ATG Physical Fitness Program
We can change the course of history for youth fitness.
INTRO
This booklet is in honor of John F. Kennedy and the work he did in the 1960s to create measurable improvement in youth fitness statistics.
We’ve been going downhill ever since his assassination.
Now fast-forward to a few years ago. We proposed the wild goal of educating millions of people on the truth about how knees over toes is a scale of ABILITY. Since the 1970s, “no knees over toes” was the usual mandate. And it was wrong.
So we addressed it. You and I, spreading this education, changed fitness forever.
I assumed our most challenging goal was complete.
Then recently, it hit me:
Our biggest goal - BY FAR - is still ahead!
We were crazy enough to think we could change the course of history for the knee exercise.
Are you crazy enough to think we can change the course of history for youth fitness?
I have a feeling you might be.
I believe it’ll take non-stop effort for the next 10 years to have a real shot at this.
We will figure out ways to measure our progress.
This is the BEGINNING of the journey and we will sharpen along the way, but if I had to give you a representation of where my mind is right now:
“How many youths can do a pull-up today? In 10 years, more young people should be able to do a pull-up than now.”
As you’ll see in this booklet, pull-ups are far from the only measurement. But that would give you an idea of the kind of effect I’m aiming for: a REAL change in youth fitness.
JFK wrote the intro to his booklet and I suggest reading the whole thing, but I will quote a few of my favorite lines. (You can click here for the booklet.)
“We are, all of us, as free to direct the activities of our bodies as we are to pursue the objects of our thought. But if we are to retain this freedom, for ourselves and for generations yet to come, then we must be willing to work for those physical qualities upon which the courage and intelligence and skill of man so largely depend...
“We must live our lives in such a way that our children, and their children after them, will form a natural and lasting commitment to the vigorous life.”
JFK
That first quote was no longer true when I grew up.
The “No knees over toes” ultimatum had won.
And yet, JFK’s booklet from the 1960s had knees over toes training right on the cover:
And we can now proudly say we have helped millions to greater freedom for the knee.
But it wasn’t just educating people on knees over toes that made us win.
SCALE ABILITY
We spread the idea like never before that ability SCALES.
It’s not all-or-nothing.
You DON’T have to work through pain.
And you DON’T have to avoid an ability.
You can almost always find a level of ability you CAN do, and then gradually increase it over time.
This is how I turned my knees from my weakest link into a strength.
Scalability means both down and UP.
Every desired quality needs a low enough level for almost anyone to begin with and win.
And every desired quality also needs a worthy challenge for the advanced trainee to have a game.
So in this booklet, I’ll make sure to cover how each step is a scale of ability for the entire family, with context explained from grandma to toddler - and everyone in between.
THE PROGRAM
JFK used a few circulatory exercises, youth testing of throwing, sprinting, and jumping, plus a 10-step bodyweight system.
We will keep this same vision.
First we’ll cover 3 circulatory warm-up movements.
Next we’ll cover 3 youth athletic tests.
Then we’ll cover the 10-step ATG Exercise Program.
ATG is the name of my business. ATG was an abbreviation for “ass to grass” - in reference to how low you get when you squat with a full range of motion.
Since knees over toes and full range of motion were restricted for millions of people, I wanted my gym to be called “ATG.”
“Athletic Truth Group” was merely the most fitting name I could come up with to fit that acronym.
I always thought “Athletic Truth Group” was cheesy.
But over the last 10 years, we’ve accomplished quite a bit to earn the name, so I ain’t changing it now!
That’s the history of why our fitness system is called ATG.
I’ll be updating this manual as I get your feedback and as I coach my kids and other youths with them.
My wife and I are building a small schoolhouse on land we recently purchased. We will be educating our kids and some others there.
These kids won’t be doing this program every day.
They’ll play a balanced variety of fun physical games and sports.
But my wife and I will lead by example on this program, and the kids will gradually follow.
I’ll keep you posted on key breakthroughs.
In the meantime, if you’d like a frame of reference, I suggest doing this program up to 3 times per week.
The details ahead will help maximize your skill in applying it…
CIRCULATORY 1 of 3
We will use 3 exercises, done in circuit.
Start backward. 50 yards.
Walking backward is the lowest level of knee over toes training.
Kids tend to be bored with walking backward.
