Knee Ability Series 5 of 10

I’ll try to make this thread as simple as I can:

10 years ago, I could barely slow myself down.

Now, my hamstrings can more easily handle my body’s weight.

There are a variety of ways to accomplish this purpose… Gyms usually have hamstring curl machines.

🧵 DEEP SQUAT EDUCATION

Up-to-date research, gradient scales, and context were all missing from this subject when I was taking health classes in college.

5 reasons the deep squat is one of the basics in my physical education system… Reason 1 of 5: The deep squat is a good exercise for lower body strength and injury prevention.



🚨 BUT… pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23821469/

Knee Ability Series 3 of 10

I had never seen someone intentionally slowing down and working in the BOTTOM half of a squat, yet over the last 10+ years of changing my knees and jumping, this may be the single most important thing I did.

🧵 Progressions…
Both the ATG split squat and ATG squat are gradient scales from assisted to bodyweight to loaded, with the ATG split squat additionally scaling from higher to lower front foot.

My theory on why it works so well is that this is usually the most missing tension in modern exercise.

I once coached a high school basketball team.

I did something unusual which I’ve never seen done before or since.

It led to numerous players going from completely unrecruited to D1 full-rides.

Here’s the full context… 🧵 To put it quickly:

We were only on the court 3 days per week.

Not 5 like everyone else.

The days in between, we did ATG strength training.

Now let’s fully break down why this transformed players unlike any other system I’ve seen…

I believe 80+% of low back surgeries and drugs are not needed for someone who truly understands how to exercise it.

But there’s a MASSIVE misunderstanding:

The ability to resist rounding AND the abilities to round and unround are ALL valuable!

🧵 ATG Mobility Series 3 of 10 The seated goodmorning allows you to improve your inner thigh flexibility while strengthening your lower back’s ability to RESIST rounding.

It scales from assisted to bodyweight to loaded.

🧵 4-Way Flexibility Routine

I’ll show/explain progression for each one, then explain context.

1/4. Outside: 1-3 sets of 20 pulses

Progression:
-from back leg bent to straight
-from more to less assistance from hands

(Wife showing progressed, me showing regressed) 2/4. Inside: 1-3 sets of 20 pulses

Progression:
-from higher to lower
-from more to less assistance from hands

(Me showing progressed, wife showing regressed)

In my opinion, Mother Nature’s fundamental knee exercise:

Walking Backward

-why it works

-methods with or without equipment or space

🧵 Knee Ability Series 2 of 10 ⬇️
Walking backward was passed down from generation to generation in Asia, as a means of preventing arthritis.

How?

Well, when the knee is over the toes, there is more pressure on the knee, and with each step backward, it’s over the toes…

The #1 thing I’m teaching my kids in regards to exercise is:

STRENGTHEN the mobility you NATURALLY have, BEFORE you lose it.

I lost a ton of mobility due to knee pain and avoidance, so I’ll also show you 2 ways around this… 1. By elevating your heels and using weight as counterbalance, you may be able to get more range of motion while getting a great workout!

🧵 Youth-to-Longevity Series 1

My wife and I are making a small school for our kids, and I believe exercise progressions for LIFE are an important part of the curriculum.

Let’s start with the pull-up.

Here are the 4 simple steps I use for my kids, my wife, and my own parents! 1. Just hanging!

I believe it’s important to VALIDATE this, and educate on its value for shoulder and back health as well as grip.

Maybe You Don’t Have a “Bad” Back

Maybe you just need a well-rounded regimen of ABILITY.

Here’s my basic 8-point checklist which has helped many find out they DIDN’T have to live with a bad back! 1/8. Let’s take the ability to pick things up, but let’s add inner hip FLEXIBILITY.

I see a bad back as neither stiff “or” weak, but more commonly as a combination of stiffness AND weakness.

This is my bedrock as it addresses strength and flexibility in harmony!

🧵 Foot pain sufferers, this thread is for you:

5 Things I’ve Seen Handle Foot Pain

1/5. Don’t be so hard on yourself, because modern SURFACES are so hard.

