An interview with Yancy Culp, Spartan DEKA Co-Creator & Senior Director

Thank you for joining us today, Yancy. For those unfamiliar, can you tell us what DEKA is and what inspired you to create it? And how is it connected, yet different from Spartan Races?

First off, shout out to our small team scattered around the world for their relentless passion for making it all happen, and shout out to the owner/founder of Spartan, Joe De Sena, for saying yes and allowing us to start up and grow the brand DEKA during a time when the entire world was under a pandemic lockdown. Joe always believed in us and let us keep the lights on during a very challenging time.  

DEKA was created to provide a globally recognized sport for ALL levels, to allow gyms, clubs, studios, boxes, campus rec centers, military bases, and other organizations to celebrate the power of fitness. Research shows that a large percentage of the population has never had a gym membership, are overweight and unfit, and are not on a good fitness journey. DEKA was created for this group to provide an opportunity to test your fitness, train with great purpose in between your events, re-test, and see the fruits of your labor pay off. At DEKA, we believe in the power of taking care of what I call “your beautiful machine” – your body!  Your body is what allows you to enjoy this beautiful rock of ours, which we call planet Earth. To be able to say yes to active vacations with your kids and eventually your grandkids, do the type of work you want to do, and protect yourself if needed. At DEKA, we believe that everyone is an athlete, and we should all be training for the sport of LIFE!  Most DEKA events/fitness tests take place inside our affiliate locations (gyms, clubs, etc) and are 100% designed for 99%+ of the population. DEKA meets you where you are right now and provides a low injury of risk opportunity to test your fitness. Zero training is required to step up and conquer your first DEKA event. When we can get someone to a finish line, the research shows that that person is more likely to keep fitness in their life long term.  

*At Spartan DEKA, we are in the business of dealing with the world’s most powerful drug: fitness. We’ve seen it all change and even save lives, and that’s why we love what we do so much.

You mention that DEKA is for all fitness levels. How do you ensure it’s inclusive yet challenging? 

The 10 DEKA Zones were designed to require basic movement, with zero training required to conquer the zones. DEKA requires basic, lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, kneeling, and standing back up, getting over a basic obstacle. Zones include getting down on the ground and standing back up, and three basic forms of transportation that have been around for hundreds/thousands of years – rowing, skiing, and biking. Some DEKA events require walking or running, depending on your fitness level. Training for DEKA is training for the sport of LIFE.

When crafting the DEKA events, how did your background in medicine ball training and knowledge of the 10 physical skills, developed by our mentors Jim Cawley and Bruce Evans, shape the way you selected each station?

I was very blessed to have Jim Cawley as a track & field and fitness coach for many years. Jim played a key role in my development as a fitness coach, fitness business owner, and innovator in the world of hybrid fitness. It was only natural that one of my favorite medicine ball moves be incorporated into our 10 DEKA Zones – Zone 4: Med Ball Sit-Up Throw and Med Ball Sit-Up. DEKA Zone 4 required core and arm strength, and the simple training basics of getting the body down on the ground and being able to get back up. You should see our 70+ crowd training and improving in zones like this. It’s a game-changer.  

As you and your team carefully selected each fitness station, how did you land on Zone 8, becoming (D-Ball) DEAD BALL WALL OVERS, and what are its benefits for athletes? Does this exercise differ depending on the type of event or location? 

Training to pick a weight off the ground is functional fitness 101. The Zone 8 Dead Ball Yoke/Wall over and Dead Ball Shoulder Over requires mobility, balance, coordination, and full-body functional strength

D-BALL is the original Dead Ball, used by athletes globally for almost 40 years. What do you like about the D-Ball brand, and how does this new partnership benefit DEKA and its athletes? 

DEKA Zone 8 is a crucial zone for us. Zone 8 requires full-body strength, and the D-Ball is the industry standard to achieve that. The durability is second to none, and the team at D-Ball believes in old-school customer service. Every customer matters. Where a D-Ball is going, and what it’s used for, matters. I’d argue that the dead ball is one of the most legendary fitness tools the fitness world has ever had access to, and D-Ball is the industry standard.  

What role do gyms play in DEKA, and how can they get involved? 

The DEKA Affiliate program allows gyms all over the world to host Spartan DEKA events inside and outside of their gym. A DEKA Affiliate gym owner owns the rights to the DEKA brand in their community. Our DEKA Affiliate locations have hosted over 4,000 revenue-generating events since our launch in 2020. We are in approximately 12 countries, and growing. We set up the event registration, online check-in while gamifying everything with a leaderboard. We then send t-shirts and medals to the gym for their finishers. Most of our affiliates host 3-4+ events at their gym/location every year and provide an epic opportunity for the affiliate owner to celebrate fitness with their community. DEKA has paid out millions in event revenue shares to its affiliates. For competitive types, every DEKA Affiliate event is a DEKA World Championships qualifying event. The World Championships take place each year in December. This year, the 4th annual championships will be held in Ft Lauderdale.

NOTES: For DEKA STRONG & DEKA MILE, this movement is 20 Dead Ball ‘Shoulder Overs’

Learn more about DEKA and sign up for a race here: https://www.spartan.com/en/deka