Go as fast as you like!
Just never work through pain. Work at the level that FEELS GOOD for YOU.
CIRCULATORY 2 of 3
Next, perform 20 jumping jacks. This will assist in getting circulation going, but if you don’t feel capable of doing jumping jacks, don’t worry: the backward walking progression strengthens the feet and the knees uniquely compared to forward walking, thereby providing positive adaptation so that, over time, jumping jacks may become easier.
CIRCULATORY 3 of 3
Now go forward 50 yards, at whatever pace feels good for you. This can be walking, running or anything in between.
Perform up to 3 rounds of this circuit:
50 yards backward
20 jumping jacks
50 yards forward
YOUTH TEST 1 of 3: THROW
“Youth testing” is intended for kids but also applies to adults, either for maintenance of youthful abilities or for testing youthful abilities regained from the exercise program ahead.
If you do this test or coach anyone in your family through it, please send me the results! Write in to ATGexercise.com and every message will be sent to me since I’m personally tracking all results.
For adult males, the Standard is a 20-pound ball thrown backward at least 30 feet. We perform 5 throws in a workout.
Below is a clockwise demonstration picture. You can see me at the end, observing the distance. (What you can’t see is a thin measuring tape running along a line on the court.)
Why is 30 feet the Standard for adult males?
Well, for 10 years I’ve been observing what abilities the MAJORITY of ATG trainees can safely achieve.
You can click here to read about all 23 Standards I maintain in my body.
And for our ATG coaches who can do most of these Standards, 30 feet was the baseline we could all do.
Fernando, pictured above, was able to launch the ball 40 feet.
For women and kids, you would test with a lighter ball. Then be sure to let me know the exact:
-age
-male or female
-weight of ball
-distance
With time, we’ll establish what fit people can do for a variety of categories.
Be sure to have fun with whatever distance you can do.
As the parent or coach, your job is leading by example.
And if you lead, your kids will achieve great wins because their bodies are naturally developing and getting stronger.
But realize that as an adult, your scores won’t increase as fast as the kids’.
Take joy in whatever you can do.
And…
BE SURE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THOSE KIDS.
I don’t care what level a child is starting at. Make them feel good about their IMPROVEMENT.
Let me remind you of my favorite line from JFK:
“We must live our lives in such a way that our children, and their children after them, will form a natural and lasting commitment to the vigorous life.”
And I’ll add one more:
“A Government cannot compel us to act, but freedom demands it. A nation is merely the sum of all its citizens, and its strength, energy, and resourcefulness can be no greater than theirs.”
This is how I think about my family. In doing so with my family, and you doing so with yours, and all of us then educating more people in person and on social media, we may actually do something to arrest the six decades of youth (and adult) fitness decline.
This brings us to…
IMPORTANT COACHING NOTE 1 of 3
Per the quotes above, I advise doing only the steps your kids WANT to do. This will vary greatly by age.
You must be prepared to lead by example and let your kids follow on their own free will.
Let them pleasantly surprise you.
It’s their game, not just yours.
Then be sure to validate any steps they do, and any improvements they make.
YOUTH TEST 2 of 3: SPRINT
This is a simple one, though not realistic for most adults. Solutions will be explained ahead.
You can either line up as a group and race or you can use a timer.
If you use a timer, please use a distance of 50 yards and send me the results: age, gender, and time.
I suggest 3 of these sprints, but if you don’t have a 50-yard straightaway, you could perform more than 3 sprints of shorter length. For example on a basketball court, we perform about 5 reps, since the court is only about 30 yards long.
We’re still establishing an adult male Standard here, but I’ll say this much: the ABILITY to sprint - without getting hurt - is a FANTASTIC goal in itself.
But please be cautious!
When adults rush into sprinting, the chances of injury are high!
Best case scenario: You begin this with your kids when they’re young so that you can run alongside them without going near your maximum speed. Then you can keep up with them, gradually adapting, while using ATG exercises to stay limber and resilient along the way.
But if you’ve lost the ability to run or you have any hesitation, the next part is particularly key knowledge…
IMPORTANT COACHING NOTE 2 of 3
Sprinting is perhaps the most vigorous exercise of all.
But if someone isn’t feeling youthful enough to sprint, there IS a breakthrough which allows you to SAFELY exercise vigorously.