Before my program was online, I had my in-person clients here in FL go to the beach and walk in thick sand… 2/5. Shoes tends to jam in the big toes for style, somewhat deforming the foot from its natural shape.

That doesn’t sound like it helps!

Not surprisingly, foot-shaped shoes are a common source of handling foot pain.

(I wear @UncivilizedSnkr but there are many great brands!)

My wife ran into lower back pain after having our 1st kid.

“Rest and avoid” no longer worked because raising kids is a strain.

Strength training wound up being her solution.

Here are the 7 exercises she has done most over the past 4 years: 1/7. Deep Split Squat 2 x 5 reps with a 5 second stretch on each rep

Hip mobility and leg strength

Heavy weight through a large range of motion can instill fear.

But what if that fear held back millions of people from one of the most helpful longevity methods?

Let’s see if I can help reduce fear with a step by step plan… 🧵 When you can’t do a pull-up, it’s common knowledge that you may be able to assist yourself.

But once a deep squat hurts, the traditional advice given to millions of people is: “AVOID IT!”

Well, every day new people are finding they can ASSIST, PUMP, and REBUILD…

🧵 8-Step ATG Longevity Workout with @Mr1nf1n1ty1, age 46, and my mom, age 70!

Let’s go… 1. SLED FIRST

100 yards (50 forward, 50 backward)

I’ve coached thousands of classes in-person, and it’s a beautiful thing to have people walk into the gym and immediately get moving, safely, with strength, rehab, and cardiovascular benefits all at the same time!

The reason a sled allows you to power up your lower body while getting amazing circulation, ultra-safely, is because THE LOAD ISN’T BEARING DOWN ON YOU.

With aging comes reduced ability to VIGOROUSLY use the body, due to fear of it getting hurt.

Yet the LACK of vigorous use results in even further loss of abilities and health!

It’s a vicious cycle…

And the sled has broken that cycle for thousands of ATGers around the world.

Bonus: The body not only gets results, it gets warmed up for the rest of the workout!

How to Reverse Engineer Knee Pain

This step-by-step route has now helped me and many others go from more fragile and fearful than the norm, to more resilience and freedom than the norm… Step 1 of handling forward impact is…

Backward

🧵 Lower Back ABILITY Mini Mastery Course

First let’s go over the 10 areas I train which connect to lower back function… 1/10. Back extension is an obvious one to start with.

🧵 4 Steps, in Order, That Took My Knees From My Weakest Link to Greatest Strength
1. Walking Backward: 5 minutes

This is the first step of “knee over toes” training, in my opinion.

Let’s break down this step…

🧵 8 Exercise Skills I’m Passing Down to My Kids

In modern times, I believe it’s my duty to pass down to exercise to my kids.

I’m not leaving it to the school system.

In fact, I’m so crazy about this, I’m making a school for my kids.

Here’s what they’re learning, in order… As always, thank you for your patience as I post each slide. Neither my home nor gym have strong enough WiFi to post threads.

Strength below the belly button is a modern weak point.

But just about anyone can start improving.

Level 1/3: feet off the floor for 20 seconds

🧵 A short thread… Level 2/3: butt and feet off floor for 20 seconds

ATG Zero For Football Teams

These 3 unusual additions helped my first pro client make millions in the NFL, and more importantly: retire the HEALTHIEST and fastest of his career.

He now uses these exercises to help up and coming local players to less pain and more ability… The big realization was: proportionate attention is not given from the KNEE DOWN.

1/3. It’s not realistic to have a fleet of seated calf machines.

The Soleus push-up progression from 2 legs to 1 leg is a solution.

20 reps coaching on a strict count!

The hip-flexors in modern Man have become tighter and weaker than natural.

Maybe it’s because we’re sitting instead of sprinting from danger.

This affects not only the hips, but also the knees and lower back.

Fortunately, you can start changing this right from your chair… 1/2. The ATG Split Squat Progression

5 reps
5 second stretch at the bottom of each rep

Higher front foot = easier flexibility

And strength scales from assisted to unassisted to loaded.