Member Monday - Brett Silvers, Class of 2021

As dental students, our lives are dominated by classes, studying, lab-work, studying, clinic and oh yeah, more studying! Oftentimes, important healthy habits like eating right and exercising can be pushed to the wayside to make more time for studying. This week we are featuring Brett Silvers, a D1 who understands the importance of maintaining a healthy school-life balance thanks to his experiences with weight-lifting.

Brett started Olympic weightlifting for his high school during his sophomore year. “I joined the weightlifting team so I could get stronger for wrestling,” Brett says, “and I ended up sticking with weightlifting for the rest of my high school years. My coach in high school also opened up his own CrossFit gym in Orlando so I was able to continue training while I was in undergrad at UCF.”

It is safe to say that Brett soon found his niche within weightlifting and it turned out to have a huge influence on his life. “When you lift a new weight for the first time you get this surge of adrenaline, pride, and accomplishment that can only be rivaled by a few things in life. As a shy high school student, this sport gave me a lot of confidence in myself and taught me how to work hard towards my goals. On top of that, the sky is the limit with weightlifting. You can always push yourself to get stronger, and I loved that I got to go to the gym every day and push myself to get stronger and to see what I was made of.”

Unfortunately, Brett is not able to continue weightlifting in dental school due to the large toll it can have on your body. “I needed to stop once dental school started to protect my wrists (I really need those now).” However, weightlifting during college put Brett in the routine of going to the gym on a regular basis, which he has continued to do throughout dental school. “Weightlifting taught me how important exercise is in a balanced schedule. So I still use going to the gym as a stress reliever and a break from all the studying. I’m just not able to lift all the heavy weights I used to.”

According to Brett, “Weightlifting is for everyone! I was never the biggest or strongest guy, but Olympic weightlifting is about so much more than just being strong. The movements emphasize speed and technique just as much as they do strength. If you want to see how much you can lift and how far you can go, then weightlifting is the sport for you. I also learned so many valuable lessons in the weight room that I am now able to implement in my dental school journey. I never knew anyone who was worse off for being a weightlifter, so I definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to try it out. You just have to go for it, and I promise you’ll understand what I’m talking about after you lift a new weight for the first time that you never thought you could!”

​While weightlifting may not be the best sport for a dentist, it’s never a bad idea to get out and get a little exercise between the long stretches of studying. ​​

Author: Kelsey Gwin, Class of 2021