ATG Split Squat 

These ATG split squats have seriously changed my life. It took me 6 weeks of going through the Zero program before I achieved my first unassisted bodyweight split squat. Since then, I’ve continued to work on them and am currently doing 4 sets of 10 with 10lbs in each hand. My knees feel better than ever before.

Changed my life, as I can now walk and all that chronic pain 90% gone (so far). Thanks Knees Over Toes Guy

Man, my fitness playlist is slowly getting filled with your tips. Once again, thank you for always posting 🔥🔥content!

You were showing the seated calf raise with the kettlebell and you had the foot behind the knee..does foot position matter.with that exercise?

Thank you for that great demonstration of split squat. I was doing it wrong. I'm a grandmother that loves your training and even though I may not do it right, I don't have knee pain and I used to.

The ATG Split Squat has basically fixed my short, weak hip flexors. I can now lie flat, with a foam roller under my butt, draw one knee to my chest, and still have my heel of my other, outstretched leg, resting on the floor (when I started it was off the floor at a 45° angle). New Problem: My abs have been in this long, stretched position for most of my life. I need a hyper effective “Knees Over Toes” drill to solve this imbalance.

I appreciate your passion for this and your positive message! Very inspiring! It looks like you might hear this a lot in the comments😉, but I'm adding another one. ATG changed my life. I have a neuro-immune disease (autoimmune's big bad brother) and I spent several years bedbound. I had/have so much muscle wasting. It's been a very slow journey back to health, but man I thought it was a game changer to learn about hip flexor and the SI joint. ATG is the icing on top! 🎂 I had to learn stretches just simply to get out of bed. I've gotten my morning routine down from two hours to one. I'm just now seeing the wedge -need! My balance and gait have been slow to return. But, actually now that I think of it I stopped using my cane and shower chair after I started doing this technique. And I wear a support belt around my hips during the day too.

Channel is so great. Ben is always always updating. I started maybe a month ago and have watched so many videos and there’s always new ones coming out with updated versions. Keep it up!

I stumbled across you in 2020 right before my Total knee replacement. The amount of free content whether in your backyard or at HQ, that you provided is off the hook and I dabbled a little here a little there. Unlike most in fitness arena you NEVER found it necessary to fight with or insult others. In 2021 I gifted myself the ATG program starting with zero. I love the constant feedback I get within the ATG app. Though it does hog up some space on my phone I still don't have full mobility on my left knee, I may never due to TKR. Also the app let's you pause which has come in handy due to injury or just life. Not only has ATG helped my hip/knee/ankle strength & mobility but also my back and shoulders.

It’s like when black panther came out in theaters I try to show it to everyone i know and don’t know if the conversation goes on long enough well eventually talk sled or I’ll suggest walking backwards to them 🤷‍♂️

Hope you have a great day knees over toes

I know I aint the 1st to say this, but thank you Sir. Starting feel far better when I first found you few weeks back. All the best to you Sir from New Zealand✊️❤️💯

When do you know you should go lower?

Thank you so much for creating this channel and putting this science to the world! I heard you say I would feel good after activity doing this I was like sure….overall I keep it up the hack squats and everything because it really does work I really do feel good AFTER activities….so thanks again!!!!

This helped me not get knee surgery. I thank God & You

So should I add this to my stretch routine or workout and if so how many sets and reps of this do I do as a beginner I’m just confused on how to incorporate this into my schedule

What’s the maximum times a week we should train our knees with these exercises? Is it bad to do them everyday?

Hi Will this help in over coming degenerative changes seen in both knee joints ?

Do you have any tips or recommendation for people with worn down kneecap padding? Cus apparently that stuff doesn't heal and it makes static knee exercises and sometimes just walking painful.

Thank you! I’m sharing

Awesome video, as always. Question: if doing these exercises on the same day as running, would you recommend them after or before the run? Thanks!

