Field Strong

If you play any power sport (volleyball for me) which requires repetitive zero-to-redline over an extended period of time, this bud's for you. As everyone else gets older, they slow down. As I get older, I'm improving, 99% of which I credit to implementing Power Athlete methodology to both training and nutrition (the remaining 1% being my good looks).

Few things that will expedite success:

1. Do everything as John says, verbatim. If John says move the bar fast, launch it towards Knowhere (Guardians Of The Galaxy - Google that). If John says push for reps, grab 'em like klepto. If John says, focus on form, make it a beauty pageant.

2. Do not freak out about leaderboards and numbers. I've actually found an inverse relationship between my leaderboard and Game Day performances. If I'm killing it in the weight room, you can be sure I'm bombing Game Day. This doesn't mean I don't push myself during training, and hit a PR or three as appropriate. It simply means smashing RM's and beating folks at exercising is not a priority.

3. Focus on the ultimate goal of FS: to protect, maintain, and return to a strong athletic position. The movements are supposed to challenge that goal. Thus, do everything correctly. Slopping through movements for the sake of a good time (or RM) only hurts you in the long run.

4. There's a lot of work, so don't dick around. If you move with urgency, you can get through everything in 1.5-2 hours.

These are all things that I learned the hard way, despite being told everything up front. My errors = your gain.

I pay for the essentials membership ($20 a month), and the programming includes the following components on a near-daily basis – Warm-up, Iso-Stability, Intensity Sprints, Strength training, Mobility, Plyometrics, Conditioning, trunk work, Skill work, Movement prep, etc etc – You don’t do those every single day, but each day includes a selection of those, and it takes 1-2 hours of work.
The goal of cycle 1 is to find a baseline – and is extremely good at doing that, and start a linear progression. Here’s what you can expect – Squatting on Mondays, as well as a form of pressing (bench or strict). Deadlifting on Tuesdays, as well as some vertical pulling, Wednesdays are programmed towards active rest and mobility. Thursdays – more squatting. Friday is #JACKDSTREET, prepare to do bicep curls, prepare for your shirts to not fit as well anymore, it’s a huge bummer. Saturday is multiple options, skill work or focus on whatever your personal goal. Sunday is a full blown rest day (*NOTE – this is what the week looks like for Power Athlete 1, there is ALSO a Power Athlete 2, which is for more advanced athletes – similar to the collegiate/professional section in CFFB). What you also get is thoughts from John Welbourn, you look at crossfit football and it’s do X and do Y – you look at field strong and it’s do a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,…….x,y,z and here’s why for each section. Far more than you get from the CF Football programming. I’ve been following for almost 10 weeks, and I’ve successfully put 10# on my 3×5 back squat each week (for 10 weeks now, yeah, 100# from week one), now this is with the help of better form, and focusing more on speed, but more than anything else. If you have the chance to try it out for 1 month,

I love the Field Strong programming, and recommend it to everyone I know who's into functional fitness. I have to add in a little bit of running because of my PT tests for work, but this program is driving my strength and size up towards the highest levels they were ever at. Unlike other times  I've been at my biggest and strongest, my endurance and general athleticism are actually improving instead of suffering because of the added size. As an aging tactical athlete, I can also say that the stability and mobility work is definitely easing some long-felt aches and pains. I think if I stick with FS, I should be performing at a high level in my job far beyond the age at when most people in my line of work are considered "old and broken." Thanks to all of you at PAHQ for my favorite S&C training methodology.

I had been doing CrossFit for a few years when at the end of 2013 I was injured with De Quervainn's and was out for the season. Knowing that I had weaknesses that needed to be addressed (scapulas, hamstrings, speed) and that going back to CrossFit wouldn't help my overuse injury, I started doing Field Strong.

The program is the most well thought out program I have experienced. Every training session you do, you know you are working through one piece of a puzzle. I love that every cycle has a purpose and regardless of the cycle, you can always trust that there is a warm-up that focuses on quality movement.

I have definitely improved on my weaknesses and my scapulas are in the best shape ever! My pull has improved and I can actually feel that I'm using the right parts of my body to perform a pull-up or strict muscle up. My posterior chain is stronger than ever. To top it all off, I have not encountered any other injuries since starting Field Strong and I do believe this is due to way the program has been put together.

I have now started weightlifting however I still use the program's warm-ups, iso-stability and extra credit every single day. By doing FS, I have realised that all of this is just as important as the primary focus of the session and I know this makes a difference to my training.

I Just wanted to write and let you all know that your programming on both CFB and FS are phenomenal. I’ve been an avid follower of both for a few years now and its the best training program I’ve seen. I’ve seen big strength and athletic ability changes. I’d been on and off with FS the past 6-7 months due to deployment and me being a grunt (USMC) doesn’t always allow for a gym to be present. Over my 5 years in the Corps, the programming has greatly helped my overall ability to do my job. Hills, mountains, heavy weight, and moving quickly when needed have much improved due to the programs. It has also prepped my body for the hard schools attended. All the extra blogs and videos have been a great help.

