FPF Specialist Certification 2.0
Master strength-based rehab for active adults
Get the clarity, confidence and clinical skill set PT school never taught you, so you can treat lifters, active adults and fitness athletes with total confidence on Monday.
- ✓ Coach the squat, deadlift, presses, Olympic lifts and gymnastics
- ✓ Know exactly how to progress and regress loading
- ✓ Build rehab programs that blend strength and PT seamlessly
- ✓ Earn 30.7 CEUs, plus 2.0 NSCA CEUs
- ✓ Learn from some of the best coaches in the world
30.7
CEU contact hours
11
Course parts
13
Rehab protocols
4
In-depth case studies
$6K+
In bonus content
“The most useful course I have ever taken”
“In physical therapy school, treating people who were training hard was never really covered. I had little idea how to modify their training to let people keep training while still improving their symptoms. I feel so much more confident now and excited to work with a variety of lifters. 10/10, I recommend it to anyone interested in treating lifters.”
Nolan Winkelman · Physical Therapist
“There is an incredible amount of valuable information in there and it really is one of the most helpful courses I’ve ever taken. I love how applicable the information has been in the clinic.”
“I have been a PT for almost 15 years and also a ‘meathead.’ This course is way more than I hoped it would be. The insight you and the other instructors provide has been a huge help in my understanding of barbell work and gymnastics, and in translating that into treating athletes.”
“Such an amazing course! Thank you for all the time and effort you have put into creating it. I will surely be reviewing this information again and again to continue to help my patients. Awesome!”
The modern PT crisis
You treat active people every day, but were never taught how to coach strength
If you’re like most new-grad or early-career PTs, you feel this constant tension:
- ✕ Patients ask how to modify squats, bench and deadlifts, and you freeze
- ✕ Lifters and CrossFit® athletes want real programming help, but school never taught programming
- ✕ Your clinic expects you to coach strength, but you’ve never been mentored in load progression
- ✕ You know strengthening is the foundation of modern rehab, but you lack clear, practical frameworks
- ✕ You want to treat more active patients, but feel insecure about technique, loading and progression
It’s not your fault.
PT school teaches orthopedic evaluation. It does not teach you:
- How to load athletes and progress strength safely
- How to coach barbell technique
- How to modify training for pain
- How to make decisions with active people
- How to build real-world rehab and training programs
Yet active adults expect you to know this cold.
What you really want
Walk into clinic Monday knowing exactly what to do
You don’t want more theory, more CEUs, or another generic ortho course. You want:
- ✓ To know exactly how to progress and regress loading
- ✓ To confidently coach squats, deadlifts, pressing, Olympic lifts and gymnastics
- ✓ To create rehab programs that blend strength and PT seamlessly
- ✓ To stop feeling lost when treating active adults
- ✓ To treat the patients you actually enjoy working with
- ✓ To feel competent when athletes ask, “What should I do today?”
That’s exactly what the FPF Specialist Certification was built for.
Introducing the FPF Specialist
The only strength-based clinical coaching certification
For PTs who treat active adults, fitness and barbell athletes. Designed by physical therapist Dan Pope, DPT, strength coach and lifelong athlete.
What you’ll walk away with
01
Clinical confidence
Know exactly what to do with the active patient in front of you, every session.
02
Strength coaching competency
Cue, regress, progress and troubleshoot the fundamental lifts and accessory work.
03
Programming skill
Build structured, progressive programs for rehab, training and return to lifting.
04
Decision-making clarity
Never again wonder “how heavy is too heavy?” or “when do I progress?”
05
Better outcomes with active adults
Patients trust clinicians who understand how they train. This is how you become one of them.
06
A true professional identity
Stop feeling like you’re “faking the performance PT thing” and start feeling like the real deal.
The missing curriculum PT school never taught
This is not another exercise library, a generic ortho CEU package, or a field-sport return-to-sport program. It’s a complete clinical coaching system: exercise prescription, barbell coaching, modifying training for pain, programming, load management, fixing movement breakdowns, and communicating like a coach and a clinician.
Who it’s for
Built for PTs who treat people who train
Perfect for PTs who work with…
- ✓ Active adults and weekend warriors
- ✓ CrossFit® athletes and gym-goers
- ✓ Lifters of every level
- ✓ Barbell athletes: powerlifting and Olympic lifting
…and who want to
- ✓ Gain confidence in coaching and loading
- ✓ Become the PT who understands training
- ✓ Stand out in the job market
- ✓ Attract more active patients
- ✓ Integrate strength and conditioning into rehab
- ✓ Feel competent instead of overwhelmed
Course curriculum
See everything before you enroll
No bait and switch. Here’s precisely what’s covered, across 11 parts. Tap a part to see what’s inside.