I’m amazed at how many times per week I stopped to do some form or variation of this ATG split squat !! It’s revolutionized my mobility, and made a huge difference in how I take care of my legs! I can’t even count how many people I’ve told about this in the past year :-)

I’ve had a chronic knee issue for years. When I did knee strengthening exercises it would take three days for my knee to recover. I started doing two things about four weeks ago: 1- split squats 2- walking backwards. I am shocked at how much better my knee feels. I’m 72, wish I had known about this 40 years ago when my knee started bothering me.

Thank you Ben.

Hey Ben, you ever experience tightness or lack of mobility after long periods of being ok? I play basketball but the other day I played 2 days in a row and my right knee is tight. I do the atg split squats to help reduce swelling but weird it comes and goes sometimes.

Thank you for teaching true exercise science! Your workouts are truly incredible. I try to educate everyone I meet about your program. Just a suggestion, hamstring sliders might be a great, no-equipment (if using rags or socks) alternative to nordics. Thanks again

I have been in serious knee and back pain for 3 straight months now, and off and on for 3 years before that. I have been weight and yoga training almost daily trying to get out of pain for 3 months. I did split squats for my workout for ONE DAY. It was the first day and night I have been out of pain in three months. No pain. None. Totally life changing.

Hey Ben, Where would you say to put pressure for the front leg? If I focus pressure towards the knee, it feels as if I’m putting undue pressure on the knee joints. Should I lean back into the hamstring/glutes?

Thanks Ben I’m now working on it I’m 76 lol getting stronger but it will take time❤I get sore knees when I I do my squats is there a reason for that and can I do something to fix that??

What do we do if we don't have the ankle mobility to do this with the foot flat on the ground but can reasonably easily achieve this (weighted) with heel elevation? Thanks in advance - ace content!

Once again, another tremendously valuable video. I have always struggled with the ATG split squat. My legs are strong, but lack the stability to hold good form. Add to that, I am relatively short so positioning has been very difficult to master. I always sigh when I see this exercise come up next on my workouts, but I have persisted purely because of how you have stressed how beneficial this exercise is. I just finished up my workout today and some minor adjustments from this video made my split squats feel much more effective and I wasn't spending my time holding on to something to keep from falling over. Thanks Ben.

when coming up from the position, should I be pushing with my knees? Should I feel my knees pushing to get up from the position or should i be feeling it somewhere else?

What if you havr one knee that has less ROM? My right knee that kmneeds the most helo can only bend 130 degrees vs 135 for the left.

Sir I have been diagnosed with hoofas fat pad impigment I’m 28yro it hurts when I squat . Physio has given me exercise for 4-6 weeks please what do you recommend for pain ( squatting ) and strength/ conditioning please ? You’ve been recommend by two people . Love from London

beautiful exercise. swapped bulgarian split squats with these and it's lowkey amazing.

Rep range ?

Is this program useful for someone who has had surgery for a fractured left hip and more recently a rod placed in their right leg for a fractured femur? Will it also help to balance out my hips ? I’ve notice one side looking and feeling more forward that the other. Am currently in PT to regain right knee extension and flexion but seem to have problems on the top hip feeling jammed higher and rotated forward while the left leg seems longer and a bit behind my body.Also my feet roll out when I walk. Not asking for a diagnosis but more curious if your program would suit me .Which book do you recommend? Sorry so long.Just overwhelmed with the lack of positive PT progress and am anxious I will never be able to bike again.Am a 50 year old woman . Thanks.

Can anyone help me? I dont have knee pain but whenever I do ATG split squat my knees make popping sounds. Should I do it without it (do it really really really slow) or should I not care about the popping? I dont have any pain.

Anyone else have the problem of not having good balance trying to do them, especially when loading? How do I properly improve my balance?

What exercise would you recommend someone with gastronemius (calf) pain when bending the leg and also feeling the pain on each sides of the knee. Not sure how it was caused. Been going on for half a year. When i pull my foot back like when stretching a hamstring i feel the top of the calf in a similar pain. Maybe i overstretched the calf. Not sure. How do i fix this.

I have pain in my patella region, how do I do these if that pain persists? Do I slowly ease into it or are there are other exercises that you would recommend I do first to address the patella? Thanks.

Is there a recommended progression to go from assisted chair level to flat ground? Im sure it varies for everyone, but is there an average timeline youve seen in your experience?

