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.
Read MoreDave Spitz shares the story behind California Strength and his life’s work, to return the United States back to relevance in Olympic Weightlifting.
Read MoreDave 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!
Read MoreSnatch what you can, Clean & Jerk what you must. A simple idea that presents the fundamental strategy for how we select openers and competition attempts for our lifters. There’s a reason why California Strength lifters have one of the highest rates of success competition makes in the country! This is a must read if you want to maximize your performance at your next weightlifting competition! (Exact lifting percentages included)
Read MoreWes 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!
Read MoreWhether you’re brand new to Olympic weightlifting or are a seasoned veteran training for Nationals, if you have dreams of competing it is critical to know your competition weight class. The International Weightlifting Federation announced the highly anticipated change to the male and female weight classes and for Olympic weightlifters around the world, the decision to go up a weight class or down has been left in question.
In response to our athletes at California Strength being faced with the same question, we came up with a solution. We have analyzed six key parameters to provide you with the weight class category that is best for you. Take this quiz to receive your personalized and detailed Weight Class recommendation from USAW Senior International Coach Dave Spitz himself!
Read MoreIf Cal Strength were the Avengers, Jaden Washington would be Captain America. He’s polite, well-mannered, works hard, and always does the right thing. Jaden is representing Team USA at the IWF Junior World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan this week and I thought it would be fitting to do a little Q&A with him.
Read MoreEvery so often in a coaches life an athlete comes along that changes you. That athlete is transformative in the sense that they make you a better. They challenge you to become something more, not through explicit demands but through sheer appreciation for their raging fire to master their athletic discipline. Wes Kitts is one of those athletes...
Read MoreThink your weightlifting program is perfect? You've accounted for volume, intensity, exercise selection and have lined up your periodization to peak at the perfect time; but wait. Have you added mental reps into the equation? All your blood, sweat and tears could easily be for not if the mental side of training is forgotten. Don't worry, we have you covered!
Read MoreWhile many of the principles with respect to force production are similar in the Snatch Pull and the Clean Pull there are also some noteworthy difference in how the pulls develop. Below are factors that influence the differences in the mechanics of the Snatch and Clean Pull.
- Grip width in the Snatch is wider than the Clean.
- Relatively speaking, Clean weights are 20 - 25% heavier than Snatch weights.
- The Acceleration of the bar begins more gradually in the Snatch and ends with 10-15% greater Velocity than the Clean.
- The “fixation” height or the height at which the bar is stabilized in the catch positions is 25-30% higher in the Snatch than in the Clean
Here is how we account for these differences….
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