As touched on in Circulatory 1, backward walking is both exercise and rehab at the same time.
And when you add RESISTANCE via ground surface friction, using a sled or resisted treadmill, you can get vigorous without increased risk of injury!
I know of no other exercise which provides such therapeutic, cardio and strength benefits all at the same time.
I’ve helped many thousands regain the ability to run without pain, and this is “step 1” of how I did it.
By using ground surface friction as the resistance, there is no increased effect of gravity bearing down on you! Running and lifting weights are wonderful exercises, but the force can be an injury risk.
Let’s compare a squat to a sled.
If the average person puts 1,000 pounds on a bar and tries to squat, there will be major injury.
But the average person can put 1,000 or even 10,000 pounds on a sled and not get hurt. The sled simply won’t move!
So you can exert as much as you desire without increased injury risk!
As the body gets older, though, it’s more often the injury-risk than the desire that prevents exertion! Pain and injuries stack up disguised as reduced desire for vigorous exercise.
This is why using a sled or resisted treadmill is a breakthrough for “the vigorous life.”
My mom is 70 and she does up to 10 minutes of sled or resisted treadmill as the first step of each workout.
And so do I!
It’s an exercise fundamental that will remain “step 1” of how I exercise, for life.
And my mom CAN SPRINT - wonderfully, in fact! But the sled and the exercises ahead are what support her ability to do so.
To be clear…
Youths may only need:
Circulatory
Tests
ATG Exercise Program
And ONLY doing steps they desire from each zone.
But for adults I advise:
10 Minutes of Sled or Resisted Treadmill
ATG Exercise Program
For adults, I recommend Circulatory as warm-up when joining your kids, or in place of sled or resisted treadmill when those tools aren’t available.
Testing could be done with the kids or as a fun barometer of your abilities and progress, but I don’t consider it mandatory for adults.
Testing is more crucial for kids because it’s fun for them and gives extra reasoning behind exercise. Testing helps them improve their scores.
Before we move on, here’s a historical note on the sled concept:
As an exercise, sled came about from men who LITERALLY were trying to squat 1,000 pounds!
The most legendary powerlifting coach of all time, Louis Simmons, observed incredible legs in powerlifters from Finland. He asked these Finnish powerlifters what their secret was. They credited their day jobs: They worked in the forest industry, dragging trees!
Louis immediately got to work turning that concept into an exercise.
The sled became a health tool to support their worldly efforts to fight gravity. Whether you’re trying to squat 100 pounds or sprint when you’re 70, I believe sled is the gentlest pillar to support your fight against gravity.
More recently, we created a backward treadmill, but I consider it less of an invention and more of an answer to a question I received thousands of times: “What do I do without a sled?”
The backward treadmill is one answer because you can supply resistance from the ground without the space required for a sled.
The other answer is shown ahead in the exercise routine “build from the ground up.” This is a style of resistance exercise - which can be done with bodyweight alone - where you sequentially strengthen the muscles closest to the ground.
Whether sledding or learning this exercise routine “from the ground up” - or both, as I do - I hope this booklet gives you tools that work for you and your family.
YOUTH TEST 3 of 3: JUMP
For the jump test, I wanted something that’s fun and easy to measure while providing a great workout for a young body.
Please bear in mind that I consider this the most youthful of the 3 tests, so adults should not stress about this one.
That being said, if you CAN perform this test as an adult, you are surely among the more youthful adults!
The test is 5 continuous broad jumps. I suggest doing the test 3 times. The adult Standard is 40 feet, sticking the fifth landing in a deep squat.
(demonstrated clockwise)
Let’s pause for a moment though and recognize that these qualities do still scale!
Who says you can’t jump forward 1 inch?
That’s not a joke.
I think just about any physical pursuit can be quite safe when you realize how a body slowly adapts.
So if you don’t overdo it at any point, you may be surprised to find yourself jumping more like a bunny rabbit a few months from now.
When in doubt, never work through pain or fear.
Stack up sure wins.
As for the deep squat landing on the 5th jump, don’t force it if you have any concern. Steps 3 and 5 of the 10-step exercise routine will help you improve this ability, but with shocking scalability.
ATG EXERCISE 1 of 10: CALF RAISE
These 10 exercises are things I’ve covered over and over for ATG readership, so this first edition of our booklet will be quick.
