Dave Ellis, RD, CSCS is the President of Sports Alliance Inc. and creator of the Fueling Tactics® system. Dave’s three step Fueling Tactics® system is simply the widest used and copied fueling system in sports and one could argue that Dave is the most prolific influencer in the world of sports nutrition! With over thirty years of work in the trenches of big time athletics, few can measure up when it comes to the variety of exposures of Dave’s career.
Dave is recognized as an innovator for his training table designs and approach to body composition and frame assessment of athletes. A dedicated educator, Dave speaks and blogs non-stop annually to help Sports RDs (registered dietitians) stay ahead of the curve on hot topics like adulteration that could result in a positive doping test for drug tested athletes. It’s why Dave’s vision for the field of Sports Dietetics is valued by Sports RDs who elected him the first President of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association. (www.sportsrd.org) and why he continues to play a strong advocacy role for the welfare of athletes that only appropriate fueling can deliver!
Some look at experienced health professionals from the field of sports with dual credentialing in nutrition and exercise as “high performance” coaches, but Dave prefers to stay focused on the massive topics that are pertinent to the applied fields of adaptation, fueling and body composition.
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Here are a few key secrets we talked about in this episode:
- Michelle introduces Dave.
- Dave shares a little bit about what he does.
- Dave’s first NO came when he was hired as a strength coach with dietician responsibilities.
- The University of Nebraska eventually created a full-time position for him, where he helped take them to three national titles.
- Dave shares the honest feedback he gave me when I presented FITzee Foods to him to use with his pro teams.
- Dave shares how a dare led to him creating The Collegiate and Professional Sports Dietitians Association (CPSDA), which will be celebrating its 10 year anniversary and has over 1,000 members.
- Dave shares what the CPSDA has been able to do for sports nutrition.
- By shining a light on the high achievers who brought on dietitians Dave has been able to encourage other sports teams to do the same.
- “I think if you know you’re doing the right thing, have a gut decision and there was an obvious need, it’s time to push through it.” ~ Dave Ellis
- Dave shares what keeps him going for 12 hour days, 6 days a week.
- In July of 2001, Dave left the security of his state job to work for the MLB. He shares the full story.
- Dave shares the pitch he uses when he goes into meetings with pro-sports teams.
- “That is what high-performance is, not making the same mistakes twice, and being collaborative on how you go about solving the problems.” ~ Dave Ellis
- Sports teams don’t always immediately understand the value that Dave brings to the team, but over time many come around to the idea.
- Dave shares what he believes is a great way to overcome customers or clients that don’t understand the value.
- When Dave follows-up, he is subtle and empathetic. He shares it all in this interview!
- Dave shares what he would tell his younger self.
Connect with Dave:
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I’ve said for many years that Dave Ellis was the best in his profession. I’ve been a colleague of Dave’s for 30 years and he is the definition of nutrition and fueling tactics for Sports RDs and athletes from high school all the way to the top of professional sports. He sets the bar very high and then helps people hit it!