Key takeaways:
- The Knees Over Toes program by Ben Patrick focuses on improving knee health, mobility, and athleticism through specific exercises.
- The program involves exercises like backward walking, sled pulls, tibialis raises, Patrick step, and split squats with knees over toes positioning.
- Consistent training over 90 days led to significant improvements in knee pain reduction, sprint speed, vertical jump, and overall mobility.
# Introduction
This blog post summarizes a YouTuber's 90-day journey following Ben Patrick's "Knees Over Toes" program to overcome chronic knee issues and improve overall athletic performance. The program's unique exercises target strengthening the muscles and tendons around the knees.
# The Program
# Core Exercises
- Backward Walking: Starting with 10 minutes of backward walking, progressing to sled pulls with 50% body weight resistance.
- Tibialis Raises and Calf Raises: Performed against a wall, alternating sets.
- Patrick Step: Slowly extending one leg forward until the heel touches the ground, controlling the movement like a mini pistol squat.
- Knees Over Toes Split Squat: Initially performed with the front foot elevated, gradually lowering the elevation as strength improves.
"All of the muscles and tendons through the bottom of my foot hurt so much right now. It is crazy how tiny these workouts are."
# Mobility Work
In addition to the main exercises, the program includes a series of mobility drills and stretches to improve flexibility and range of motion.
# Progress and Results
# Initial Struggles
The journey began with baseline tests for a 20m sprint, vertical jump, and hamstring mobility. The results were underwhelming, with a slow sprint time of 3.8 seconds and difficulty touching the rim during the vertical jump.
# Steady Improvement
After 30 days of consistent training, the individual could resume activities like jump rope and jogging without knee pain. As the program progressed, exercises were made more challenging by adding weight or reducing assistance.
# Setback and Recovery
A fall during training caused a knee injury setback, requiring a break and physical therapy assessment. However, with a gradual return to the program, the individual regained strength and mobility.
# Final Testing
After 90 days, the final tests showed remarkable improvements:
- 20m Sprint: Improved from 3.8 seconds to 3.38 seconds.
- Vertical Jump: Touched the 10ft rim, a significant increase from the initial attempt.
- Hamstring Mobility: Slight improvement in range of motion.
# Conclusion
The Knees Over Toes program proved effective in reducing knee pain, improving mobility, and enhancing athletic performance over the 90-day period. The individual plans to continue the exercises to further their progress.
Youtube video transcript follows below: [Transcript omitted for brevity]
Summary for: Youtube