Mainly, I’ll put notable context as it relates to the broad age groups (in my family, from age 2 to 70) that will be exercising together!
Standing calf raise is easy to begin on two legs. Progressing to one leg creates a worthy challenge for youths. The youth Standard is 10 reps per leg with perfect form.
My personal Standard is those 10 reps with 25% of my bodyweight in hand.
And I think for longevity, if you can keep the youth Standard of 10 reps single-leg, that’s outstanding!
So yes I think there’s a parallel where a body develops and reaches its peak, but then as it keeps getting older, I think once again pursuing the YOUTH ATG exercise Standards is a clever pursuit for longevity.
ATG EXERCISE 2 of 10: TIB RAISE
This exercise trains the opposite of the calves.
It’s called the anterior tibialis. Anterior means “front” and tibialis means “of the tibia (shinbone).”
I just call them “tibs” for short.
This muscle is mainly challenged when you’re running and then you have to stop or jump, going from running on your toes to SLAMMING force through your heel.
So in youth, this muscle is already stimulated quite well!
But after injuries, or when vigorous sports are no longer part of a lifestyle, training tibs becomes more valuable.
And when in doubt…
Calves and tibs!
I’ve been training tibs for 10 years and I’m sure glad to have that extra ability in my lower leg muscles.
Just be aware that kids may not be excited to do this one, and I don’t want you to force them to.
Their tibs are already developing naturally from an active childhood. If they get serious about a stop-and-go sport, they may eventually have a desire for this step.
20 reps works well. Only the butt is against the wall. Legs straight. Standing closer to the wall makes it easier. Standing farther makes it tougher.
For both youth and longevity, I believe 20 reps is a great challenge.
My personal Standard is 20% of my bodyweight for 15 full and strict reps, no bouncing, using a tib bar.
ATG EXERCISE 3 of 10: ATG SPLIT SQUAT
This is my personal favorite exercise because of the total joint and mobility benefits it can provide.
This is also called an ATG Split Squat - the ATG in this case referring to “ass to grass.”
While there is no need to rush kids into this one, it’s far easier to build in youth and then MAINTAIN than it is to rebuild later in life.
That being said, I believe the pursuit of rebuilding this ability later in life is well worth it.
My mom’s hips were a mess when she began this pursuit at age 64.
She regained her youthful ability and she’s never looked back.
She credits her results to this exercise more than any other.
The youth-longevity parallel Standard is the ability to do this ATG Split Squat on flat ground, with the back of the front thigh covering the front calf, the rear knee not touching the ground, and the posture up.
For this Standard, the front heel can be off the ground to whatever degree feels good for you.
This exercise scales down by elevating the front foot (which reduces the flexibility required) and by using something to assist you (thus reducing the strength required).
A chair works great to get started.
A stairwell works great to make progress (lower).
And we offer a mobility box for measurable progress by 2” increments.
It scales up by adding load.
My personal Standard is 25% of my bodyweight per hand. This took me years to achieve. It represents how I slowly but systematically turned my knees from damaged and fragile to remarkably protected, all while achieving uncommon lower body mobility and explosion at the same time.
I reached my 20s having given up on a lifelong dream of dunking a basketball. And I assumed I was destined to be stiffer than most. ATG Split Squats are the fundamental reason I can now dunk and do the splits. However, it’s the full scope of these 10 zones that made this possible for me.
Perform 10 repetitions per side.
For this exercise in particular, I suggest more sets. The older body will typically need at least 3 sets of 10 per side in order to loosen up. For youths, this is less necessary but still allowed if the youngster desires more sets.
Last note: I have been working on this exercise for 10 years.
It’s the best investment I’ve ever made in my body.
I’ve probably coached more of these than anyone on Earth, by a lot.
And the point of saying all that is:
I have seen best results when working at the level that FEELS GOOD.
I have NOT seen better results from pushing strength or flexibility into levels that are uncomfortable.
This exercise is an excellent lesson on life itself.
ATG EXERCISE 4 of 10: NORDIC HAMSTRING CURL
All you need to begin this exercise is a pad and a partner.
Using your body’s weight to hold down your partner’s heels, the trainee will attempt to lower down slowly. Use the hands to push back up to the top.
Perform 5 repetitions.