I am trying to write a review without it degenerating into a blubbering 12 year old girl fan letter. But I am struggling. Disgraceful behaviour.

In summary, since following Field Strong…I am an older dude who squats in vans (the expensive Nike Oly shoes are gathering dust) at heavier loads than the kids in the gym. Body feels like it is…let’s say spritely 30 again instead of a well used and abused 43. I am stronger and more mobile than at any point in my life. It isn't like I have just discovered lifting or training either, as I have competed in representative Rugby, Australian Rules Football, athletics and power lifting.

Now my chosen power sport is outrigger canoeing. Particularly the sprints. Recently, in our preparation for the 2016 World Sprint Championships, we raced in the 2015 Nationals as a Master's Mens crew (40+). But our sadist coach also had us race Open Mens, Mixed Open and Mixed Masters for 500m and 1000m distances. It was a torturous workload, with heats, semis and finals. All do at 100% effort.

But due to the ground work put in during the FS cycles my body not only held up to the challenge, it thrived. I had power to spare and and ability to recover quickly and be ready for heat after heat of racing. My crew definitely noticed. So much so, they have bought in. These guys have 20 years experience in paddling on me, but I was the guy who looked more powerful and as fresh as a daisy.

So with a year to go to World Champ Qualifiers, our crew will be hitting up Power Athlete/Field Strong. We did well this year and would have qualified of the Worlds (4th and 5th with top 6 qualifying),

I transitioned to Field Strong after 2 years of a gen pop CrossFit box programming that focused on mobility and trying to be decent at everything. After 30+ weeks on Field Strong, my overall stability has dramatically improved to help me surpass all previous strength hurdles. The programing is designed to appropriately prep you for your training day, find your limiting factors, and constantly drive improvements. My lifts, jumps, and sprints are significantly more powerful and under control than ever before. The immense amount of knowledge passed down to the athlete in the forums and training articles is equally as important as the program itself. The staff is always available for feedback. This is the best strength and conditioning program available today for any athlete. Period.

As a former Soldier athlete that competed on the national and international level, Field Strong is the most comprehensive strength and conditioning program that I have ever found! Wish I had this when I was still competing. As a 43 year old male I am still setting PR,s in both the slow and quick lifts. The PAHQ crew are the real deal.

As a follower of CFFB for 2 years it only made sense to make the transition to Field Strong and I was not, and have not been disappointed.

Before CFFB and Power Athlete I had absolutely no idea what I was doing in the gym and it showed - I was weak both mentally and physically. I had no purpose in my training and no knowledge on how to eat, train and recover properly.

Power Athlete has changed all of that for me.

I have gone from 6'0", 150lbs to 190lbs. I have added hundreds of pounds to my major lifts - literally - with the best result being in my back squat 1RM (295# to 435#).

More than just the numbers - the confidence and knowledge I have gained through following this programming has translated into other parts of my personal and professional life. I am bigger, stronger, faster and more powerful than ever. I now wake up in the morning with a sense of purpose and strive to be better each and every day. Joining Power Athlete has quite literally been one of the best decisions I have ever made and I cannot thank John and the rest of the Power Athlete crew enough.

-Gunsmoke

This program gives me everything. Strength, power, speed, size, all of it. I look forward to every work out and am always making progress.

Been on Field Strong since day 1, and I can't say enough good things about it. Been on the CF scene since 2007; tooled around on CFFB, starting strength, and 5/3/1 for awhile but always had a problem trying to find a good balance between strength work and conditioning. Field Strong is the perfect blend; you can tell John and the crew really put some blood, sweat, and tears into the program. From the targeted warm ups and iso stability work, to the clear and direct instructions John gives for each exercise, this program is hands down the best one I've been on.

I'm active duty military so strength and aerobic capacity are extremely important to me; I've seen both go up thanks to this program. My Ultimate Frisbee game has also gotten leaps and bounds better, and I guarantee it's due to the work in this program.

Also, it has curls. Boom.

I started in July after following CFFB for 3 years. I have loved the workouts ever since. It's good knowing what type of warmup to use, and what type of ISO-stability work as well. I just enjoy everything about field strong.

Field Strong (Power Athlete) is, in my opinion, the best program for athletic training available. My background is competitive exercise (i.e. CrossFit) and GRID and Oly weightlifting at the Masters/40+ age bracket. I fooled around with other programs, but quite frankly only the programs and various Field Strong cycles have kept me strong, powerful, and fast. The program is scientifically informed, well-tested, and delivers. Plain and simple. (although nothing about FieldStrong is Simple, that's for sure). If you want to be powerful, explosive and live the "hard, heavy, and fast!" life - there is no other program than Field Strong!

