Hi, I'm Dan. I'm a doctor of physical therapy. My goal is to teach people how to help get their athletes out of pain, back to training and keep them that way for the long haul.
When I graduated physical therapy school I knew I wanted to work in fitness. Working as a personal trainer and coach previously, I practically went to physical therapy school solely so I could figure out how to work with my painful athletes better.
At the time it was very frustrating because if one of my athletes got hurt when I was training them I'd send them to a local physical therapist and or a physician. These medical professionals would promptly tell my athlete:
"of course you got hurt, you shouldn't be performing deadlifts!"
I get it, deadlifts can be tough on the lower back but it can't be that these exercises are inherently bad for you?
Are All of These Movements Really Just Plain Terrible for Your Health?!?
Needless to say my athletes were really frustrated by the doctor and physical therapist's advice. They'd often leave the doctor's office offended and left thinking, "wow, this was a major waste of time and money."
Doctors and Therapists Aren't Always Thoroughly Equipped to Deal with These Injuries
Many healthcare providers don't exercise at all, let alone work with athletes to get them back to training in the gym. Advice is often sub-par or just plain wrong.
Athletes Don't Trust Healthcare Providers
Due to a lack of understanding and knowledge of what our athletes want to get back to, athletes become weary of advice from medical professionals.
So off I went to physical therapy school to learn how to help my painful athletes and build their trust. Problem solved right? Unfortunately not...
I finished school with a lot of great knowledge but really without the specific tools to help the athletes I wanted to work with.
Sure, at this point I could easily work with folks with shoulder pain but what about someone with shoulder pain that hurts only during bench press?
No Information on Exercise Modification
Modifying exercise training programs is essential for rehab of these athletes. Most programs simply don't cover this.
No Help Creating Rehabilitation Programs
Universities are not even teaching you how to evaluate a squat, let alone how to get back to squatting after an injury...
No Help with Future Injury Prevention
Since injuries in this population are at best a small part of the curriculum of most universities, injury prevention isn't even on the radar.
Of Course Coaches are Left Confused and Frustrated After School...
Now, it doesn't feel good to get so much education and still feel like an idiot when you've got an injured athlete right in front of you to work with.
The main reason I went to school was to become a leader in my community helping athletes deal with complicated pain problems. I didn't feel that way at all. Due to a lack of specific training I was actually still left with a sense of:
Inadequacy |
Shame |
Guilt |
Incompetence |
After all, these athletes should have access to competent and effective coaches who can help them with their injuries.
I didn't feel like I left with the expertise I desired and was starting to feel like part of the problem and not part of the solution...
Over time I was finding I had a lot of success working with these injured athletes. They trusted me, went through with the plans I created for them and got back to the training they loved. It was wonderful and I now feel like I'm truly doing what I set out to do a decade ago.
At this point I felt there must be other coaches and therapists out there that are certainly going through the same struggle as I have. I began thinking to myself, "wouldn't it be great if some sort of certification program existed out there to help other therapists learn how to work with high level athletes in the strength and fitness realm?"
Hi, my name is Dan Pope,
I have a doctorate in physical therapy, am an orthopedic clinical specialist and a certified strength and conditioning specialist.
I have over 15 years of experience as a personal trainer and coach.
I've competed as a Division 1 athlete at Rutgers University as a pole-vaulter, won a state and national championship in the sport of strongman and have competed twice at the crossfit regionals.
I travel and speak internationally on the topics of rehabilitation and injury prevention.
I've worked with athletes from all levels ranging from your average Joe and Jane up to the professional, olympic and crossfit games level athlete.
I collaborate with some of the smartest therapists in the world to provide elite level care at Champion Physical Therapy and Performance in Boston MA.
This unique blend of rehabilitation, coaching and training experience gives me a special ability to help people get out of pain and back to training. It also helps that I've also had several hip injuries myself, all of which I've been able to rehabilitate through and get back to training afterwards.
