Dr Rusin – Foundation of FHT

come to for help.

Hi, I’m Dr. John Rusin.

I’ve built the reputation of being the strength and performance coach that other fitness experts come to for help. Especially when they’re hurting and can’t perform the way they used to.

Most programs assume people are in perfect condition before they start. But I know most people have been coached improperly or have something to work around.

So the way I approach things is different: My programs are reverse-engineered to keep clients from getting hurt AND to maximize their strength and performance.

You see, most other experts fall into one of two camps:

• Strength coaches who are great at helping people get stronger—but don’t understand how to coach movement and keep people pain-free.
• Physical therapists who are great at keeping people healthy—but don’t understand how to help people build muscle or increase strength.

I believe both of these extremes are wrong. They each have short-term benefits, but neither create athletes that are strong and resilient for the long term. That’s why I pride myself on being both a strength coach AND a doctor of physical therapy.

My programs are built so that you get stronger, without getting hurt (or hurt again).

We think recovery means “do nothing”.

As a Physical Therapist, it upsets me to know that a lot of my “colleagues” are to blame for this. PT’s with little to no exercise experience try to treat complex problems by essentially ignoring them—and telling their clients to rest and wait for the injury to heal.

Sure, these PT’s may give their clients a few small little exercises to help…but that’s usually where they stop. After the first few sessions, the client may have less pain, but they have ZERO idea what to do next. When can they start working out again? What kind of exercises should they avoid? How can they get back on the wagon?

This way of doing things is BROKEN. I’m often left trying to re-educate my clients on why “doing nothing” or avoiding a movement pattern all together might help them feel better in the short-term, but will only make things worse in the long-term.

Here’s what most PT’s won’t tell you: “Rest” is only important when you are truly dealing with a serious injury… broken bones, torn muscles, debilitating pain, you get the idea.

After that, you know what injuries need? Blood flow, movement, and practice.

Which is why it kills me when a months or even years after an injury, my clients feel nervous to work out again. Whatever injury you have now, it will only get worse if you continue to “rest” it forever. It will never get better.

Training, when done properly, always improves injuries. ALWAYS.

Reason #2 for why we get stuck:

We follow the same program that worked before
…that also left us injured.

But the problem is the training that got you here—got you here.

It wasn’t just life that knocked us off the wagon, it was the style of training, the exercises, the amount of time and energy we dedicated to it. It was those exercises and that “all or nothing” mentality that left us injured, immobile, and burned-out.

If we want to restart and succeed, we have to do something differently:

If we want a different result, we have to do something differently.

We try to do way too much—and set ourselves up to fail.

When I ask what they’ve tried to get back in shape, almost all of them have tried going from nothing or minimal training, back to a 5 or 7 day a week workout program.

Guess how often they succeed? Never.

But when I ask them “Why don’t you try training just 3x per week?”, the response is always the same:

“I don’t know if I can get back in shape with just 3x per week”.

I’m here to tell you that you can.

It’s possible to work out less than we used to and get in better shape than before—without getting hurt.

In fact, for years I’ve told people NOT to buy my programs because they had been out of the gym for a while, and I knew that the programs were too demanding and the exercises inappropriate for people who are looking to get back into to training.

And there are hundreds of Instagram “fitness experts” out there who will sell a program to anyone who wants one — but I’m not interested in selling a program that won’t get you the results you need.

So who is Foundations for—and who is it not for?The Foundations training program is right for you if:

Whether you’re a total beginner, or it’s just been a few months (or years) since you’ve done lifting — this program was built for people who need to re-build their foundational movements and strength.

✓ You want to get back to the basics and focus on mastering your movement
Even if you’ve been lifting for years, maybe you’ve noticed your form slipping (or maybe you’re just starting and want to make sure you don’t get hurt). If you want to learn how to move like an athlete, and do it without getting hurt — this program is for you.

✓ You’re still working with annoying aches and pains
I’ve specifically designed this program for people who can’t deadlift, squat, and/or press without pain. This program will give you foundational exercises to build on (and access to me for alternative exercises if you need them). Even if you have an old annoying injury (and the go-ahead from your doctor) this program will still work for you. I believe the focus of training programs should be teaching you how to train to get results—without getting hurt again.

✘ You’re looking for a quick-fix or a silver bullet—without putting in the work.
When my clients get results, they tell their family and friends, and more people find out about this approach to training. So it’s crucial to me and my business that you get results. This program will give you a body that looks and moves like never before — but only if you put in the work. Don’t buy this program if you’re looking to just collect another training program.

✘ You’ve been recently injured, you’re still bleeding, in a cast, or bedridden.
Many of my clients have had nagging old injuries and still gotten incredible results by doing the Foundations program (with the OK from their doctor or physio, of course). That said, if you’re in a cast, if you’re still doing Physical Therapy, if you’re currently bleeding and haven’t gotten the okay from your doctor, please don’t do the program. Remember, rest is okay if you’ve been seriously injured and have no other option. If you want something to look forward to when you’re healed and have the go-ahead, that’s just fine.