Today we have the honor of interviewing Johnny Ferlito, CEO of MaXXX-Force, an innovative strength training device that takes performance enhancement to a whole new level.
MaXXX-Force enhances athletic performance to levels that can never otherwise be achieved. Unlike any other strength equipment in the industry, MaXXX-Force adaptive resistance provides athletes the ability to safely train at their maximum concentric, isometric, and most importantly eccentric load capacity curves within the same rep. This is simply not possible with any other machine in the market today.
This unparalleled and intense method of resistance maximizes athletes force outputs, explosive power, neuromuscular recruitment (Type II), muscle mass, flexibility and injury prevention. MaXXX-Force is raising the ceiling of athletic performance higher than ever before.
Here are some videos explaining how the MaXXX-Force machine works:
You can listen to the audio interview by clicking on the link at the top of the page,
📝Show Notes: Through this interview, we touched on his background, his company and product, the benefits for teams to use his product. We also talked about the state of the resistance training market, his competitive advantage, and his plans for the next 12 months.
You can read the full transcript of the podcast interview with Johnny located at the top of this blog post.
Here are the best quotes from the interview with Johnny:
Q1. Tell me about your background
“I’m a former athlete—I played college football and then spent four years in arena football. So, for most of my life, everything revolved around training in one way or another—whether it was on-field drills, strength training, or recovery. Performance enhancement became a core passion. After I stopped playing, I became a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and launched my own athletic training company. I worked with athletes across all age groups to improve their speed, strength, and agility. Over time, I expanded to multiple locations and eventually transitioned the business into one of the first 7-on-7 football training programs in Illinois. My passion for both coaching and performance development is really what led me down the path to founding MaXXX-Force.”
Q2. How did you get the idea of launching MaXXX-Force?
“It started back in 2013. I came across a line of equipment that made a bold claim—it said it could deliver better results in a 15-minute workout than a typical two-hour free weight session. That instantly grabbed my attention as a strength coach and former athlete. I started using it and quickly realized the potential. It was like a ‘holy cow’ moment—I could see what it was trying to do. But the equipment had some major design limitations. You needed eight different machines to train your whole body, it had fixed planes of motion, the motors weren't strong enough, and it wasn’t customizable.
So I thought, ‘What if I built something better?’ That’s when I started developing my own proof of concept at the end of 2013. I took it to the NSCA conference in Louisville and the response was overwhelming—our booth was packed the whole time. Coaches were ready to buy it on the spot. That’s when I knew I had something real. From there, I hired engineering firms, went through countless prototypes, tested and refined the product for years. Fast forward to now, 10 years later, and we finally launched our production model in February. That’s how MaXXX-Force was born—from recognizing a need and deciding to go all in on solving it.”
Q3. Tell me about your company and where you are currently
“MaXXX-Force has come a long way since our early prototype days. We spent nearly a decade fine-tuning every detail—working with professional engineers, strength coaches, and athletes to make the most comprehensive, efficient, and effective strength training machine out there. We officially launched our production model at the 2024 HFA show, and we’ve already exhibited at major conferences like CSCCa. The machine is now live, and the feedback has been phenomenal. Teams are seeing how it can fit into their programs immediately—whether for strength gains, performance enhancement, or rehab. We’re at the beginning of a major push to get Max Force into elite programs, universities, training centers, and beyond.”
Q4. Tell me about your product
“MaXXX-Force is an adaptive resistance machine—meaning the resistance dynamically adjusts in real time throughout each phase of the exercise. Our muscles aren’t equally strong across a movement. Think about a squat—you’re stronger at the top and weakest at the bottom. You’re also stronger during the eccentric phase (lowering the weight) than the concentric phase (lifting it).
Traditional weights don’t account for that. You lift the same fixed load through the entire range. But with MaXXX-Force, the machine adjusts to your maximum output at each point—concentric, eccentric, and isometric. It reads your force production in real time and responds instantly. Athletes are training at their max capacity—safely—through every rep, every phase, every set. That means faster and more efficient gains, with less wear and tear.
We’ve built in software that creates individual athlete profiles, tracks their baseline performance, and prescribes personalized workouts. You can customize every variable—intensity, volume, tempo. It’s a fully integrated training ecosystem that’s built for performance, rehab, or general strength training.”
Q5. How is your product unique?
