Seizing The Years with Dave Slagle
Dave Slagle remembers the exact moment music rewired his brain.
It was the fall of 1979, his first semester at a Northern California boarding school, a time before Wi-Fi, Spotify, or even a decent FM playlist. “There was no internet,” he says, “and on the radio, you weren’t getting full songs. Just little clips.” The most eclectic programming he could find at home came from Dr. Demento’s syndicated comedy-music show.
Then one day, in the common room, a classmate dropped a cassette into a boom box. A home recording of a 33 RPM vinyl. The first chords of the Ramones’ Blitzkrieg Bop ripped through the speakers.
“It was like a buzzsaw. Motivating. You just wanted to jump around,” he says, still grinning at the memory. Within weeks, another cassette made its rounds. This time, Rapper’s Delight by the Sugarhill Gang, and this was Dave’s first taste of rap music. “I was getting exposure to stuff you couldn’t find on suburban AM/FM. The punk drew me in instantly. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew there were other people out there who felt this.”
That winter, on TV news, he caught a clip of the Sex Pistols’ infamous final show at San Francisco’s Winterland. The chaos, the speed, the sense of something breaking open… and it all stuck. Soon, he was hunting down British imports like Generation X and catching every Ramones gig he could. By high school, he’d seen them three times, always from the pit, pogoing until his legs burned. (This conversation ‘about creatine’ definitely started in a unique way!)
But music wasn’t his only outlet. At that same boarding school, Slagle discovered something else that would stick with him for life. Training. Miserable and homesick, he found that the one thing he could control was his physical performance.
“No one could beat me in a race. Push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups… I wasn’t letting it happen.”
The school introduced Olympic lifts using broomsticks, teaching perfect form before he ever touched real iron. By 13, he’d saved up from working in his dad’s construction business to buy a plastic-coated Sears weight set for his garage. That was more than 45 years ago. He hasn’t stopped since. “If I miss more than a week, something’s wrong,” he says. “It’s just part of my life.”
“I was influenced by early bodybuilders,” he admits with a smile, “there was just something about their muscles. I wanted to have those muscles.”
He recalls the spring-loaded exercise gadgets made famous by Dave Draper, Lou Ferrigno on TV, and of course, the cinematic revelation of Arnold Schwarzenegger as Conan the Barbarian.
Needless to say, when creatine made its way over to the USA in the early '90s, Dave was right in the middle of the community that was quick to receive it. In those years, he told me creatine carried an almost illicit thrill. Back then, it wasn’t the mainstream supplement it is today and actually, among athletes, it was whispered about like a secret performance enhancer, sometimes even compared to steroids. Outside that tight circle, few people knew about it, and misconceptions ran wild. Dave recalls navigating a mix of curiosity, caution, and skepticism, experimenting with dosing while others questioned whether it was safe or even real.
Despite the secrecy, Dave quickly saw creatine’s potential. Creatine monohydrate supported strength and recovery in ways other supplements couldn’t, offering clear, measurable results amid the confusion. Friends and peers often reacted with incredulity, but Dave became an early advocate, committed to understanding it fully. Those early, almost underground experiences shaped his own fitness journey and laid the groundwork for his mission to demystify creatine for a wider audience.
Jumping back a bit to before bodybuilding, he was a BMX kid tearing up his California neighborhood on a Schwinn Stingray. Specifically, his sister’s grape-colored model, borrowed without permission. “I had to climb up on a bench to get on it,” he laughs. “I could barely reach the pedals, rode it across the yard, hit the garbage can, and fell over.” But that taste of freedom sealed the deal.
From BMX, it was motocross. Then came high school sports, cars, and eventually, a hiatus from cycling… all until a serious back injury in his forties sent him looking for lower-impact ways to train. That’s when he revisited the bike.
Inspiration came from unexpected places, including legendary bodybuilder Tom Platz, famous for his colossal legs. Platz would follow heavy lifting sessions with rides through the Santa Monica Mountains on a ten-speed.
