Treigning Lab App unlocks secrets of balancing training and recovery

Photo: The Treigning Lab app will scientifically help wrestlers determine how much to push themselves or rest in their training regimen.

By Tristan Warner

In a sport as complex as wrestling, for example, athletes must find a way to maximize their strength, speed, physical conditioning, mental toughness, technical prowess, etc. while preparing for battle. 

But how many athletes actively search for a way to recover more efficiently than their opponents? How many athletes search for that competitive edge when it comes to resting to achieve optimal performance?

Enter Sam Calavitta, a lifelong athlete, wrestler and coach who also happens to be a world-renowned mathematician and teacher. 

Recognized as the No. 1 high school math teacher in the world in 2005 and the recipient of the prestigious Siemen’s Award for Advanced Placement in Math, Science and Technology in 2009, the southern California native channeled nearly a decade’s worth of research and data analytics into a proprietary recovery algorithm for athletes.

Olympic champ David Taylor (left) is a big proponent of the
Treigning Lab App created by Sam Calavitta (right).

In essence, Calavitta, who formerly served as an assistant coach at Calvary Chapel High School and helped guide the program to seven state titles, believes that over-training can derail otherwise successful careers for athletes. He believes that all too often, to reach peak physical performance, too many athletes forgo proper rest and recovery.

“Wrestling is the most archaic and abused sport in the world,” Calavitta reflected. “As wrestlers, our toughness is taken advantage of. The sport can take men and break them down. The excessive weight loss and over-training breaks down testosterone. This recovery program can take our sport to the next level, not just from a performance standpoint but from a health standpoint, too.”

Over the last few decades, Calavitta has gained nationwide recognition for his unprecedented combination of unique workout regimens and revolutionary applications of science and technology.

For 17 years, Calavitta ran the Eternal Warrior Wrestling Camp, widely considered the toughest and most unique camp in the nation at the time. 

“We took the kids up to a remote corner of northwestern Montana to integrate the ‘three W’s: wood, wrestling and the word of God,’” Calavitta explained. “They had to chop down trees, swim in 52-degree water and run up mountains with logs over their shoulders. All the counselors were Olympic Training Center athletes, so the camaraderie formed was inspiring. It transformed kids’ lives.”

Evolving from the credibility gained as the mastermind behind such an intense training camp, Calavitta went on to mentor many high-profile athletes in wrestling and mixed martial arts, among other sports. 

From the likes of Casey Cunningham and David Taylor to wrestlers turned MMA stars including TJ Dillashaw, Mark Munoz, Aaron Pico and Miesha Tate, the list of athletes personally mentored by Calavitta and his program is perpetually growing. 

Fellow Californian Chris Mecate, a two-time NCAA All-American at Old Dominion turned professional MMA fighter who trained under Mark Munoz at Calavitta’s world-class facility, “The Treigning Lab,” said there is no one else in the sport of wrestling quite like Calavitta.

  “He is a mad genius when it comes to training. Everyone I know would agree there is no workout or training program in the world like Coach Cal’s.”

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Calavitta has worked exclusively at the collegiate level with the Penn State wrestling program and Nittany Lion Wrestling Club athletes for the last 10 years, in which time Cael Sanderson’s squads have won seven national team titles. 

And now, Calavitta’s groundbreaking rest and recovery algorithm is available to athletes everywhere thanks to the Treigning Lap App, a revolutionary mobile tool designed by software engineer Josh Smith. 

By simply recording daily heart rate readings for five minutes every morning, athletes can begin unlocking the secret to peak performance. 

“The key is to listen to your body, and more specifically, your heart,” Calavitta said. “For years, scientists and doctors have utilized the way in which your heart beats to make inferences about overall bodily health. Our app takes these techniques and allows you to see what your body is telling you. Using heart rate variability, we are able to take your body’s signals and translate them into easy to understand, real-time answers about how well your body has recovered.”

Smith and Calavitta believe the user-friendly application provides a blueprint for athletes to understand what state their body is in, where it has been and where it is headed. 

“We analyze your body’s own data and use it to give daily updates about how well you’ve recovered in the short-term and the long-term. With a tool like the Treigning Lab app, athletes can be sure of their training regimens. It provides data-based insights into when an athlete should rest and recover or push themselves harder. Taking a data-based, scientific approach to training is the only choice. To be the best, you have to use the best.”

The App is not only useful for athletes but coaches as well. By accessing the Coaches Dashboard feature, coaches can analyze and interpret data on every wrestler on their roster. This tool allows coaches to monitor which athletes need to recover and which are well-rested on a case-by-case basis.

“This is the most robust tool out there for athletes in sports,” Calavitta stated. “Thanks to Josh’s programming, coaches, parents and athletes are provided with unspeakably deep readings. 

“They can analyze the fuel in their bodies and the specificity of that fuel, nutrient deficiencies, etc. Coaches reap the benefit of getting to know their athletes in such an intricate way.”

App subscribers also gain access to complete daily workout programs designed specifically for wrestlers and for MMA fighters. 

David Taylor, one of Calavitta’s most renowned clients, is the featured strength trainer for the App’s wrestling workout interface. The two-time NCAA champion and 2020 Olympic gold medalist turned to Calavitta’s expertise when making the jump from 74kg to 86kg.

“At the time, I wasn’t really working with individuals, but David was persistent and was very serious about sticking to this rigorous program,” Calavitta recalled. “This program allowed him to move up in weight but take his engine with him.”

Prospective consumers can learn more about the fuel and recovery monitoring “Treigning Lab App” at www.TreigningLab.com and can subscribe for $9.99 per month on the App Store.