Like others, I have been following Field Strong since Day 1, having spent some time, off and on, following CrossFit Football. I have a long list of positive things to say about FS, but in short, I am a better athlete because of it. I am going on 40, and I am as strong as I have been since college; I can jump again; I can sprint again; and I am having a lot of fun. The warmups, iso-stability and the plyos are absolute gold, as are the forums that are stacked with invaluable information for folks dedicated to their training.

Thanks to John and the PAHQ staff for all the hard work they put into this site and the programming.

I've been following Field Strong since the day it started. I'm a 36 year old father, training only for the love of the program and to improve myself. I set new PRs on all of my major lifts each month. The program just works. Each cycle focuses on improving the athlete's strength, conditioning, and ability to move through space while controlling the body.

In the past 10 months I have seen: my back squat increase by 50#, my bench press increase by 30#, my strict press increase by 15#, my deadlift increase by 35# and my power snatch increase by 15#. I'm sprinting faster than I have at any point in the past 20 years. Again, Field Strong programming just works.

Let me preface all of this with a little background on my athletic experience. I grew up loving the pool. I loved to swim and would jump in any chance I had. I swam for 5 years competitively, being on the varsity squad for 3 and lettering all 3 years. However, my high school swim coach wasn’t a huge fan of the weight room. He believed in order to get better, you had to spend 99.9% of your time in the pool (even the majority of our off season was spent in the pool). Thus, I had little weight room experience. What experience I did have came from machines – not barbells. I literally had never touched a barbell until I started CrossFit. I was 23 years old.

Enter CrossFit Football. My biggest goal when I first started CrossFit 4 years ago was strength. Knowing this, I was put on the amateur progression right away (thanks, Carl!) and followed it for a little over a year. I started my 3x5s with a barbell for pretty much everything except deadlifts. I remember my numbers from my very first CrossFit Football total: 100# power clean (that was a fight, too!), 165# squat, 105# bench, and 250# deadlift. Not awful for a newbie, but not where I wanted to be. After a little over a year on the amateur progression, I switched over to collegiate and followed that for roughly 2 years before Field Strong was launched.

Enter Field Strong. I love the variety of cycles we’ve been put through so far, and my numbers have gone up tremendously because of it. I’m now up to a 160# power clean, 240# squat, 145# bench, and 360# deadlift. For you numbers people, that’s an increase in my power clean by an average of 15#/year,

I believe that education is the key to personal growth both mentally and physically; the stand alone variable that will be directly linked to ones quality of life. The best way to experience this is through a well designed and tested S&C program that can push growth physiologically. I have found Field Strong training to be the best practice of that ideal to date.
I have experienced John's programming since August 2011 when I first began following CrossFit Football as a 185# weakling who began a journey of 3x5 Back Squats at 205#, Deadlifted #400, power cleaned 170#, and benched 205#. Two years later I weighed 205#, had a 395# BS, a 505# DL, a 235# Power Clean, and a 245# BP.
It took some time, but I realized along the way I had sacrificed movement quality for weight, as I injured my back DL'ing, tweaked my RT shoulder Pressing, and decided that it was time I started over, this time for quality before anything else. I switched to a high bar BS, and after the back injury deadlifting, rehabbed, and then relearned how to DL the right way. About the time I was done relearning movements, I saw Field Strong become available. I went all in since day one and would encourage anyone interested to do the same. The main benefit, besides programming and video tutorials, is having direct access to John, which is the equivalent of having a Google of S&C knowledge at your fingertips every day. I don't use it as much as I should, but the amount of content I can read through in the forums is huge. I find myself in there learning a ton reading at night.
Since Day 1 movement quality has been at the forefront. Warmups are linked fluidly with training.

I have been doing FS since it started. I’ve been doing it about 80% of the time since I have some other things I need to focus on sometimes for work. I work in Law Enforcement and have to work out with my team (which consists mainly of long distance runners) a few times a month. I recently upgraded to Professional and I’m loving it.
I have to say this program has been amazing for me. I work out at home and being able to have a program to follow and research the forums for info has greatly helped me to succeed, as well as motivate the heck out of me. I have made some huge gains in strength, speed, and power. My team has noticed this as well. I’m stonger and bigger, but lighter on my feet. Breaching doors is easier, dynamic weapons drills are quicker, and I hit harder. My PR’s have increased on all my lifts and I feel GREAT!

I want to say thank you to John for the great program. Also Cali and Luke thank you for letting me come to HQ for WADE and for the awesome knowledge bombs at the Nor-Cal Cert. I’m trying to get as many people to jump on the FS plan as I can. My team has even started to let me plan our workout’s every other month because they can see that it works. Thanks again.