There is a chance in the past year you’ve heard of Ben Patrick. Maybe not the name Ben Patrick, but certainly his persona known as ‘Knees Over Toes Guy.’ He’s been receiving a lot of attention lately, but what is it that he teaches and, most importantly, can we trust it?
Knees over toes guy rapidly became famous after he was named drop in one of Joe Rogan’s podcast episodes.
So who is this guy, what does he preach, what are the benefits (if any) and what a sample of his workout routine looks like? Keep reading to find out.
Can Your Knees Extend Beyond Your Toes When Squatting?
In 1978, a study from Duke University found that maintaining a vertical lower leg as much as possible reduced shearing forces on the knee during a squat. Fast forward to 2003 and another study conducted by Fry et. Al published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research found that squatting with restricted forward knee movement decreased knee torque values by about 20%.
So it is settled? Never pass your knees over toes when squatting, right? Wrong.
Although those two studies suggest that, many physical therapists and subsequent studies disproved that. Also, it feels a lot more natural passing your knees over toes when squatting compared to limiting the range of motion to keep your knees aligned with the tip of your feet.
Who Is Ben Patrick, the Knees Over Toes Guy
Ben Patrick is an American fitness coach who overcame a debilitating knee and shin pain when he was younger. His dream was to become a basketball player, but he was known as the weak-kneed guy and realized he would never fulfil this dream. He decided to do his own research and bulletproof his knees for the rest of his life.
He founded the “Athletic Truth Group,” a gym and online training service based in Florida and has recently received a lot of attention from the media. Just a quick look at his Instagram account and you will also be blown away by some things he is capable of doing.
So his entire ethos is to improve your lower body mobility, with a special focus on the knees and ankle.
What Is His Training Method
In an interview for the podcast Just Fly Sports, Ben Patrick explained the pillars of his athletic training system.
- Improve your strength relative to how much your body weight
- Strength through length
“The stronger we can be through range of motion, it accounts for more potential variable in sport, so that we never get outside of our comfort zone,” Patrick says, claiming he is not a fan of doing only flexibility moves without putting strength exercises in it as well.
Related: Hindu Push-Up – The Variation That Will Increase Your Strength and Mobility At the Same Time
“If I’m not improving your strength relative to how much your body weights, then I’m not doing my job,” he exclaims.
Knees Over Toes Guy – Exercises Sample
Although there are hundreds of videos with Ben Patrick and his knees over toes methodology circling on the internet, 3 exercises keep appearing reappearing time and time again. They are:
- ATG Split Squats
- Sled
- Nordic Curls
ATG Split Squats
The ATG split squat is Ben Patrick’s favourite exercise of all time.
ATG stands for “ass-to-grass” or “ass-to-ground,” which means you will be going incredibly deep when squatting. And this is not your normal squat, but rather a split squat with one leg positioned in front of the other.
As you can see from the video, the ATG split squat is the epitome of his 2nd training pillar which is becoming stronger while also lengthening your muscles.
Sled
According to Knees Over Toes Guy, the sled is a fascinating and the best equipment in the gym that most people don’t use. Walking backwards is Patrick’s way of bulletproofing your knees with a simple movement.
Why is this his go-to exercise when it comes to bulletproofing your knees? Firstly, walking backwards strengthens your knees and the sled is one of the few pieces of equipment in a gym that does not put your body at risk at any moment. “Only you move the sled, the sled never moves you,” he says.
If you are looking to only increase the health of your knees, the backward sled is sufficient and anybody who is able to walk can do this exercise.
Nordic Curls
BOXROX has recently covered the Nordic curls, an exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings, three muscles that work across the knee and hip joints. It also activates your gluteus, spinal erectors and abs.
Unlike the previous exercise, the Nordic Curl, sometimes referenced as Nordic hamstring curl or inverse leg curl, is an exercise that only advanced athletes will be able to perform properly.
Knees Over Toes Guy Claims
Now that you know the basic principles of Ben Patrick’s training, what can you achieve if you follow his program?
First and foremost, Ben claims you will set yourself free from any knee pain you might have. If you do not have any knee pain, you will not have it ever again considering you maintain training with his methodology and exercises.
You will also improve your mobility, especially on your knees and ankle, while strengthening your lower body.
As it all started with his dream of dunking a basketball going down the hole, Ben Patrick now shares videos of him dunking quite often. His message is that his vertical jump increased from 19 inches (48 cm) to 42 inches (106.6 centimetres) – as a comparison, Michael Jordan has recorded a 48 inches vertical jump.
There is a video on his main website with a claim that “Ben has achieved more results with knees than any person in strength history.”
If you want, you can check out Knees Over Toes Guy interview on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast.
What Does the Fitness Industry Say About Knees Over Toes Methodology
In general, the fitness industry and physical therapists around the globe support the work of Ben Patrick.
Dr. Chris Raynor, an orthopaedic surgeon, agreed with most of Ben Patrick’s training methods. When it comes to backward walking, it can improve pain for many people with knee problems, but it cannot be said that this exercise will prevent cartilage damage “because that ain’t a thing.”
Zack Telander is a coach that shares weightlifting informational videos on his YouTube channel. He believes that Ben Patrick seems very self-righteous when he claims that his training techniques will be in textbooks in 30 years.
At the end of the day, however, Telander believes he understands where Patrick’s mentality comes from, as the knees over toes guy has a product he wants to sell (his training program) and does his best to showcase the ultimate outcome of following his recipe.
“That’s where progression and regression occur,” Telander says. “He has an entire system trying to develop you into the person that can do what he wants you to do.” The ATG split squat and the Nordic hamstring curl is an incredibly stressful variation on the body, Telander says, but Patrick wants to develop a system that will develop you to achieve the highest level and, subsequently, do the Nordic hamstring curl and ATG split squat.
Coach Dane Miller also made a video to explain his thoughts on Ben Patrick’s methodology. He actually called him a genius and a year after posting his video he invited Ben and they both did some workouts together.
Conclusion
Although some of Ben Patrick’s claim should be taken with a grain of salt – such as improving his vertical jump from 19 inches to 42 – there is a lot of great tips and training techniques and exercises you can learn from knees over toes guy.
This guy, for example, said his vertical jump improved 2.5 inches after six months of doing Ben Patrick’s program, which sounds more plausible and feasible.
As a way to improve knee pain and bulletproof your lower body, the backward sled pulling is incredibly useful and one exercise that you should definitely include when training.
The ATG split squat and the Nordic hamstring curl are exercises for more advanced athletes. Although, if you follow Ben Patrick’s Instagram account or purchase his training program, you will find that he also shares training tips and progression techniques to finally reach the potential of doing these high-end movements.
In the end, you can learn a lot from the knees over toes guy and should incorporate his teachings, but do not expect to have the same increase in your vertical jump as he claims he has. Overall, after reviewing numerous physical therapists’ opinions and explanations, Ben Patrick’s arguments and exercises are solid and worth it.
image sources
- Knees Over Toes PRO: Courtesy of CrossFit Inc.
