Founder & Coach

To say that Dr. Phil Wagner has a passion for advancing the science of elite athletic performance is an understatement. Since the day he first began studying exercise physiology over a decade ago as an undergraduate at UC Davis, Dr. Wagner has been driven to discover the secrets for unlocking athletic potential, both in the gym and in the heat of competition.

Graduating with honors from Davis in 1999 and nationally certified as a strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS), he headed to Florida to train elite athletes at the International Performance Institute (now Athletes Performance, Tempe, AZ). He's since worked for several years as a strength and conditioning coach at both UC Berkley and UCLA where he's helped guide teams to national championships in volleyball, track and field, and rugby—and football, basketball, tennis and soccer to conference championships. He spent a year in the Southern Hemisphere, training the world's top rugby players in the Super 12 League of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Driven to learn even more about the human body and it's inner workings, Phil enrolled in Medical School at the University of Southern California, receiving his degree in 2006. During his studies, he worked with two of the most renowned sport science laboratories in the world; the Biokinesiology Lab at USC and the Australian Institute of Sport.

Prior to opening Sparta Performance Science in 2008, he spent two years as the Associate Director of Performance and Applied Research at the Peak Performance Project, a center in Santa Barbara, California devoted to elite athletic performance training.

Al Scates, UCLA's legendary Men's Volleyball coach and former USA National Team coach said this about him, "I cannot overstate Dr. Phil Wagner's contribution to our 2006 NCAA Championship Team. Our returning student-athletes realize that we were in much better shape than our opponents during our 14-match winning streak at the end of the season."

Coach

Jordan Troester has a long history of both training and competing as an athlete. He played a wide variety of sports growing up, and ultimately decided to pursue his dream of playing Division 1 college football at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was during his time at William and Mary that he developed a passion for training and decided to pursue a career in the strength and conditioning field.

Jordan played tight end at William and Mary for four years, and was a part of several very successful teams. Highlights include winning an A-10 Conference Championship, and advancing to the National Semi-Finals. Jordan graduated from William and Mary with a degree in Kinesiology, and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the NSCA.

From there, Jordan got his start as a performance coach at a private facility in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he worked with a wide variety of youth athletes. After several years as a coach and facility director, Jordan left Williamsburg to pursue an opportunity working with professional athletes as an intern at Athletes’ Performance in Los Angeles.

At Athletes’ Performance Jordan worked with a variety of pro athletes as well as preparing a group of college football players for the NFL Combine. One strength he developed is his knowledge and experience coaching movement skills -- helping athletes improve speed, agility and quickness by becoming more efficient with their movements. This results in performance improvements in combine style testing situations as well as on the field or court, and is a great asset to Sparta.

Coach

Phil Brady grew up with a passion for competing. After his baseball career ended in college, he directed his attention and passion toward learning how to make an athlete’s body perform most efficiently and effectively.

Leaving Texas State University with a degree in Exercise and Sports Science and designated a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the NSCA, Phil became an intern under Diane Vives who sits on the NSCA Board of Directors and the Under Armor Training Council. While interning at Vives Training Systems, he immersed himself deeper into understanding how the body functions optimally. After the internship, he accepted a full time strength coach position in Florida, with the Florida Marlins Baseball Club.

In Florida, Phil continued to refine his skills as a coach and sports scientist. He worked with many great baseball players as well as coaches. Josh Seligman, Florida Marlins Strength and Conditioning Coordinator, said: “Phil is an excellent strength coach. He was instrumental in the development and education of our players- a few of which made it to the big leagues. Phil’s passion, knowledge, and experience made him an extremely valuable asset to our organization.” Another colleague, Gary McCoy, Florida Marlins AAA and Australian National Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coach stated: “Phil’s ability to connect with those he works with makes him a star at any level. He is knowledgeable, empathic to the needs of his athletes, and his work ethic is very impressive.”

After his time coaching with the Marlins, Phil moved back home to Texas. To gain some experience with Division 1 athletes, he became a strength and conditioning intern at the University of Texas, working with Football and Volleyball. In conjunction with his internship at Texas, he worked full time at Lifetime Fitness in Austin. Former Pro Rugby Strength Coach, Edgar Curtis, directed Phil at Lifetime Fitness, and had this to say about him: “I have known Phil Brady for several years. He demonstrated a deep understanding of the physiology behind the biomechanics and energy systems used in multi-disciplinary sports. I saw him transform many bodies from weak and imbalanced to strong, aligned and efficient. His finesse and feel separate him from most other coaches.”

Coach

Scott Salwasser initially developed a love for the preparation aspect of competitive athletics during his career as a football player for the UC Davis Aggies. Upon graduating he took his 1st steps toward a career in the performance field by accepting a full-time internship on the strength and conditioning staff of the NFL’s Oakland Raiders.

After completing the internship, he enrolled in the Kinesiology Graduate Program at Sacramento State University and began work as a strength and conditioning Graduate Assistant. During this time he competed in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting where he achieved two Top 10 finishes at the American Open Weightlifting Championships, reaching personal bests of a 135kg (297lb.) Snatch and a 160kg (352lb.) Clean & Jerk.

Scott received his Masters Degree in Kinesiology, before being hired as a full time assistant strength and conditioning coach at Sacramento St. He was the top assistant to former USC Trojan strength Coach Gary Uribe for football, and was the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Men’s Basketball, Volleyball, Softball, Soccer and Gymnastics programs.

He became Director of Performance Training at Results Physical Therapy where he bridged the gap between injury rehab and sports performance, before accepting a position under former Cleveland Browns strength coach Rob Phillips at the University of Louisiana. He was the top assistant, initially to Coach Phillips and ultimately to Coach Rusty Whitt, for the football program as well as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Volleyball, and Track and Field programs.

During this time he helped the Men’s Basketball team finish the regular season with 11 consecutive victories to surge to a Sun Belt Conference Championship. University of Louisiana Head Basketball Coach Bob Marlin credits him with, “Setting the tone psychologically and emotionally, and keeping our guys strong and healthy so that we could perform our best late in the season when our opponents were all beat up and worn down.” In addition to his Basketball duties he was the right hand man to former Green Beret Rusty Whitt in implementing an aggressive and intense off-season training routine that set the foundation for the rebirth of the football program. University of Louisiana Head Football Coach Mark Hudspeth says, “Scott’s enthusiasm and intensity, along with knowledge of what it takes to perform at a high level physically and mentally, helped us revitalize the football program here at UL.”

Scott believes in not letting one day go by without getting better, and appropriately for Sparta, sums up his philosophy with a quote from a Greek soldier: “You don’t rise to the level of your expectations, you fall to the level of your training.” His goal is to help all Sparta athletes to maximize their genetic potential and to perform at the highest level by training at the highest level.

General Manager

Richard Heal joined Sparta in April 2010, with a 30 year career in the software industry. Prior to joining Sparta, Richard worked at Unison Software from 1984 through a successful IPO in 1995 and acquisition by IBM in 1997. During his time at Unison and IBM he assumed many management roles including software development, mergers and acquisitions, customer service, partner management and professional services. After leaving IBM in 2001 Richard has been involved in Angel investing, small business consulting, and running a foundation that assists local non-profit organizations. Born in Plymouth, England, he is an avid football (soccer) fan, supports Arsenal and his local team Plymouth Argyle. In his free time he enjoys playing squash, and learning the correct way to squat!

A great addition to the Sparta team, Richard brings a wealth of experience, and his areas of responsibility include financial analysis, organizational growth, marketing and technology.