Training
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Our blog is a collection of articles that make up our doctrine on everything performance.
We are not beholden to corporate sponsors, influencers, or powers that be. Our commitment is to our readers; the coaches, athletes, and enthusiasts that come to us for our honest assessments, analysis, and opinions.
Our pledge to you is that we will do the heavy lifting! We go to battle with bullshit and cut to the chase. If you’re looking for honest information, you’re in the right place.
RECOMMENDED READING
Training
How to Stay Strong When Life Gets Loud
Strength and conditioning don’t fail because athletes get lazy, they fail because systems break under pressure. In a conversation with Matt Reynolds, John Welbourn explores why strength fades during high-stress periods and reveals the year-round training principles that keep athletes, soldiers, and hard-training civilians strong, resilient, and ready when it matters most.
Ep 837 – Redefining Durability w/ Dr Ben Skutnik
Durability isn’t just toughness, it’s the often-overlooked fourth pillar of performance. Dr Ben Skutnick, Power Athlete Certified Coach and Nutrition Ninja, breaks down the outdated model most athletes follow and introduces a new framework for real-world strength, longevity, and resilience. Learn how to build a body that can handle the grind day in and day out, avoid breakdowns, and stay in the game for the long haul.
Ep 836 – The Athlete’s Guide to Diabetes w/ Andrew Koutnik
Andrew Koutnik Ph.D breaks down how diabetes affects physiology, metabolism, hormone balance, and athletic performance. We dive into the training strategies, nutrition principles, and daily habits that help athletes manage blood sugar, build strength, and stay competitive. Andrew also exposes the challenges of navigating diabetes within the medical insurance system and why understanding the science is the key to taking control of your health and performance.
Dave Tate’s Table Talk
John joins Dave Tate on his Table Talk Podcast for a deep dive into the origins of early CrossFit, the ‘Godfather’ culture that shaped it, and the real roots of sport-driven strength training. John breaks down his transition from the NFL to coaching, the evolution of performance programming, and why long-term athletic development still beats every trend in the fitness space.
Straight Talk: Johnnie WOD is Becoming Power Athlete
We’re rolling Johnnie WOD under the Power Athlete banner. Same team, same savage training, just cleaning up the name so everything lives under one roof.
Ep 832 – Robb Wolf on Nutrition, Ego & the Death of a Movement
Robb Wolf sits down with John to break down the rise and fall of CrossFit, from its explosive beginnings to the moment it lost its way. They dig into the truth about Paleo nutrition, the diet wars that followed, and how performance got buried under hype. This is an unfiltered look at what went wrong in fitness, and what it’ll take to rebuild it.
The Secret Weapon Behind 170 World Records
Most lifters chase heavier weights, but the real secret to breaking records is speed. Louie Simmons proved it with velocity-based training, a system that built 170 world records and redefined what it means to be strong. Learn how moving the bar faster can unlock the next level of your performance.
Ep 831 – The Science of Stress & Strength
Technology’s evolving faster than our bodies can keep up. John sits down with Certified Power Athlete Coaches, Dr. Ben Skutnick and Dr. Hunter Waldman, to dig into how comfort and convenience are killing performance. They break down the science of stress, why it’s essential for growth, and how nutrition and training come together in the HAMMER 90 Challenge, a 90-day mission proving what happens when discipline, data, and discomfort collide.
Ep 830 – Tanner Shuck’s Journey Through the CrossFit Machine
Tanner Shuck joins John to break down his journey from Division 1 football to competing at the CrossFit Games. He pulls back the curtain on the rise and fall of CrossFit, from the early days of raw competition to the corporate collapse that followed, and shares how life and coaching in Dubai reshaped his philosophy on strength and performance. This is a brutally honest look at what happens when fitness loses its soul and how real athletes find it again.
Lifting Aids: Tools or Crutches?
How to use belts, straps, wraps, and shoes without killing your progress. Lifting aids — belts, straps,…
