"With the utmost respect, we sincerely thank Galia, Kalina and Boriana Spassov for allowing us to share Angel's teachings." Love always, Team LOCK'D IN.
Angel Spassov - Did you know?
Coach Spassov has served as Conditioning Consultant for six different nations at the World Cup.
Coach Spassov was the Head Coach of the Bulgarian National Weightlifting Team for the Olympic Games 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984 and 1996. His teams earned 7 Gold, 8 Silver, and 5 Bronze medals.
Coach Spassov was the Head Coach of the Egyptian National Team for the 1988 Olympic Games. His teams set 56 National and African Continent records.
Coach Spassov was awarded the prestigious Medal of Honor for Socialist Labor of the Bulgarian Parliament and Honor Coach of Bulgaria.
Coach Spassov served as a Special Consultant commissioned by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the U.S. Weightlifting Federation. He conducted a lecture tour of 33 United States cities and gave practical demonstrations to more than 1,700 coaches from USA and Canada.
Coach Spassov served as Strength Expert for the International Olympic Committee and conducted Olympic Solidarity Courses throughout the world.
Coach Spassov serves as a Committee Member of the National Steroid Research Center.
Angel Spassov is widely recognized as one of the world's top strength and conditioning specialists. In 38 years of coaching he has participated in seven Olympic Games and five World Cups, authored 11 books and more than 70 articles on strength and conditioning, and guided countless teams and athletes to various world and national titles.
An avid soccer player and weightlifter as a teen and young adult, Angel graduated from the National Sports Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1966 with a major in Scientific Basis of Sports Training. He earned his Ph.D. in 1972 with a dissertation on the topic of "Pre-competitive Warm-up for Elite Athletes".
His second dissertation for D.Sc. (Doctor of Science) was presented in 1981 on the topic of "Some Physiological Evaluations of the Periodization, Volume and Intensity of World Class Athletes". He would be further recognized as Honor Coach of the People's Republic of Bulgaria -- a title bestowed upon him from the Bulgarian Parliament and Bulgarian Union for Physical Culture and Sport.
Angel spent 25 years as Professor of Strength & Conditioning at the National Sports Academy in Sofia before moving to the United States in 1990. He originally came to the States to serve as a consultant for the University of Texas football program. But his efforts with the Longhorns led directly to his hiring as UT's Head Women's Strength & Conditioning Coach, where his focus was the design and implementation of a conditioning program specific to the physiological abilities of female student-athletes.
Well versed in the intricacies of several sports, Angel's true love is soccer. He played eight years for various professional teams in the top divisions of his native Bulgaria and one year in Poland before retiring at the age of 25. He then consulted with the Bulgarian Soccer Federation and the Bulgarian Sports Union for the 1966 World Cup in England, and then for the Mexico Olympic Games in 1968 where Bulgaria claimed the Silver medal. His extensive knowledge of the sport is reflected in the fact that he has served as a conditioning expert for five World Cups, most recently assisting Portugal at the 2002 World Cup.
Past Clients
James Patton, Chris Samuels, Blake Brockmeyer, Winfred Tubbs, Jerry Gray, Keith Cash, Kerry Cash, Oscar Giles, Will Fere, Aaron Humphries, Kevin Walter, Phil Brown, Reggie Brown, Ray Mickens, Detron Smith, LaCurtis Jones, Marcus Coleman, Hayward Clay, Frank Beety, Hristo Stoitchkov, Bulgaria; Krassimir Balakov, Bulgaria; G. Asparuhov; P. Zjekov, Best striker in Europe in 1969; P. Rossi, Best Striker for the World Cup 1982; D. Tarantiny,1978 World Champion, Argentina; M. Kempes,1978 World Champion, Argentina; P. Denev; V. Arssov; A.Kolev; T. Capasso, Canada; Kate Sobrero, USA Women's Soccer Team-World Cup 1999, Sandra Farmer-Patrick (400m Hurdles), 1992 Olympic Silver Medal, World-Record Holder; Nikki Stoikovich (Diving), National Collegiate Champion of Austria, European Cup Winner, 7th place 1988 Olympics; Kerri Hanebrink (Weightlifting), 1993 and 1995 National Champion, World Team Member; Ursula Garza (Weightlifting), 1992 National Champion, World Team Member; Eileen Vanisi (Shot Put), NCAA Champion; Susan Gilchrist (Tennis), 1991 World University Games Gold Medal, 1993 NCAA Champion; Lorri LaRow (Javelin), Canadian National Champion; Karen Nelson (100m Hurdles), Canadian National Champion, NCAA Champion; Tigana Payne (Cycling), National Champion of New Zealand, 1992 Olympic Team