10-Exercise Bodyweight System

My PE class format is:
1. PLAY, rotating through a wide variety of sports and games.
2. Learn just ONE exercise per day. Set the example, and kids will want to learn!

Here’s my system…

1/10. Slant squat = simple to build knee/quads foundation! 2/10. Kids love rings!

And by using the legs up, with some tension down, you can smoothly progress to pull-ups.

4 Foot Positions For Knee & Ankle Strengthening / Rehab!

I’ll show you the 4 positions and why, then step-by-step levels for each…

1/4. Full slant for knee-building step-ups: 2/4. Partial slant for balanced leg and glute development on squats:

The KneesOverToesGuy System

(Below is a demo, not something you have to do!)

I have no secrets and in this thread I will show you the progressions I used to now go 10+ years of no knee problems despite the following 10 conditions prior:

Patellafemoral Pain Syndrome
Patellar Tendinitis
Chondromalacia Patella
Iliotibial Band Syndrome
Tibiofibular Dislocation Disease
Meniscus Tear
Quad Tendon Tear
Kneecap Fracture
ACL Tear
Bursitis This is the first exercise I feel was really crucial for me.

Less angle, smaller step, and assistance make it easier, just as going downhill with less slope, smaller steps, and a walking stick, would make it easier.

Progression demo: (You can even add load for extreme goals.)

There’s a specific Big 3 for mobility relating to lower back pain and injury, and you can test and observe them for yourself.

In this thread, I’ll show you these 3 mobilities and the progression I use for each one… The first mobility in the knee over ankle.

Notice how that allows me to sink down with less stress on my lower back.

None of these 3 are my opinions. They just are.

You can test and observe each for yourself.

🧵 2025 Knees Over Toes Update: 4 Main Progressions

I’ve been working on this subject for 15 years.

Despite a gnarly list beforehand, I’ve now been well over 10 years without a knee problem, while helping 1000s to their own wins.

The good news? These 4 are simpler than ever!… Think of this thread as natural knee abilities in reverse, starting from:

In youth we can deep squat pain-free.

The more we lose that, the more benefits I’ve seen from counterbalance and heel elevation, progressing at your pain-free level from:

Bodyweight
to plate, full reach
to plate, reach only in front of knees
to dumbbell, above knees
to optional barbell loading.

🧵 My Top 8 Exercises For School or Home

For 15 years I’ve been obsessing on how to make outlier athletic and resilience results accessible.

This thread teaches you my best skills to date… 1/8. I coach the slant step up as a progression of SLOPE and REACH.

My baseline Standard is being pain-free on EACH knee for 25 reps, after which I allow loading for extreme goals.

(I filmed live progression demos today for this and all exercises in this thread. ⬇️)

I believe this is the #1 reason I haven’t had a knee or back injury in over 10 years, despite being in a cycle of injury > drugs > surgery prior.

🧵 In this thread I’ll show you the Standard I coach my students to, why, and how I scale this to age 85 in my faculty class… Higher front foot and assistance allow me to scale this to any trainee.

I personally started elevated and assisted.

I’ve been working on this over 10 years.

I never had to work through pain.

Gradually going lower = more strength and flexibility demand:

Deadlift Progression For Less Lower Back Pain

In coaching people to hundreds of lower back pain transformations over the past 15 years, it’s really clear to me that it’s not strength “or” flexibility.

Today I wanted to really dig into the progression and thought process here… I’ve observed too many STRONG - but stiff - or FLEXIBLE - but weak clients who couldn’t figure out their back problems. Drugs, surgeries, FEAR.

Where do I start them?

SEATED. NO WEIGHT.

Inner thigh flexibility PLUS strength.

Gradually progress…

6-Step Lower Back System

I’ve helped people to 100s of lower back success stories and I continually work to refine each exercise.

As coach to 100 students and faculty from ages 15 to 85, each exercise must be ACCESSIBLE, SCALABLE, and MEASURABLE!

Let’s begin… 1/6. Seated deadlift allows me to start anyone with bodyweight alone, and then progress using whatever dumbbells feel good, with the INTENT to resist rounding the back, thus creating a stretch on the inner thighs, which are chronically tight in a non-deep-squatting society.

My #1 Ab Exercise Choice

In this short thread I’ll show you why this is the favorite ab exercise of the athletes I coach.

We work toward the goal of 20 reps knees to triceps, but I’ll show you the full progression… First, you don’t need straps to work on this.

You can hang from any bar and work on a leg raise.

My students love the straps because it gives a more measurable target. It also helps better hit both upper and lower abs because you drive your elbows down and knees up.