Beast

What's the main thing we get with ATG split squats vs bulgarian split squats? hipflexors?

Thanks for sharing. How many reps and sets of each do you do?

I've been doing ATGSS with the heel elevated and recently i've regressed it to a higher surface with the heel down, it feels much better the next day, because im struggiling with a sport hernia, i've seen better results with the heel down and regressed, should i do it with the heel down to fix my sport hernia?

Thanks for the dedication and care you are showing by posting always more refined techniques and explanations. Its a lot. Have a great day.

Thanks

Ove been trying these and other😢 exercises but it almost feels like im hitting a bone one my left ankle. The right ankle is makeing progress. Do you know of anything i can do to increase then flexibility on my left?

How do I get certified as an ATG coach?

Any tips for finding stance width spacing? Kind of struggle to find the right foot placement sometimes

Ghouuuuuula hhhhh

Hey Ben, I am confused on the progression method for this exercise. You start with elevating the front foot, lower the elevation over time, then once at the lowest elevation (floor) add weights, but where does the front heel elevation insert in there? Any advice for feeling discomfort to the medial side of the knee when performing the exercise? Also, this exercise is not a replacement for a bulgarian split squat, where one could greatly increase the weight for muscle-building goals, correct? It should be thought of as a supplement?

This is so so helpful! Thank you so much for sharing!!!!

I still don’t understand how far out do I keep my foot in front of me when I squat (when elevated ?

So at any point there should be no cracking (even if it’s pain free)?

Mr Patrick, I've begun implementing ATG split squats very recently into my regimen(I'm 15) and it's allowed me to be able to play basketball, the sport of my dreams. Just asking how many times a week can I train the exercise(as well as the stretches) and how many times a week can I play basketball(please be detailed in the answer if it doesn't inconvenience you too much) thanks

Hi one question! When I do the ATG split squat, the max I can go is half the hamstring touching the calves. May I know how do I progress to the full hamstring touching the calves?

What does it likely mean if the back leg in a single leg squat/lunge (even less extreme than this version) is totally unable to bend at the knee and support weight during such motions due to extreme pain in it? Anyone experienced/got past that? Also very painful to go down with that same leg forward, but even less possible in the back. History: Lost muscle in legs after an injury and unfortunate timing of treatment (even more loss in injured side). Have grade 3 chondromalacia in likely both as well and patella alta, which never much bothered me outside of noise for my whole life because my legs were strong before. Could do anything, crouch, kneel, dance, hike, run, jog up stairs, bike, etc. without knee pain aside from a rare bit. Now it's been terrible. The injured knee also seems to be maltracking from all the muscle loss and imbalance after injury. It's a slow process trying to get back to 'normal.' Scope is the next step if I can't get there otherwise, which would confirm nothing else was missed and would 'clean up' some of the bad cartilage. But it won't fix maltracking and I'd rather do so without surgery if possible. It's so hard to restrengthen without the ability to do more gainful exercises like this due to the limiting pain, mostly with the injured knee. Stairs are a challenge going up still (after some muscle regain), and going down can only happen for the bad side if I go backwards. Trying step ups and all the lying down leg raises, but it is very slow progress. Keep getting the hip hurting by pushing the weaker side too much.

I broke my lateral chondial/tibia plateau... 6 month since surgery, and now a plate and 5 screws. Been going to PT.... any advice?

But my knees lock if they go past 45 degree angle

I had an epiphany today. Is the elliptical backwards a pretty good substitute for the treadmill backwards???? :)))

Has anyone tried this for chondromalacia patella?

Does your front foot have to have your heel touching the ground or can it raise off the floor/bench?

Is it safe for my mom, who has a new knee, to do ATG split squats?

will this help to strenghten the psoas muscle while keeping it long??

Should you replace regular squats with these?

Is there a rule of thumb on how far apart your feet should be or do you just do what feels comfortable?

Should the knee be straight or pointed outwards

I injured my meniscus in my right knee 5 months ago, would these be good for it? Got my full extension back but still get slight pain

I’ve noticed one side is easier than the other, any way to balance them out?