“What really sets MaXXX-Force apart is our ability to deliver true eccentric overload across the entire strength curve. Other machines say they do it, but we actually achieve it. Eccentric overload is when the load exceeds what you can handle concentrically, forcing the muscle to resist in a way that fires up every fiber—it's a huge driver of neuromuscular adaptation and growth.
Plus, with MaXXX-Force, athletes hit mechanical failure right from the first rep. They’re training under maximal stimulus for the entire set. That’s incredibly rare. Traditional lifting might give you one or two meaningful reps in a set—on our system, it’s 60–90 seconds of continuous, targeted stress on muscle and connective tissue.
And all of this happens with precision and safety. The system automatically protects the athlete by responding to their output, rather than forcing them to match an external weight. That’s game-changing.”
Q6. What gives you a competitive advantage?
“There are three big things. First, we offer true eccentric overload across the full range of motion. That alone puts us in a different class. Second, the training stimulus is constant and meaningful. Athletes aren’t just moving weight—they’re being pushed to their max safely, which drives faster gains in strength, power, and muscle mass.
Third—and this is huge—athletes can now train at max intensity year-round, even in-season. With free weights, coaches often have to scale back during the season to avoid injuries. MaXXX-Force eliminates that trade-off. It allows for intense, high-quality training with far less risk. Coaches can now keep athletes strong and resilient without worrying about overloading or tweaking something in the weight room. That’s why teams are so excited about it.”
Q7. What are the benefits for teams?
“Teams get more out of their athletes in less time. Period. MaXXX-Force helps them build strength, power, force output—all the things that translate to better performance on the field, court, or ice. And we do it safely, efficiently, and with data.
Coaches can track baselines, progress, and make adjustments in real time. Whether it’s for a football team trying to maintain power during the season or a basketball player coming back from an injury, MaXXX-Force adapts to their needs. It’s a one-stop system for performance and rehab. And because it works across sports—football, basketball, hockey, tennis, you name it—it’s truly universal.”
Q8. What is your take on the resistance training market?
“ I really believe the strength and conditioning world is evolving, like it always does, but this time with an even bigger focus on safety efficiency and just flat out better results in less time. we're in a digital age and we're seeing a huge shift towards smart feedback tools. Coaches now have access to deeper performance insights, not just rep sets and how how much weight they did, but real time data that shows how their athletes are actually moving and progressing. And one area that's really exploded is digital resistance. Isometrics and eccentric overload are finally getting the attention they deserve.
And for good reason. I mean, eccentric training is arguably the most important phase of strength development, but up until now, it hasn't been possible to train that phase properly or consistently. And due to MaXXX-Force that's now changing. It's all about training with intent, maximizing results in a way that's safe, measurable, and effective.
With MaXXX-Force, it's twofold. Athletes get the benefits of the adaptive resistance and max loading in all three contraction phases, but they also get that real time digital feedback and data that allows them to track and push their limits. Every single rep coaches can gauge effort now. Not just per workout, but literally second by second.
So there's no more guesswork and no more wasted reps. So we're seriously excited to be leading the charge with adaptive resistance technology. MaXXX-Force isn't just another tool. It really is a complete shift in how we train for performance. The future of strain training is about efficiency, data-driven and built to bring out the best in every athlete, and we're proud to be a part of that”.
Q9. What are your plans for the next 12 months?
“The goal is simple: get MaXXX-Force into as many elite performance and rehab programs as possible. We’ve spent nine years refining what we believe is the most versatile and effective strength machine in the world. Now we’re focused on expansion.
That means building relationships with college teams, pro organizations, private training facilities, sports medicine centers—even corporate wellness and gym chains. Long term, we may explore an in-home version, but for now, our focus is on high-performance environments. We’re just getting started, and the momentum is real.”
Q10. What is the best way to reach out to you?
“The best way is through our website: www.maxxxforce.com — and that’s with three Xs, MAXXFORCE.com. All our contact info, emails, and phone numbers are listed there. We also have an Instagram account: maxx.xforce (we had to add the dot because of the triple-X).
On the site, we’ve got a full video library that breaks down how the machine works across different user types—athletes, rehab patients, general fitness. Coaches can see the machine in action and understand exactly how it could plug into their program. We can also be reached via email. Our email is info@maxforce.com. That again, that's three Xs info@maxxxforce.com.”
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