The youth-longevity Standard is the ability to lower without loss of control for at least 1 of those reps.
Don’t underestimate how difficult this is.
SLOW AND STEADY.
If I reminded you “SLOW AND STEADY” before every single workout, I’d likely improve your long-term progress.
A body responds to your efforts, but not instantly. It takes a body time to recover back stronger than it was before. The older bodies get, the slower they tend to respond. But they DO respond.
The Standard I personally maintain is not only controlling the 5 reps down, but also lifting my body back up. This is an explosive motion that is best learned by watching video. You can click here to see it.
For those going all-in on this training, I created a bench that scales by angle, so usually the entire family can work at an appropriate level.
Note: Gyms usually have a hamstring curl machine, which is a valid option for this step.
Bear in mind: The home gym equipment I need for this entire program cost less than a single hamstring curl machine.
But in gyms they’re common, and I maintain a Standard of 85% of my bodyweight for at least 8 reps.
ATG EXERCISE 5 of 10: (DEEPEST) ATG SQUAT
This one is particularly easy for kids to start practicing.
But we have a unique goal, and that’s reaching the buttocks muscles toward the heels of the shoes. Done for 20 repetitions, this can create a great challenge for the legs, with zero equipment whatsoever.
For adults, balance usually gets in the way of results, but let’s look at 3 options:
Option 1: Work at the version above, but only if you have NO PAIN.
Option 2: Use a slantboard for stability. This often rockets lower body results forward in struggling cases.
Option 3: Use ASSISTANCE. I could make a living just going around to senior living facilities with a rack and a band. Pulsing around 20 deep reps like this - SCALING YOUTHFUL MOBILITY RATHER THAN AVOIDING IT - we could create stunning lower body longevity changes.
Now here’s how it scales upward…
For adults, my go-to recommendation is staying on the slant and gradually loading with weight in front of the body.
But for maximum challenge, I load behind my back. This is the Standard I maintain: 25% of my bodyweight behind my back, for 20 reps.
While this may look scary, you should know that the creator of this exercise, George Hackenschmidt, is one of the OLDEST known cases of jumping longevity. He called this his favorite exercise, and he was able to jump over hurdles until he died in his MID-80s! Cheers, George!
ATG EXERCISE 6 of 10: LOWER BACK
There’s a lot of confusion about the lower back, and there’s a simple reason why.
The lower back is at the center of the body.
So the modern lower back pain epidemic isn’t only from the lower back.
It’s also from below the lower back, above the lower back, and around the lower back.
For example, let’s look back at exercise 3 and notice how the back leg has to stretch. This consistently creates above-the-norm flexibility for the hip flexors (picture below), which are some of the antagonist muscles to the lower back!
The modern lifestyle involves a tremendous amount of sitting, leaving those hip flexors in a shortened position longer than natural.
So the ATG Split Squat is a “lower back exercise.”
And so is directly exercising the lower back.
But if you look only for ONE special cause of lower back problems, you’re likely to miss out on the true cause: the SUM OF YOUR ABILITIES relating to your lower back.
The modern body isn’t just one deviation away from ideal function concerning the lower back!
Can you do a flat ground ATG Split Squat?
Palms to floor pike?
Bridge?
These are just a few examples of abilities relating to lower back function.
Of my 23 personal Standards, I count TEN that relate strongly to my lower back. A great deviation in any one of those 10 would shift physics less in my favor.
In life there are no guarantees.
But when it comes to the modern lower back, I advise ability, ability, ABILITY - not just hoping things work out.
When you look at society around you, you should feel confident that your abilities are in another league compared to the average body. Otherwise, how can you expect a different fate than the majority?
This progression is simple.
Control a rounding of the spine without bending the knees. Perform 20 reps.
The youth-longevity Standard is being able to touch the floor, and my personal Standard is palms to floor.
This scales down by placing the hands on something to reduce the load on the lower back, bending both knees, then straightening just one leg.
This results in a greater stretch along the backside since one leg is bent, reducing the total load on your lower back because your hands are alleviating your full load.
Scaling up can be done with a slantboard in REVERSE for greater stretch, or by using a back extension machine.
I’m a big fan of slant in reverse due to modern shoes with elevated heels, and modern, hard surfaces. When you walk barefoot in grass, sand, or mud, your heel sinks down, creating a natural stretch for your upper calves.
