Chris Spealler was the underdog of CrossFit, competing against men weighing up to 70 lb. more than him and holding his own. That's what made him relatable—that and his big heart and tremendous work ethic.

"Speal" is an eight-time CrossFit Games competitor (7 individual, 1 master). He stood on the podium three times during his individual career. Time after time, he won fans' hearts and earned their cheers as he struggled against heavy weight, the last man standing on the floor.

He retired to a standing ovation in 2014 and now focuses on his affiliate, CrossFit Park City in Utah, running the Icon Athlete online training program, and using his fitness to enrich his life outside the gym with his wife and children.

You'll get to hear about some of the memorable moments from Chris' competitive career, how he transitioned from training for competition to training for life and what good programming looks like.

Links:

Two-Brain Business Free Tools
Icon Athlete Programming

Contact:

Instagram: @cspealler

Timeline:

1:40 – Athletics before CrossFit: a little bit of everything.

2:54 – Why Speal loved wrestling.

3:34 – Learning work ethic from wrestling, “the hardest sport in the world.”

4:54 – After wrestling, finding purpose in CrossFit.

6:21 – Why wrestlers make the best CrossFit athletes.

7:16 – Competing at the first CrossFit Games in 2007.

8:57 – How his training changed as the Games evolved.

10:13 – The dog sled in 2011: It wasn’t the shoes’ fault.

11:52 – Qualifying out of the 2012 Regional: “old-school CrossFit to a T.”

13:45 – On missing the Games in 2013—and deciding to try one more time.

15:24 – The “elder statesman” of 2014.

16:53 – The 2014 CrossFit Games: a farewell tour.

19:04 – On being the underdog.

20:27 – Dealing with intimidation.

22:01 – On being the strongest man in the world—according to the sixth-graders at his son’s school.

23:34 – Why go masters in 2017?

24:31 – Trading training for competition to training for life.

27:22 – Starting Icon Athlete.

30:27 – The difference between good and bad programming: volume.

31:56 – Advice for aspiring competitors.

32:54 – How to train well as a masters athlete.

35:06 – Lessons learned from 13 years of CrossFit.