01 Essential Coaching Series
- 4 pillars of effective rehabilitation
- 5 reasons why athletes get hurt, and what to do about it
- Understanding and optimizing exercise technique
- How to make an amazing training program
- How to write rehab programs your patients will love
- Guide to evidence-based, effective mobility programs
02 Strength & Conditioning Principles
- S&C principles made simple for rehabilitation specialists
03 Master Exercise Prescription & Programming
- Shoulder, knee, hip and lower back exercise prescription
04 Breaking Down the Power Lifts
- How to coach and analyze bench press, squat and deadlift technique
- Injury mechanisms and protocols to rehab back to 100%
05 Single-Leg Exercises
- Lunges, step-ups and single-leg RDLs
- How to coach and modify these movements with pain and injury
- How to rehabilitate these athletes back to 100%
06 Breaking Down the Olympic Lifts
- How to coach and analyze snatch and clean & jerk technique
- Master mobility for the Olympic lifts
- Rehabilitating knee, hip, lower back and shoulder pain
07 Pull-ups, Muscle-ups & Kipping
- Which technical factors increase the risk of shoulder injury
- How to modify for painful shoulders
08 Handstands & Handstand Push-ups
- Easy modifications and rehab exercises for wrist pain
- Coaching cues and drills to improve the handstand
- How handstand push-ups can create neck injury
09 Overhead Press, Push-ups & Dips
- How to optimize overhead mobility
- What to do when the shoulders hurt during pressing
10 Case Studies
- See exactly how to rehabilitate patients
- Shoulder, knee, lower back and hip pain examples
11 Six “C’s” to the Career of Your Dreams
- Finding the right population and setting to flourish
- Connecting with your community and building trust and authority
- Getting the patients you love working with through the door
- How to get paid your worth
- Tackling student debt and building wealth
Case studies & protocols
Teach a man to fish and feed him too
You get the principles you need for success, plus the exact protocols and templates I use with my patients, and case studies that show exactly how I use them.
4 in-depth case studies
- Shoulder pain
- Knee pain
- Lower back pain
- Hip pain
Populations covered
- Olympic weightlifting
- Powerlifting
- General population
- The sport of fitness
Pathologies covered
- SLAP tear & rotator cuff pain
- Patellofemoral pain
- Low back pain
- Femoroacetabular impingement
13 ready-to-use protocols
Talk about taking out all of the guesswork. You’ll be able to apply this to each one of your patients immediately.
Built for busy clinicians
Your guidance doesn’t end after purchase
“Done with you” community
I guide you through the content inside our online community. Every week I email the next set of lessons along with questions to reinforce your learning, and I read your responses and add my feedback. Ask as many questions about your own patients as you like.
“Fast Track” cheat sheets
It’s a big course: 30.7 contact hours. So every lesson and module comes with infographics, key notes and cheat sheets, letting you absorb most of the content fast.
Your pace or a 12-week plan
Binge it or take your time; you have lifetime access. Prefer structure? Follow the 12-week curriculum, with community questions that line up with each week. Consider me your accountability buddy.
30.7 CEU contact hours + 2.0 NSCA CEUs
Approved for 30.7 physical therapy contact hours (CEUs / CCUs) for Physical Therapists, Physical Therapist Assistants & Athletic Trainers, the majority of credits you need to renew in most states. ATs in all US states are eligible. For PTs and PTAs, states shown in red are not pre-approved but may still be eligible; contact Dan for help applying. Also approved for 2.0 NSCA CEUs (category C) on completion.
Learn from world-class experts
Coach the lifts with the best in the world
You’ll learn the Olympic lifts, handstands and muscle-ups from the best coaches I know.
Dave Durante
Gymnastics · muscle-ups
Multiple-time USA Gymnastics national champion and 2008 Beijing Olympic team alternate. Former lead coach of the CrossFit Gymnastics course and co-owner of Power Monkey Fitness.
Duke Van Vleet
Gymnastics · handstands
2x US National Team member and captain of Penn State’s 2004 NCAA championship team. Spent 8 years with Cirque du Soleil as an artist and strength & conditioning coach.
Mike Cerbus
Olympic weightlifting
Elite weightlifter from 2005–2014 and 2011 American Open champion, selected to the US Pan American team. Former training specialist at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
Bonus content
$6,000+ in bonuses: 4x the cost of the course
I’ve made this certification as big a no-brainer as possible: the exact training, mobility and rehab programs I use with my patients, pathology-specific Master Courses, and case studies that show how I rehab people from A to Z.
Everything that’s included
- ✓ FPF Knee & Shoulder Courses $799
- ✓ Olympic Weightlifting Course $399
- ✓ Movement Essentials & Power Monkey videos $499
- ✓ Power Building Program $360
- ✓ FPF Pain Programs: shoulder, low back, knee, hip $399
- ✓ 15 Master Courses (FPF Insiders) $3,000
- ✓ Garage Gym Heroes Program $360
- ✓ FPF Mobility Programs: overhead, front rack, squat $149.99
- ✓ Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That Program $360
That’s over $6,000 of additional content included in the cost of the certification.