Will this help me with improper patellar tracking?

Homies doing the splits 🤣.. I found you from a basketball sub on Reddit and I’m glad I did… I’m getting older and my knees can’t keep up with my 235 pound shifty sf/pf.. my knees are shot and I’m hoping this will help before my knees require surgery

Been doing this off and on for a couple of years. Definitely gets my patellas feeling better.

Boom !!!!💥

Harlem shake on em Ben

I’ve been having knee pain during capoeira and am going to give these exercises a try to see if it improves, but after binging these vids I’m sure it will when I put the work in 💪🏾

Good advice. I tell my patients similar advice too. But can be easier something I will cover in near future

Almost got my splits back

So how many teps and sets?

Hi Ben, I've had a small problem lately. Everytime i do ATG split squats my Hip Flexors start to hurt. After just being stretched for 5 seconds in that position they start to hurt and when I get up it's still hurts and I can't stretch anymore. Could my hip flexors be strained, or overworked? It wasn't always like this, so I guess they're strained. Should I give em a rest, or what's the fix? Thanks :)

Tore both my ACLs (had reconstruction surgery) and lateral and medial meniscus on my right knee and just recently incurred a grade 4 chondral defect from skiing in February. I’ve just started these exercises and hoping I can get back to playing basketball the way I used to (I’m only 22). Do you think explosiveness is still possible? What else should I be doing? I’d like to be able to sprint and jump again but I’m not anywhere close to that level after 2 months since the chondral defect. Thank you for your videos!!

Very intelligent man

Thanks a lot for your efforts. Another great video. I just have a simple question: I was recently diagnosed with an inguinal hernia. Do you think this exercise would be harmful for me? (Doctors generally don't have much idea about these issues, so I'm directing this question to you.) Thanks in advance for your reply.

Does this work out the glutes?

Just did the exercise for the first time in a while, only 1 set of 10 with 20kg and I was surprised just how much my hip mobility improved for front kicks. Amazing exercise.

Hi, I’m wondeing how often each week do you recommend we try these? I have just begun doing 3 sets of 10, how often shall I repeat this? And how shall I intertwine it with my training, shall I do it after leg training, or on non-leg days? Thank you!!!

Whenever I do bend my right knee in for example a squat or an ATG split squat, it will give a pop when I reach about 90 degrees of flexion. If Im past that point it goes quite good, but the popping really limits my mobility and hurts a bit. How do I work on this?

Hey! I love your content and have one quick question - if my knees are cracking like glow sticks with every ATG split squat rep, is that normal? Does it mean there’s too much intensity too quickly? Thanks in advance!!

What are some good knee excercise for sports that do allot of change direction. Eg. Football (I am a WR Flag Football Athlete), Soccer, or even the Kyrie Irvine's Crossover athletic athletes who want to avoid acl injuries and be better at that skill?

Do we engage/contract the back leg glute on the ATG split squat ? And what are your thoughts on standing with knees locked/fully extended during moments of standing throughout the day?

Thank You

Thanks for all the great content! Just curious, how do you feel about other single leg exercises that allow you to achieve a similar level of depth eg. Cossack squats, pistol squats, high box step ups, split squats with both feet elevated by a large amount?

I train bjj competitively and have recently had knee pain that slowed down the intensity of my training. Thought I’d have to go see a doctor and get images and maybe surgery, but I decided to get as much therapy on it as I could and I found you online. After two months of following your exercise routine (split squat, dead lift, backwards running, foot flexions and Hamstring work along with some flossing) my knees have never felt better and my overall performance has noticeably increased. Thank you for putting out such important content and laying out the way you have. It’s given me the chance to keep competing and performing at my highest capacity! I keep spreading the word on what you do and how it helps and I hope to keep the information flowing 👊

anyone who is skeptical... it works. :)

thank you for this information. This was very helpful

If ankle mobility is the main limiting factor would you recommend always using the a wedge or alternating weeks.

Love your stuff and your jumping abilities. What do think of walking backwards in three feet of water for ten minutes if a sled isn’t always available?

Can you find a breakthrough for elbows next?

Fixed my knee but damaged my hip what to do