Johnnie,

Long time follower, first time questioner, since the old CFFB days where dick punches were the norm and butt hurt was with dealt swiftly and effectively. Those original DWODs left us physically and emotionally scarred.

I’ve been following Field Strong since its inception. I’m tempted to hit Jacked Street, but the gains are constant on Field Strong. So if it ain’t broke, why fix it.

Without sounding like too much of a fan boy, I believe in everything you guys are doing at Power Athlete. It’s changed the way I train. It’s changed the way I view the world. It’s changed the way I’ve raised my kids.

I’m dying to know what the deal is with the Power Athlete Methodology online course. Is this for athletes? Coaches? Guys like me? What are we going to learn?

Honestly, you haven’t steered me wrong yet, and I want in. But is it for me?

Will

Will ~ thanks for sending this over. Your curiosity is warranted as we have been working on something big…years in the making. As you might know, at the end of each year I do my best to sit back and reflect – where have we been, where are we going and what did I learn and accomplish. This bit of reflection helps shape the future and hopefully helps me to avoid the pitfalls of the past.

Since the inception of CrossFit Football and TTMJ, I have had one constant in my reflection – how can I effectively educate, inspire and teach those around me to be better versions of themselves. How can I bring the brand of training and mindset I have cultivated over a lifetime to those in my sphere of influence. For years, I thought this was through the CFFB programming and seminar series – while effective, it wasn’t enough.

My next inroad came with the launch of Power Athlete as a educational resource. From this grew bad ass programming for the masses and delivery of virtual training programs and coaching better than anything on the interwebz.

But each year with reflection, I know I needed to make a bigger ripple. This year being no different and in an attempt to create the environment I wanted, we took a gamble and moved the company to Austin, TX. The goal was to create a work/life environment that embodied the Power Athlete spirit with great BBQ, trucks, and cold beer.

To give this some more context, back in 2012 I wrote an article outlining how to join my illustrious seminar staff – internally it was known as the “ Space Monkey Program”. At that time I needed coaches that could engage and influence at seminars. 

At the time my team consisted of a core crew of people traveling the world teaching the CrossFit Football course. Five years later and only a select few have made it through the process. Not the process I had envisioned in 2012. 

Fast forward to present day with 2017 being the year of change, CrossFit Football evolved into CrossFit Specialty Course: Sports Specific Application with a much-needed makeover.

With this makeover, came the hard decision to end the CrossFit Football programming. From jump street, the CFFB programming was a performance-based approach to training based on my version of CrossFit. Personally, I thought it was an excellent program but lacked some pieces I felt were integral to athletic development. It was simply a translation of the Power Athlete Methodology into the language of CrossFit.

When I undertook the task of launching more in-depth programs like Field Strong, Jacked Street and Bedrock, CrossFit Football didn’t compare. I felt I was doing a disservice to those following CFFB by not putting my best foot forward. Bedrock and Field Strong were clearly better options.

To be honest, I loved the programming. And I still love the programming. It is where I started back in March 2009 trying to exercise change on my sphere of influence. 

To stay authentic to the original mission, I  ditched the facade of performance and went back to the heavy hitting, dirty workouts that CFFB spawned from.

Enter Johnnie WOD.

This change was indicative of the explosion of the Power Athlete network. 

In the background for the last few years, I have been working to develop new training technologies; one of them is a comprehensive system that delivers programming and information to thousands of smartphones daily. The ripple effect comes in the form of 200 plus episodes of the Premiere Podcast in Strength and Conditioning, Power Athlete Radio. We are shipping 10,000s of shirts globally, doing our damnedest to mark the globe with the PA skull. We are heading into our fourth year of the annual Power Athlete Symposium; the goal is to connect participants, coaches and athletes from around with the most influential people in the our Rolodex. We have a dedicated Nutrition team who is helping people shred, bulk, and achieve pinnacle performance in the healthiest way possible.

