🧵How To Start Improving “Bad Hips” Right Now, With No Equipment

I’m with my brother-in-law this week.

He’s 61, in good shape, and loves being active. But his hip pain has gotten so bad that he couldn't go hiking with the rest of the family this week.

He asked me what he could do; here's the routine I showed him:
Warmup: Backwards Walk x 2-3 minutes

Warmup your feet, knees, and hips by walking or jogging backwards.

You can do this on flat ground or a hill. I like using a hill if you have one.

Minimalist Full Body Longevity Workout

No weights? No worries.

Here’s an @atgexercise-style workout you can do with just a set of exercise bands and a bar:

I’m at the beach with my family this week, so I’m having fun being creative with my new ATG Power Bands.

Warmup: Low Pulse x 50

With no sled or backwards treadmill available, I warmed up my knees and got a great quad burn with these low pulses.

My Favorite Movements For Longevity At 47

10 exercises to use for the rest of your life:

1. Dead Hangs x 2-3 60 seconds

Hanging improves grip strength, which is strongly correlated with longevity, and it’s also excellent for shoulder health.

Start by hanging for as long as you can, and work up to a goal of at least 60 seconds. 

Once you can comfortably do that, continue to progress by switching to one-arm hangs!

🧵It seems like every middle-aged person I know either has foot pain right now or has recently experienced it.

I used to think my plantar fasciitis would NEVER go away, but I was wrong.

I fixed my feet with a simple exercise you may not have tried yet:

(Hint—it wasn’t ice, rest, orthotics, stretching, compression sleeves, acupuncture, or cortisone shots—although I tried all those too.)
Let me explain.

After much trial and error (and lots of money spent on new shoes, inserts, night sleeves, and other gadgets), I finally learned a simple truth:

My soleus muscles were WEAK.

Here’s a full-body longevity workout that comes directly from the @atgexercise “Weekend Warrior Basics” training program.

This is a sample of how I train to stay fit, strong, and mobile at 47:

Warmup:

Push/Pull Sled, Backwards Treadmill, or Backwards Jog x 5 minutes

I used my sled and turf today, but if you don’t have access to a sled, you can use a treadmill or go backwards uphill instead!

How To Fall In Love With Leg Day

A full routine:

First some context.

When I got into fitness several years ago in my early 40s, I followed conventional weekly training splits like chest/triceps, back/biceps, and a dedicated day just for legs.

But I used to HATE “Leg Day” and skipped it frequently.

Conventional barbell squats, leg presses, and leg extension machines never felt quite right to me. 

BUT now I love lower body training, and if I’m going to skip anything, it’s upper body at the end of my workout.

Here’s a “ground up” @atgexercise lower body routine. I hope it can help you fall in love with leg training too!

Here’s Day 1 from my brand new training program—@atgexercise Weekend Warrior Structural Balance.

This is the current program I’m following in my own training; I’m excited to see what kind of results I can get from it!

It’s based on ATG structural balance ratios for optimizing relative strength.

Legendary strength coach Charles Poliquin coined the term “structural balance” to indicate how much you should be able to lift relative to your other lifts. 

Scroll on for all the exercises, sets, and reps for Day 1: Warmup: Backwards Treadmill or Sled x 5 min

Here’s my 12-year-old daughter going through an @atgexercise routine specifically designed for kids!

She plays soccer, field hockey, and lacrosse and recently started getting interested in exercising with me too :-)

This 10-step routine comes directly from @kneesovertoesg’s free “CSU Fitness Regimen.”

I hope some parents and kids out there find it as fun and useful as we have!
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1. Wall Calf Raise x 20 reps

Using both legs makes it easier, one leg is more difficult.

This is the first step in learning the important @atgexercise principle of strengthening from the ground up!

Today I wanted to see if I could go through all 13 levels of @kneesovertoesg plyometrics routine.

Here’s how it went:

https://twitter.com/kneesovertoesg/status/1798095960503140749

First, some important context.

Each of the 13 steps below are designed to be performed pain-free and to build upon the next.

Meaning, if one step doesn’t feel great, regress to an easier level, or simply stop there and let your body adapt for the next session.

Furthermore, I want to make it 100% clear that I personally almost never do plyometric workouts.

I increased my jumping in my 40s by getting strong in ATG exercises in combination with playing basketball once per week.

If you’re already playing sports, I don’t think plyometrics are necessary for most people, and they could even be counterproductive and lead to injury.

But I wasn’t able to play basketball this weekend, so this was a perfect backup routine to provide some safe jumping stimulus similar to basketball.

On to the workout!

Do you still feel tight and stiff no matter how much you stretch?

Often a muscle that feels tight is actually WEAK.

