden and Germany and second in France and England. His best lifts during the tour were snatch 130/286 and clean & jerk 160/352.

From Nationals to Olympic Trials

His next competition was a crucial one because if he did well in this competition, it would qualify him for the 1988 Olympic trials. On Sept. 19, 1987, at the under-23 Nationals in Connecticut, Mike came through with his best lifting to date. He snatched 130/286 and clean & jerked 165/363. His 295-kilo total was enough to qualify for the trials.

Mike began 1988 with an International competition in Australia. Unfortunately, upon arrival, he became ill and was taken to the hospital for treatment. Due to his illness, he didn’t have one of his best days, placing 5th with lifts of snatch 125 and clean & jerk 155, but he made up for it at the Senior Nationals in Minnesota, placing second with lifts of 132.5 kg/292 lbs and 162.5 kg/358 lbs.

Now, it was time to start training for the Olympic trials. Mike was training at the iconic Belleville Barbell Club in New Jersey. Over the years, some top U.S. lifters have trained at Belleville. This was no ordinary gym. It was underneath the bleachers of Belleville High School, and summertime temperatures could get as high as 115 degrees with high humidity.

There were no windows or air conditioner, only a fan blowing the hot, stale air around. But it was one of the few places in Northern Jersey weightlifters could train, as most gyms then were built for bodybuilding. Picture Mickey’s gym from the movie Rocky, but with lifting instead of boxing.

It was during this time that I trained alongside Mike. Although I was not on his level, I liked training with him because it was always pedal to the metal. No one trained harder than Mike, and if I couldn’t keep up with him in weight lifted, I wanted to keep up with him in intensity. I knew I would become a better lifter training with him.

To make the Olympics, Mike would have to lift more weight than he had ever lifted before. He lifted 130 kilos on his opening snatch attempt. He tried 135 kilos on his second and third attempts (more than he had ever snatched), but it wasn’t to be. He’d have to make up for it in the clean & jerk. He succeeded with his opening attempt of 160 kilos but missed 165 twice. He placed third, but third wasn’t quite good enough to make the Olympic team.

Not making it to the Olympics was disappointing, but there was another goal Mike had in mind: to win the 1989 Senior Nationals. Under the coaching of his friend Mike Rinaldi, Listro got himself into great shape. He traveled to Houston, Texas, determined to win the gold.

The final results were snatch 132.5/292, clean & jerk 160/352 — First Place! He followed this success with another outstanding performance at the Sports Festival. He once again snatched 132.5 and clean & jerked 160 for first place.

While preparing for the 1990 Nationals, Mike switched his training headquarters to Saint Cecilia in Englewood, NJ. As a side note, legendary NFL Coach Vince Lombardi was once a teacher and coach at this school. Once again, the conditions weren’t great for training, but it had the equipment needed for Olympic lifting.

Mike was now coached by my cousin Bill Hall. Bill, a former lifter, was doing a lot of research on Bulgarian training and wanted to use those training methods as much as possible. The idea was to use maximum weights in every workout.

The hard training paid off. Mike traveled to Michigan to defend his National Championship title. He snatched 127.5, not his best. He needed to succeed on his final clean & jerk with 165 to secure the gold, and he did it! For the second year in a row, Mike was a National Champion.

An Injury and a Comeback

1991 wasn’t a great year for Listro. A knee injury significantly hampered his training, and he placed fourth at the Nationals with lifts of 127.5 and 155. Mike had no choice but to undergo surgery for a torn cartridge. The recovery period was long and frustrating, and Mike considered retiring. But his passion for lifting was too strong to walk away, and he returned to competitive lifting in 1993.

It took five long years to get back to a major competition. At the 1996 American Championships, Mike snatched 125 kilos/275 and clean & jerked 157.5/348 lbs.

In 1997, Mike competed at the Senior Nationals for the first time since 1991. At 33, Mike was out to prove he wasn’t through yet. He placed second with lifts of 130 snatch and 157.5 clean & jerk.

But twenty years of hard training was taking its toll. Mike injured his quadriceps, which took a long time to heal. He did not compete in 1998 but returned in 1999 for one last competition. At age 35, Mike was no longer in his prime, but he still managed to snatch 120/264 and clean & jerk 145/319 at the Garden State Games, winning the Governor’s Cup.

It is important to note that U.S. lifters receive very little, if any, Government funding. During most of his years in competition, Mike worked as a U.S. Postal Mail Carrier. His training sessions usually took place in dingy gyms under poor conditions after walking ten miles daily delivering the mail.

“Looking back, I don’t know how I did it,” said Mike. “In Olympic weightlifting, you must have a passion for it and have 100% tunnel vision, and I had that from day one. What drove me in lifting is that I was never content; I was always striving to lift more weight.”

At the time of his retirement, Mike held five New Jersey State records.

67.5/148 weight class — snatch 115/253, clean & jerk 142.5/314

75/165 weight class — snatch 132.5/292, clean & jerk 165/363

Here are Mike’s best lifts in training: Mike attempted to snatch 135 kg/297 lbs and clean 167.5 kg/370 lbs but could not achieve those goals. His best front squat was 200 kg/440 lbs. He back-squatted 200 kilos for ten reps.

Mike had perhaps the best spilt jerk I have ever seen. His best from the squat racks was 180/396. He also enjoyed performing the split jerk from behind the neck and once achieved an incredible 195 kilos/430 lbs!!

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Mark Morthier is the host of Yesterday’s Sports, a podcast dedicated to reliving memorable sports moments from his childhood days and beyond. He grew up in New Jersey just across from New York City, so many of his episodes revolve around the great sport’s teams of the 70s for the New York area.

He is also an author of No Nonsense, Old School Weight Training (Second Edition): A Guide for People with Limited Time and Running Wild: (Growing Up in the 1970s)