Dave Spitz is the founder of California Strength — a household name in Olympic Weightlifting and Athletic Performance. After his own pursuit of Olympic dreams, he now spreads a core message well beyond the walls of his gym: “We need to understand the difference between regret and disappointment. Regret lingers. Disappointment fades.”
Cal Strength’s NFL Combine Prep program has developed athletes who have gone on to play on some of the most prestigious teams in the NFL. Dave also developed the Barbell WOD program, which now has thousands of data points to objectively analyze how CrossFitters respond to supplemental strength training.
In this episode, some things we chat about:
- How Dave kept the doors open during the dark days when Olympic Weightlifting wasn’t cool (along with tons of other lessons for gym owners)
- What goes into a great strength program for CF and other sports
- Strengthening the bridge between Olympic Weightlifting and CrossFit
Show Notes:
- (3:25) – Before Cal Strength became Cal Strength
- (6:30) – Internal self talk when starting Cal Strength
- (8:35) – Building your tribe and attracting the right athletes
- (12:06) – 3 pieces of advice for gym owners who want to go from hobby to business
- (14:27) – Core values to stick to if you want to specialize in athletic performance
- (20:17) – What is it about the Snatch that gets you hooked?
- (24:20) – Growing the sport of weightlifting in the U.S.
- (30:30) – The chess game being played at a weightlifting meet
- (36:25) – Structuring your strength to get better at CF
- (39:40) – What makes a great strength program
- (41:41) – Partial range movements for Olympic Lifting
- (43:49) – Reflecting on the trends from Barbell WOD’s data points
- (47:20) – Preparing for the Olympics
- (49:25) – Using your athleticism to lift the weight
- (50:48) – Athletic development for kids
- (53:58) – What GPP should look like before you specialize
Connect with Dave:
Website: https://www.californiastrength.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cal_strength/
Connect with me:
Habit Chess Newsletter: https://geni.us/VU0pt
Pod Mahal book on Amazon: https://geni.us/16YofI
Work with me: https://geni.us/C1qB3Da
Get in touch: https://geni.us/gBtz
