Community Content Articles
The end of the cycle brought new PR opportunities for our weightlifting team and they didn’t disappoint! WATCH NOW
After a much deserved break following the AO Nationals Online Weightlifting Competition, the California Strength team has their sights set on new goals in 2021.
Maddison, Kelly and Izzy are building towards AO1 in March while Wes, Nathan and Chevy have embarked on our new Road To Tokyo Program.
The ladies of Cal Strength Jerk off blocks and crush PR's plus heavy back squats from Wes, Chevy and Nathan!
The men of Cal Strength stole the show on Max Out Friday! Highlights include a 174kg Snatch by Wes Kitts, Damron putting up a 362kg Total and Chevy with a huge “training make” Clean & Jerk at 190kg.
The Cal Strength ladies put on a show during their American Open Nationals "tune up" competition at XIOS Strength & Conditioning! Stick around till the end to watch the whole team get a lift in.
This video is from the team's Max Out Friday training session on October 30th, 2020! The team had heavy singles in the Snatch and Clean & Jerk as we finished week three of the E=ep^2 mesocycle. Nathan Damron arrives at the gym for a pre-Nationals training camp and shows us his favorite stretch. Chevy and Izzy win the day with big lifts!
This video is from the team's Max Out Friday training session on October 23rd, 2020! The team had heavy singles in the Snatch and Clean & Jerk as we finished week two of the E=ep^2 mesocycle. Maddison takes advice from an Instagram Coach, Chevy & Maddison have a flex off and Wes and Kelly go big in the Clean & Jerk!
Welcome back to Max Out Friday’s at Cal Strength! This was the teams last training session of the 3P Panther cycle. The atmosphere was electric and several lifters had PR performances!
We are proud to welcome Carolyne Prevost to the Barbell WOD Team! Carolyne finished in 12th place overall at the 2019 CrossFit Games and was crowned Canada’s fittest woman the same year.
She started CrossFit in 2013 and has quickly made a name for herself as one of the sport’s rising stars. She joins the Barbell WOD team from Toronto, Canada where she trains at her home gym CrossFit Colosseum. We couldn’t be more excited to work with Carolyne as we know she’ll be a force to be reckoned with for years to come!
Dave Spitz (the Godfather of California Strength) makes his first of many appearances on the Be Somebody Podcast to talk shop with Wes Kitts.
Dave holds recognition as one of the few USA Weightlifting Senior International Coaches in the country and is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist. He’s been at the helm of California Strength serving as CEO, President and weightlifting coach.
In this interview, the guys go over the current status of the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan as well as their Olympic preparation, and announce California Strength's plan for the 2020 American Open in December.
I thoroughly enjoyed my discussion with Michael Lau, who’s a part of the three headed monster that is The Prehab Guys! I started following their Instagram page back when they first started out and immediately knew they were special. These guys continue to put out invaluable information and are worth your attention whether you are a coach, athlete or someone who wants to gain a better understanding of your body.
California Strength will be represented by three weightlifting athletes at the 2019 IWF World Championships in Pattaya, Thailand over the next two weeks. Continue reading to learn more about Katrine, Wes and Chevy! Schedule and live stream information included.
Danish World Team Member and California Strength Remote Athlete Katrine Bruhn had another successful trip to California, leaving with two lifetime PR’s! Feeding off the energy of Max Out Friday, she Snatched 82kg (181lbs) and Clean & Jerked 103kg (227lbs)! Learn more about Katrine in this in-depth interview with hosts Seb Ostrowicz and Josh Gibson on the Weightlifting House Podcast.
Dave Spitz shares the story behind California Strength and his life’s work, to return the United States back to relevance in Olympic Weightlifting.
Dave Spitz joined BarBend Podcast host David Tao to discuss the California Strength origin story, the evolution of Dave’s programming, Wes Kitts’ journey to the 2020 Olympic Games and more!
Wes Kitts won his first Pan American Games title on the last lift of the competition, Clean & Jerking 217kg (478lbs). He was sitting in second place after posting a Snatch of 172kg (379lbs) but in a dramatic come from behind finish came away with gold for Team USA.
We sat down with Wes to ask him a few questions about the competition, training and life!
Taking a look back at the American Open Series and Pan American Championships last month in Miami, Florida there were a number of notable performances across the board. One thing is ABUNDANTLY clear, weightlifting in the United States continues to improve across every weight class and gender.
American Donovan Ford, a veteran in the sport, put together a dominating performance winning the Snatch, Clean & Jerk and Total on his way to gold in the 105kg weight class.
We had a chance to catch up with Donovan to discuss his American Open performance and his training that led up to the meet.
Thoughts from head coach Dave Spitz on the California Strength team performance at the 2016 American Open in Orlando, Florida. The weekend had a number of notable performances but were highlighted by an American Record Snatch by Wes Kitts and top team finishes of 3rd (Men's) and 5th (Women's).
Sandra was there during my first competition, which happened to be held at California Strength. She was in my same weight class and I thought she was absolutely crazy. Mad woman. Bonkers. A Coo Coo bird. She was screaming and talking to herself, slapping her own legs. Christ, just let me lift and get away from this lady. Later I learned that the 49 year-old mom of four really is equal parts crazy and awesome...
This year we had the amazing opportunity to send SIX stunning women to compete for and represent California Strength at the 2016 National Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah. The lineup included a number of individual medalists and one lady in Olympic Trial portion of the meet! We came together as a team that weekend and learned so much, bringing our friendship closer than ever before.
I fell in love with the most impossible, monotonous, soul-destroying sport and I wasn’t going to give up. I sat down with Dave and discussed what we could do differently to get my heiny off the plateau and back to climbing the Mount Everest of kilos. With some research, we altered my program to accommodate the physiology of small women. After three months of testing, I finally PR’d and by a considerable amount. Just like that, I felt like I was back on track with the rest of the best 48’s in the nation...
When things are going according to plan, PR's are being hit and meets won, it is easier for the athlete to honor this trust. As the athlete advances in age and PR's become scarce due to advanced training age, this trust is often challenged and might require the coach to allow the athlete to be more involved in their training decisions. The partnership should shift towards that of a collaborative role between athlete and coach at this junction and may give a positive and welcomed sense of control back to the athlete...
Maddison Pannell was the first Cal Strength soldier to compete in the AO Finals Online Competition on December 4th, 2020.
She was just one lift away from making the US Pan American Team but took home PR’s in the Snatch, Clean & Jerk and Total along with some hardware!
We caught up with Maddison to ask her about the experience of that night, what motivates her and what it was like to compete alongside Olympian Morghan King. ENJOY!