“People think cycling is only for the lean guys,” Slagle says. “But it can build your legs, too.”
He didn’t just dabble; he literally went all in. From Southern California criteriums to the grueling Belgian Waffle Ride (140 miles, half on gravel), from Maui’s Cycle to the Sun (36 miles straight up to 10,036 feet) to the Tour de Tucson, Slagle has pushed his limits in every possible way. “These rides teach you about yourself,” he says. “How deep can you dig?”
It’s a mindset that carries over into business. “In endurance sport, you learn how to pivot when things go wrong,” he explains. “In business, it’s the same, right? Sometimes you’re switching tires, sometimes you’re grinding through the tough miles, but you keep moving forward.”
For all his athletic versatility, Slagle’s professional journey has kept him firmly rooted in the nutrition industry. And there’s one misconception he’s eager to clear up:
“People think the supplement industry isn’t regulated. That’s the easiest myth to bust; it’s actually highly regulated, in many cases more than pharmaceuticals.”
He points to his time with Robinson Pharma, a contract manufacturer licensed to produce pharmaceuticals but dedicated to supplements. “They hold themselves to a higher standard,” Slagle says. “Yes, they’re more expensive. But they’re also the best soft gel manufacturer in the U.S., hands down.”
The problem, he notes, is that consumers rarely see behind the curtain. While reputable companies like Thorne and NOW Foods maintain rigorous quality control, online marketplaces (we’re looking at you, Amazon!) can muddy the waters.
“Amazon is still the wild, wild west,” he says. “Rachael, you and I could make something in my kitchen, slap a label on it, and list it. Some sellers even used to register products as books to bypass supplement regulations.”
By contrast, he praises retailers like iHerb for their strict brand vetting. “They’re setting the standard for online supplement sales. Amazon isn’t going to change (it’s too money-driven), but there are places doing it right.”
For Slagle, the takeaway is simple: “The good actors in this industry are doing more than enough to keep products safe. Consumers just need to know where to look.”
When it comes to supplements, Dave doesn’t mince words. Asked about the popularity of different forms of creatine, he is unequivocal:
“It’s creatine monohydrate. Period. There’s no ‘what about.’”
Dave recalls being questioned about alternative forms even by longtime friends, and his response remains consistent. “I’ve known this person for over 40 years. We’ve had this back-and-forth. The answer is still monohydrate.”
From Dave’s POV, fitness is a philosophy, a training for life rather than preparation for a single event. On healthspan, he explains: “Accepting that death comes for all of us is crucial. So the question becomes: How do I want to live each moment?” He rejects terms like “biohacking” or “anti-aging,” preferring to embrace the aging process while maximizing strength (physical, emotional, and spiritual) throughout his life.
“I want to be as strong as possible down to my last breath,” he says.
Discipline, he emphasizes, is non-negotiable: “The alternative… being on cruise control… is unacceptable. I want to be in charge of my health.”
I asked him what about dealing with illness or physical limitations as we go through life. Dave had clearly thought about this theme before, telling me that even if disease strikes, one can remain strong within the parameters life allows. “Strength span,” he calls it, a commitment to live fully and powerfully in every moment.
Reflecting on his younger self, Dave offers two lessons as we started to wrap up the conversation: embrace fun and recognize your importance. “Everybody dies,” he says, “so ask yourself what you truly want to do.” For Dave, that’s inspiring others through action: fitness as ministry, cycling with Tour de France champions, or simply helping others reach their potential. He invokes the poem Find the Others: life is about connecting with like-minded people, human connection, and leaving a legacy that motivates others.
“The most important thing,” he says, “is always do your best to help people and leave something behind that inspires them.”
Thank you so much, Dave, for sharing your story with us!
If you would like to be featured or know someone who would be great to feature, please don’t hesitate to email rachael@jenerise.com 😊
We all rise together,
Rachael Jennings | Co-Founder + CBO, Jenerise