Simplest Fix I Know For Lower Leg Problems

In this thread I’m going to teach you 5 levels of 2 different exercises so that you have a lower leg formula for life to reduce foot, shin, and Achilles problems... The #1 thing I’ve seen help my clients is addressing straight AND belt leg calf raises.

Each is a scale anyone who can walk can start:

1. Two legs assisted
2. Two legs unassisted
3. One leg assisted
4. One leg unassisted
5. One leg loaded

Smooth Squat Progression For Life, Plus Starting Protocol

My goal is to make this the simplest squat thread I’ve done, so you have confidence on this subject from here on out… First off, I like 3 sets of 5, 5 SECONDS DOWN each rep as a starting protocol.

With this in mind, there’s nothing wrong with starting off ASSISTED…

A back extension is my favorite piece of equipment for lower back health, and in this short thread I’ll cover how to makeshift one, how I coach it, and my favorite exercise without one… A squat rack is among the most common home gym equipment items.

Add a pad or wrap a towel around the bar, put something immovable behind your feet, and you’ve got a back extension.

My #1 LONG-term low back health exercise is the Seated DB Deadlift and the most common question I get is what to do once the weights hit the floor.

That’s actually one of my favorite things about it!

Teaches to retract and resist rounding!

Short thread… With those two intentions:

Resist rounding
Retract shoulders

You get increased inner thigh stretch, and stronger lower back.

Keep in mind the oldest in my faculty class is 85, and she works the same motion with no weight, then light dumbbell, etc!

I hope by the end of this thread you have less FEAR regarding your lower back.

Research shows that people with more fear of rounding the back have more back pain.

Well, obviously, but what’s the solution?!

Here are 3, in order, you can use for the rest of your life… 1. I believe the FOUNDATION is the ability to RESIST rounding!

You can start this from any seat, NO WEIGHT, and gradually progress.

The DB seated deadlift is the most underrated exercise in my observation, after coaching people to 100s of low back transformations over 15 yrs.

I hope this is the most detailed deep squat thread you’ve ever read.

Step 1: 25 pound plate or less is ideal for full reach.

(Once COUNTERBALANCE clicks, you can be among the world’s most effective knee coaches, regardless of background. I only know from living it!)

Onward… Step 2: 45lb plate is ideal for slightly closer, still reaching but only in front of knees rather than fully extended - not to mention this is an increased load! Two subtle progressions from Step 1.

Yesterday’s thread covered the most underrated long-term lower back exercise, in my opinion, and today’s thread covers my favorite piece of lower back equipment to add, with the full, unusual progression I use...

https://twitter.com/kneesovertoesg/status/1915168857918144637

When my dad had back problems, I got him one of these for his living room and told him to do 1 rep, ASSISTED, then 2, and so on.

But actually squeeze that top position.

Don’t just rush up and drop back, and don’t arch back, which would cheat the tension.

The Seated Deadlift is the most underrated long-term lower back exercise in my opinion, and in this thread I’ll explain my main theory on the lower back pain epidemic, concluded from 15 years of observation as a coach, and helping people to hundreds of low back success stories… My theory is that, in youth, we are actually way STRONGER, proportionately, through our FLEXIBILITY.

As life, injuries, modern chairs, “no knees over toes” etc., stiffen and WEAKEN us through our flexibility, we deviate from natural and ask for trouble…

The Balanced Mile

In this thread I will show you my personal track routine - but even if you don’t have a track, I hope you get valuable skill from this.

Step 1 is 100 yards backward. Walk back (or walk the curve). Repeat.

WHY?… Backward walking has shown to be an effective screening process for elderly not to fall down the stairs!

How? Because it improves your ABILITY in balance to the DEMAND!

Backward SLED got me off painkillers for my knees.

Walk, jog, run, sled… BACKWARD is a skill for life!

The Language of Lifting

I’ve always taught students how to read and write tempo, because they have time.

Now I realize it may save adults time in the long run.

I’ll use squat and pull up as examples, then show progressions after.

Let’s start with a 51X1 squat… 51X1 means:

5 seconds down
1 second pause
UP! (the X means there’s no set time to go up)
1 second reset

Female ACL Tears: 3 Significant Yet SIMPLE Solutions

1/3: Studies show this ability ⬇️ can significantly reduce your chances of ACL tear.

But SCALABILITY is key, because females are weaker and have way more chance of ACL tear than men! I came up with the idea of lifting the front of Nordic benches because I was such a terrible natural athlete.

Now it’s one of my mom’s favorite exercises! She’ll be 71 next week.

Slowly and steadily: Bodyweight skills CAN be improved!