Speede Fitness, a Chicago-area strength training startup that is launching a fitness machine in summer 2022, announced that UFC fighter Michael Chandler has become the company’s chief athletic officer.
In this new role, Chandler will lead the company’s recruitment of professional athletes and advise on workout programming.
Chandler has trained on Speede, spoken at the company’s Super Bowl event in L.A., and serves on the advisory board
“At Speede, our athlete partners are not just exceptional competitors, but exceptional human beings,” said Dan Mooney, co-founder of Speede. “Michael Chandler is a prime example of that, and we’ve been blown away by his support and enthusiasm for Speede. It’s only natural that he’s taking on an expanded role in our company as Chief Athletic Officer.”
Chandler first became involved with Speede Fitness in July 2021. The announcement comes just days after Chandler’s knockout of Tony Ferguson at UFC 274.
“From the very first time I trained on Speede, it made a believer out of me,” said Chandler. “It caught me off-guard with how challenging it was and how effective it was. To be able to get such extreme muscle fatigue with so few reps—this is going to be a game-changer for athletes and for anyone who wants to get stronger faster.”
The company’s machine, the Speede Challenger, combines isotonic, isokinetic, and max eccentric training for an intense, efficient workout that leads to faster strength gains. Other high-profile athletes are equity holders in the company including Justin Fields, Cole Kmet and Jaylon Johnson from the Chicago Bears, Justin Simmons from the Denver Broncos, Marquez Valdes-Scantling from the Kansas City Chiefs, and Mason Plumlee from the Charlotte Hornets.
Chandler becomes Speede’s Chief Athletic Officer as Speede begins a new fundraising round and prepares to introduce its Gamma prototype at the IHRSA fitness convention in Miami in late June.
“Our Speede Movement is growing exponentially and we have more momentum than ever,” said Greg Tepas, co-founder of Speede. “With Michael Chandler as our Chief Athletic Officer, we’ll continue to build our relationships with athletes, professional teams, and fitness experts. We look forward to unveiling our machine’s full capabilities at IHRSA and sharing the power of our eccentric and isokinetic training with more people.”