Enroll nowThe transformation
Before & after the program
Before
- ✕ Too many patients and too many insurance restrictions
- ✕ A patient panel of people you don’t want to treat
- ✕ No respect or trust from your community
- ✕ Buried in student debt with no pathway out
- ✕ Not sure why your patient was injured or how to treat them
- ✕ No guidance on proper exercise technique or execution
- ✕ Don’t know how to create rehab or training programs
After
- ✓ The trusted, respected authority in your community
- ✓ A patient panel filled with people you love working with
- ✓ Complete confidence evaluating and treating your favorite population
- ✓ Treating as you please, without insurance breathing down your neck
- ✓ Proficient writing training and rehab programs
- ✓ Paid your worth, with a plan for financial freedom
- ✓ A master of modifications, so people keep training through rehab
Your instructor
Dan Pope, DPT, OCS
Dan is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist. Not only does he treat athletes regularly, he’s been coaching and training athletes for the past 20 years.
A former NCAA Division 1 pole vaulter at Rutgers, Dan was the 2009 Strongman National Champion (175 lb class) and competed at CrossFit Regionals twice. He speaks nationally and internationally on physical therapy education and is the author of a #1 bestselling book in Amazon’s weight training category.
He works with everyone from beginners to professional and CrossFit Games athletes. As founder and CEO of Fitness Pain Free, he helps create coaches and clinicians who love their careers.
“Dan is always first on my speed dial when I have any questions on movement, injury prevention, rehabilitation and education. Getting clients to move well and being able to spot and fix issues is a game changer.”
Jason Leydon · Head Coach, CrossFit Milford
“If you are looking to bridge the gap between traditional rehabilitation taught in school and high-level fitness, Dan Pope is the man. I would highly recommend taking his certification.”
“As a PT student, learning how to bridge the gap between rehabilitation and returning to performance is challenging. Dan’s background in athletics, coaching, clinical reasoning and use of modifications has given me a solid foundation for success in the future.”
“As a CrossFit coach and physical therapist, this course gave me the knowledge about a population I hadn’t learned about at school. I’m definitely going to be using it as a resource in the future.”
“Dan bridged the gap between physical therapy and CrossFit. This certification gave me the confidence to ask the right questions to find the true root of my athletes’ pain. It’s the best thing you can do for your clients.”
Zero risk
Three money-back guarantees
7-day money-back guarantee
Unsatisfied for any reason? Get your money back within 7 days of purchase.
Month 3–4 money-back guarantee
Complete the course (and pass the final exam) within the recommended 3 months and still feel unsatisfied? Get your money back between month 3 and 4.
Earn-it-back guarantee
Complete the course within 3 months and don’t earn back at least the $1,499 cost using what you learned by month 3–4? Get your money back.
Here’s what you get
- ✓ 30+ hours of curriculum (12-week online course)
- ✓ Community guidance through your transformation
- ✓ 30.7 CEUs for PTs, PTAs & ATs, plus 2.0 NSCA CEUs
- ✓ “Fast Track” to complete the material as fast as you need
- ✓ $6,000+ in bonus courses and programs
- ✓ Coaching from some of the best coaches in the world
- ✓ 24/7 online lifetime access
$1,499
Enroll nowOr choose the 3-month payment plan →
The FPF Specialist goes on sale 4 times a year, at the start of each quarter. If you’re ready to treat active adults at the highest level now, you can enroll today.
FAQs
Questions, answered
Does the certification ever go on sale?
Yes. The FPF Specialist goes on sale 4 times a year, at the start of each quarter. You can enroll at the regular price any time.
Does this course cover full return-to-sport concepts?
This certification includes return-to-training concepts for barbell and fitness athletes. Full field-sport return to sport (agility, sprinting, cutting, team sports) is covered in our ACL RTS course and in Insiders Academy.
Is this a physical DVD or all online?
This course is 100% online through a platform called Kajabi. There is no physical DVD. The course can be accessed via any phone, tablet, or computer.
Can I get CEUs as a physical therapist, athletic trainer or PTA?
Yes, the course has been approved for 30.7 contact hours for physical therapists, athletic trainers and physical therapist assistants. That’s the majority of credits you need to renew your license in most states.
How long do I have access to this course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course (pending you are not sharing free access with friends!) for as long as you like, across any and all devices you own.
Is the information and terminology too complex for me?
Definitely not! Dan works hard to explain complex things in simple language, to help everyone understand and to transfer the ideas to the clinic and gym the next day.
How much does the course cost?
The full price is $1,499 as a one-time payment, and a 3-month payment plan is also available. The certification also goes on sale 4 times a year, at the start of each quarter.