Here are some of my favorite @atgexercise movements for strengthening commonly weak areas of the body:

1. Seated Calf

This exercise was KEY for me in overcoming chronically tight calves as well as foot and achilles pain.

If you don’t have access to a seated calf machine, you can use a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell on your knee instead.

I’m using a wedge (an @atgexercise Buddy) here for an extra stretch, but foot flat on the floor works well too.

*Weekend Warrior Wednesday*

Here’s a full-body longevity workout that comes directly from the @atgexercise “Weekend Warrior Pro” training program.

This is a sample of how I train to stay fit, strong, and mobile at 47:

Warmup: Backwards Treadmill or Sled 2-3 minutes

You can use a sled or a regular treadmill turned off as well.

Want To Move Better?

These are 5 of my @atgexercise favorites for better mobility at 47:

1. Elephant Walk 1-3 sets x 60 reps (30 per leg)

Work on lengthening your calves, hamstrings, glutes and lower back with the elephant walk.

Start by placing your hands on something elevated from the floor.

Pick one heel up while flexing your opposite quad muscles.

Work downwards towards flat ground over time as your mobility improves.

Minimalist Full-Body Strength Circuit

Here’s a time-efficient @atgexercise workout to use when you’re traveling or short on time.  

Set a timer for 10 minutes, and complete as many rounds as you can with minimal rest in between movements.

Let’s go!
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1. Slant Squats x 10 

 If you don’t have access to a slant board, use ATG Buddies, or elevate your heels on a plate or a set of dumbbells.

You can do these with just bodyweight, or hold a dumbbell or kettlebell in the goblet position.

What Are The 5 BEST Exercises for Longevity?

These are 5 of my favorites at age 47 to be strong, mobile, and athletic:
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1. Sled or Reverse Treadmill x 5 Minutes

Low impact cardio that simultaneously puts money in the bank for stronger and healthier feet, lower legs, and knees.

Full-Body Workout for Strength, Mobility, and Athleticism

Here’s a thread detailing a workout I did yesterday, including exact sets, reps, and weights used.

This is from my “Weekend Warrior Pro” training program on the ATG online coaching app.

Comment with any questions or feedback below! Warmup: Reverse Treadmill or Sled x 5 Min

I set a timer for 5 minutes and used my backwards treadmill, focusing on driving through my big toes and contracting my quadricep muscles with every step.

You could also use a sled, a regular treadmill turned off, or simply walk backwards.

4 Exercises to Fix Your IT Band Pain Permanently

The iliotibial band connects from the upper hip to the shin and helps to stabilize the knee in extension and flexion. 

Foam rolling and rest can help with short term IT band relief, but to address the root cause of the problem, you need to get STRONGER.

These four strength movements can help eliminate muscle imbalances between your hip and knee, allowing your IT band to function properly and pain free:
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1. Incline Piriformis x 30-45 Seconds

First, open up the outside of your hip and create strength through length by loading the piriformis with the weight of your upper body.

Scale the stretch by adjusting the height of the incline bench. Higher equals less stretch, and lower creates more intensity.

10 Powerful ATG Exercises For People Who Sit A Lot:

1. Pullover

You can use the wall, or load it with a dumbbell or a bench as shown.

Want to improve your athleticism while becoming more resilient to injury in the process?

You need to increase your full range, pound-for-pound strength from the ground up first.

Here’s a simple, full body workout to help you do it:

1. Warmup

Sled or Resisted Treadmill x 5 minutes

Build Strength From The Ground Up With Minimal Equipment

Here’s How:

1. FHL Raise 2 x 25

All you need is a wall for this one!

Step away from the wall as shown to put your calves into a full stretch. Push through your big toes and pause at the top. 

You can also use the one-legged version for more of a challenge.

What’s The Purpose Of A Slant Board?
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1. Poor ankle mobility is a common issue for many people.

The slant board allows you to squat deep in a full range of motion without ankle mobility being a limiting factor.

This is Fernando Lopez.

A former high school quarterback, Fernando dreamed of playing professional football.

But at 23, he was running the 40-yard dash in 5.2 seconds—far too slow to be a pro.

Fast forward four years later, and at 27, Fernando ran back-to-back, laser-timed 4.4 40s at a CFL tryout.

At 215 lbs, he had improved his 40 time by almost a full second; this is virtually unheard of, especially for an athlete in his mid-20s.

Here is his story: A little over 11 years ago, Fern was 23 and working as a handyman and part-time personal trainer in the Tampa Bay area.

A good athlete (his grandfather played baseball in the major leagues for the Washington Senators), he experienced a string of injuries and bad luck that derailed a once promising high school and college football career.

Fern loved lifting weights and enjoyed helping people as a personal trainer, but he wasn’t sure what his next move was.