Jason Leydon - Head coach Crossfit Milford
Head coach and owner of Crossfit Milford. Has coached over 30 Crossfit Games Athletes and 9 Podium Finishers
Dave Durante - Olympic Gymnast 2008
Multiple time USA gymnastics national champion. Part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Team as alternate. Co-owner Power Monkey Fitness.
Chad Vaughn - 2x Olympian Weightlifting
2x Olympian in Olympic Weightlifting. 9x American National Champion. Weightlifting coach.
Duke Van Vleet - Head Coach Crossfit Rising Wave
Head coach and owner of Crossfit Rising Wave. 2x US National Team member gymnastics. 8 years Cirque Du Soleil performer
Mike Cerbus - US National Champion Weightlifting
Medalist at 3 National Championships and 5 American Open Championships in Olympic Weightlifting. 2011 as American Open Champion. US Pan Am. & Olympic Qualification Teams in 2012
Cheryl Haworth - 3x Olympian Weightlifting
3x Olympian in Olympic Weightlifting. Olympic bronze medalist. Weightlifting coach.
A certification to finally become part of the solution for your athletes and not another part of the problem.
Course Curriculum:
Curious about what the course looks like on the inside? Here's a sneak peak...
What The Course Looks Like on the Inside...
Modifying Handstands and Push-ups for Wrist Pain
So Who is This Course For?
Medical Providers
Attention physical therapists, chiropractors and athletic trainers. The major goal of this course is to show you exactly how to work with injured athletes in the fitness world. I'll show you how to be the trusted resource in your community to help get your athletes back to the training they love.
Coaches and Trainers
Coaches and trainers receive little to no education about pain and injury and yet are forced to work with athletes with injuries and pain problems every day of the week. This course will show you how to be competent and proficient with these folks so they can continue working towards their goals and while getting better in the process.
Check Out What Others Are Saying
About the Fitness Pain Free Certification...
Jason Leydon - Head Coach and Owner at Crossfit Milford
Dan Pope is one of the best in his field. Dan is always first on my speed dial when I have any questions on movement, injury prevention, rehabilitation and education. I highly recommend this course for every coach. Getting clients to move well and being able to spot and fix issues is a game changer and in my opinion is the one main aspect that can separate the good coaches from the great coaches.
Ryan Johnson - Student Physical Therapist and Strength Coach
Trey Martin - Student Physical Therapist and Powerlifter
Lenny Macrina - Physical Therapist and Strength Coach
Becca Chilczenkowski - Head Coach Ohare Crossfit
"I've been a CrossFit coach for over 7 years now, and it is rare that I have a week of coaching without someone dealing with some type of nagging injury or pain. I always felt confident modifying, but modification is just a band-aid. This certification gave me the confidence to not only ask the right questions to find the true root of their pain, but now I feel I can truly help them fix the problem with proper mobilization and progression techniques. Dan took all of his experience and resources as a successful physical therapist and bridged the gap between physical therapy and CrossFit. He has given you this knowledge in easy to digest information and ready-to-use rehab programs written out already for you! This cert is the best thing you can do for your clients. "
Tarandeep "TJ" Jaidka - Student Physical Therapist and Powerlifter
"As a PT student, learning how to bridge the gap between rehabilitation and returning back to performance is challenging. Dan’s background in athletics, coaching, clinical reasoning regarding fitness and use of modifications has exposed me to this learning and given me a solid foundation for success in the future."
Fill your day with athletes who rave about your skills and can't wait to tell the rest of the community about how good you are.
Now is the time to become an expert working with athletes in the fitness realm. This program will give you all of the tools to be the authority in your community.
Enrollment for the program opens only twice per year. It's open now. After that the certification will be closed for the next 6 months. The price of the certification is $999.
Considering it's the equivalent of a university education in working with painful athletes in the gym I think it's a tremendous value and worth every penny. Plus, I have payment plans available (As low as $184/month) to make sure it's affordable for you!
Get Instant Access by Clicking the Enroll Now Button Below!
$999
Time to become a leader in your community,
Dan Pope DPT, OCS, CSCS, CF-L1