Everything that we do is original; often imitated but never replicated. This has never changed. 

Seeing the shortcomings of the Space Monkey program, we have worked for the past 18 months to create a bigger splash. This tsunami comes in the form of a curriculum to educate coaches and athletes in the Power Athlete Method.

In preparation, we ran a beta test with 10 participants. They barely survived the experience. Seriously.

With this beta test as a guide, we went back to the drawing board and put together a series of courses that will reshape the way coaches and athletes approach training.

Enter The Power Athlete Methodology curriculum.

This will be the core curriculum of Power Athlete Academy, which is where you will find all of our new courses, events and continuing education units. Head to The Academy now, enroll, and sign up for updates.

So who is this course for? Coaches? Athletes? Parents? Kids?

The answer is simply, yes.

The Power Athlete Methodology curriculum will pull back the curtain and provide participants the tools to unlock the athletic potential of athletes, clients, and themselves. You will see comprehensive training program for more than just movements, sets and reps.

I view this as a movement; a tool that must be used correctly for it to be effective.

For the guy that just follows the program, values the information, and wants to learn, this course is for you too.

I’ve connected with plenty of parents and coaches like you, Will. They are in the gym every day, digging through our forums and blog posts all in an attempt to be a positive role model for their child and the young athletes that surround them. They want to be sure that when the time comes that their kid wants to put a heavy barbell on their back they can guide them.

This is my vehicle to creating an army of Power Athletes for decades to come. I want these future leaders to be steeped in solid strength and performance practices. When creating this course, we wanted to draw the conclusions for the participants, future coaches and athletes to leave nothing to chance.

For the person who is following one of my Power Athlete programs, this course will help you take your training to the next level. Dozens of Field Strong, Jacked Street, Johnnie WOD and Bedrock followers have made their way to Power Athlete HQ or the Sport Specific Application seminar to get some hands on coaching. Not one has walked away without their mind blown and feeling like they drank from a fire hose.

This curriculum will provide you with a new level of understanding on how to follow not just our programming, but understand any program you encounter.

Once this course launches in the coming weeks, what I find most exciting is not what it will provide for you and the rest of Power Athlete Nation, but what it provides us.

We have a banner to hang; a flag to fly high.

We are on the cusp of launching the formal process to join Power Athlete as a certified coach or gym. This is an expansion of the Space Monkey program we have been developing since the early days. The journey may be perilous and filled with sacrifice and hardship but more than worth the challenge.

For the coach or gym that wants to fly the Power Athlete flag your journey starts with successfully passing Level One of the Power Athlete Methodology course. This is the sole requirement for eligibility to apply. The process will involve a written application to qualify for an in person review at Power Athlete HQ in Austin, TX.

I want this review to be unlike anything out there.

Applicants will arrive Friday at PAHQ for a meet and greet. The next day will involve training sessions followed by learning sessions with the crew. We will finish the day with some team building events and a BBQ.

Sunday will be the formal review process where I will assess your ability to demo movements, coach movements, and speak intelligently about the Power Athlete Methodology.

Then we set you free.

Some will be awarded with a life altering experience, a loyal network of peers, and guidance on areas for improvement.

Others will walk away with a physical, handmade block to carry home. I envision spending a day in my shop personally fabricating these for the upcoming applicants.

Ownership of this block deems you a Level One Power Athlete Coach.

While it might seem overwhelming, it is anything but.

Power Athlete Nation is simply not a group of coaches. We are a team, a family, a band of brothers and sisters who share one common goal. We want to empower performance of every soul who is willing to work hard.

I want to thank the many years’ worth of faithful followers of CFFB and supporters of Power Athlete. The thousands of seminar attendees and the original ten shattered souls who helped mold and shape the Power Athlete method. And Luke, Tex and Harry for helping to create and focus the vision of Power Athlete.

Now it is guys like you, Will, who can be the future of Power Athlete.

Enroll in Level One of the Power Athlete Methodology course here.