KneesOverToesGuy — Workouts That Produce Wild Results and Lessons from Charles Poliquin

My workout with Ben: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpM4V6O9f6w Ben Patrick, better known as “Kneesovertoesguy” (@TheKneesovertoesguy) is the founder of Athletic Truth Group (ATG), an online and brick-and-mortar training system rooted in rehabilitative strength and joint health. After years of debilitating knee and shin pain (including multiple surgeries), he rebuilt his body and performance, going from a sub-20″ vertical to a documented 42″ leap. This episode is brought to you by: Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support: https://livemomentous.com/Tim (Code TIM for 35% off your first subscription.) Monarch track, budget, plan, and do more with your money: Monarch.com/Tim (50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code TIM) David Protein Bars 28g of protein, 150 calories, and 0g of sugar: https://davidprotein.com/tim (Buy 4 cartons, get the 5th free.) [00:00] Preview [00:42] How Ben went from Old Man Patrick to Knees Over Toes Guy. [04:29] Backward sled dragging for safe strength building and rehab. [11:46] Full range of motion squatting (deep squats vs. 90-degree limitation). [12:35] “Strength is gained in the range it is trained.” — Charles Poliquin [14:50] ATG split squat (front foot elevated split squat). [15:53] Heel elevation and counterbalancing techniques. [23:26] Ben’s mother’s transformation — from hip deterioration to sprinting at age 71. [23:42] Ben’s vertical jump progression — unable to grab rim in high school to dunking at 34. [24:21] Most effective exercises Ben’s mom might recommend. [25:51] Ben and I reflect on what Charles Poliquin (RIP) gave to us. [32:37] How backwards sled pulling became a revered exercise. [35:12] Mr. Universe Bob Gajda’s contributions to Ben’s regimen. [38:15] ATG prioritizes offering American-made products when possible. [39:12] Tibialis raises without equipment. [40:24] Why I included the ATG wrist bar in a recent 5-Bullet Friday. [43:19] Ben’s videos he most recommends. [49:27] Applying the minimum effective dose (MED) for maximum results in any endeavor. [54:40] What I would include in The 4-Hour Body if it were written or revised today. [56:02] A space-saving alternative for people who want to enjoy the benefits of sled work. [56:47] Real examples of high-yield workouts that require a low investment of time. [01:00:53] Ben’s basketball warmup protocols. [01:01:53] Regularly skip leg day? Try Arnold Schwarzenegger’s one simple trick. [01:03:46] Maintaining integrity in the ever-fickle world of content creation. [01:27:15] Parting thoughts. Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 900 million downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running. Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's free weekly email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/ Follow the Tim Ferriss Podcast: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss Blog: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/

Ben PatrickguestTim Ferrisshost

Nov 12, 20251h 28mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: November 12, 2025
Duration: 1h 28m
Channel: Tim Ferriss
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

My workout with Ben: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpM4V6O9f6w Ben Patrick, better known as “Kneesovertoesguy” (@TheKneesovertoesguy) is the founder of Athletic Truth Group (ATG), an online and brick-and-mortar training system rooted in rehabilitative strength and joint health. After years of debilitating knee and shin pain (including multiple surgeries), he rebuilt his body and performance, going from a sub-20″ vertical to a documented 42″ leap. This episode is brought to you by: Momentous high-quality creatine for cognitive and muscular support: https://livemomentous.com/Tim (Code TIM for 35% off your first subscription.) Monarch track, budget, plan, and do more with your money: Monarch.com/Tim (50% off your first year at monarchmoney.com with code TIM) David Protein Bars 28g of protein, 150 calories, and 0g of sugar: https://davidprotein.com/tim (Buy 4 cartons, get the 5th free.) [00:00] Preview [00:42] How Ben went from Old Man Patrick to Knees Over Toes Guy. [04:29] Backward sled dragging for safe strength building and rehab. [11:46] Full range of motion squatting (deep squats vs. 90-degree limitation). [12:35] “Strength is gained in the range it is trained.” — Charles Poliquin [14:50] ATG split squat (front foot elevated split squat). [15:53] Heel elevation and counterbalancing techniques. [23:26] Ben’s mother’s transformation — from hip deterioration to sprinting at age 71. [23:42] Ben’s vertical jump progression — unable to grab rim in high school to dunking at 34. [24:21] Most effective exercises Ben’s mom might recommend. [25:51] Ben and I reflect on what Charles Poliquin (RIP) gave to us. [32:37] How backwards sled pulling became a revered exercise. [35:12] Mr. Universe Bob Gajda’s contributions to Ben’s regimen. [38:15] ATG prioritizes offering American-made products when possible. [39:12] Tibialis raises without equipment. [40:24] Why I included the ATG wrist bar in a recent 5-Bullet Friday. [43:19] Ben’s videos he most recommends. [49:27] Applying the minimum effective dose (MED) for maximum results in any endeavor. [54:40] What I would include in The 4-Hour Body if it were written or revised today. [56:02] A space-saving alternative for people who want to enjoy the benefits of sled work. [56:47] Real examples of high-yield workouts that require a low investment of time. [01:00:53] Ben’s basketball warmup protocols. [01:01:53] Regularly skip leg day? Try Arnold Schwarzenegger’s one simple trick. [01:03:46] Maintaining integrity in the ever-fickle world of content creation. [01:27:15] Parting thoughts. Tim Ferriss is one of Fast Company’s “Most Innovative Business People” and an early-stage tech investor/advisor in Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Shopify, Duolingo, Alibaba, and 50+ other companies. He is also the author of five #1 New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers: The 4-Hour Workweek, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Chef, Tools of Titans and Tribe of Mentors. The Observer and other media have named him “the Oprah of audio” due to the influence of his podcast, The Tim Ferriss Show, which has exceeded 900 million downloads and been selected for “Best of Apple Podcasts” three years running. Sign up for "5-Bullet Friday" (Tim's free weekly email newsletter): https://go.tim.blog/5-bullet-friday-yt/ Follow the Tim Ferriss Podcast: https://tim.blog/podcast/ Visit the Tim Ferriss Blog: https://tim.blog/ Follow Tim Ferriss on Twitter: https://twitter.com/tferriss/ Follow Tim Ferriss on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timferriss/ Like Tim Ferriss on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TimFerriss/

SPEAKERS

Ben Patrick
guest
Knee-rehab and athletic training coach known as “KneesOverToesGuy,” creator of ATG-style knee strengthening protocols.
Tim Ferriss
host
Author and podcast host of The Tim Ferriss Show, known for books including The 4-Hour Workweek and The 4-Hour Body.

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Tim Ferriss, featuring Ben Patrick and Tim Ferriss, KneesOverToesGuy — Workouts That Produce Wild Results and Lessons from Charles Poliquin explores knees-over-toes training, sled work, and integrity-driven minimalism for results Ben Patrick recounts how chronic knee pain, surgeries, and reliance on painkillers pushed him to re-examine the common “don’t let your knees go over your toes” rule and adopt a different progression influenced by Charles Poliquin.

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