But when you wear shoes with elevated heels or walk on concrete or hardwood, the heel doesn’t sink down naturally.
This results in a population with stiff upper calves.
Some people are shocked to find that no one in their family - even the KIDS (they have no problem with this when very young, but by age 10 they’ve often stiffened up) - can touch the toes when standing with straight legs, facing the slant.
But most people - SLOW AND STEADY - can get to touching the floor while standing on the slant, without any pain along the way.
In my opinion, this represents more natural flexibility along the backside of the body.
A back extension machine scales down or up almost infinitely, allowing simple progression of strength. My personal Standard is 25% of my bodyweight for 20 slow and controlled reps, no swinging.
But it’s beautiful how you can start ASSISTED and only and EVER stay in the range of motion that FEELS GOOD.
A lower back with more pain-free strength and motion would be more protected than one with less pain-free strength and motion.
This is common sense.
It’s also why I believe a back extension machine should be on the order of a TV, a couch or other everyday household item. Yes, I think a modern household should have a back extension. Maybe that sounds wild. But I think it’s even more wild how many billions of dollars are spent on the lower back relative to how little is done to master its abilities!
This doesn’t mean a back extension or a Standard make you exempt from life.
Life is unpredictable!
My Standards simply give me useful targets that shift more control to ME over my body’s outcomes.
I refuse to go along with horrendous modern statistics without trying to do something for my body significantly different from what the average body is doing.
ATG EXERCISE 7 of 10: ABS & HIP FLEXORS
I think this one is best explained from the ideal, and then we will scale back and look at how anyone can start right now, with zero equipment.
In gymnastics and in many European gyms, “stall bars” are a common tool.
They install against a wall and, among other things, allow simple progression of strength of the abdominals with particular emphasis for the lower abdominals, as well as hip flexors.
It is the fullest and best test of “core strength” that I have ever used.
It scales to anyone who can hang because you can start by raising your legs with your knees bent, then gradually progress.
I maintain 10 reps in this exercise but I’ll be a proud and happy papa if my kids achieve and maintain at least one rep.
Even without stall bars, you can still achieve the L-Sit, which is a tremendous goal that scales down super easily.
Here’s an L-Sit. This ability is exceptional for youths and for longevity. As the pictures continue, we will scale this down…
Now let’s drop one leg. This makes it easier but still a great challenge for most. Hold for 2 seconds. Drop the elevated leg. Lift the other and hold for 2 seconds. Perform 10 per side…
Now let’s drop the body, too. This allows almost anyone to get started. Raise a leg for 2 seconds. Lower. Repeat on the other side. Perform 10 per side. The more you lean back, the easier it is. The more you lean forward, the harder it is.
ATG EXERCISE 8 of 10: QL
This can be done with or without equipment. Without equipment I suggest seated, hands behind head, trying to reach your elbow to the floor. Perform 10 per side.
If you need help with the flexibility, sit with your back against a wall.
You can scale back the strength by using your hands on the floor to assist.
To scale up the difficulty, you can either add load…
…or use a back extension machine, which leverages more of your body’s weight.
My personal Standard is 20 reps per side with a back extension.
Warning: This exercise is notorious for delayed onset muscle SORENESS. Most people have never trained this muscle for strength and flexibility, so even if you’ve exercised for decades, this may get sore as if you’re brand-new.
The muscle being trained is called the quadratus lumborum (your lumbar spine is your lower spine), or “QL” for short.
Your QL is on either side of your lower spine. In relation to lower back health, it’s one of those muscles I’m grateful to have been training for about a decade.
ATG EXERCISE 9 of 10: FULL PULL UP
Think of this in 4 levels:
Level 1: hanging to exhaustion
Level 2: holding the top position to exhaustion
Level 3: lowering down as slowly as possible
Level 4: full reps
The ability to do a pull-up is our youth-longevity Standard.
My personal Standard is at least 10 full reps.
I think the pull up is one of the best overall tests of the body.
My kids are only 2 and 3, but when my wife or I do a pull-up, they naturally try to copy us. They can already hang quite well and I believe they will naturally be able to do pull ups per this quote from JFK. Yeah, I know this is my 3rd time repeating this specific quote, but it’s worth the repetition:
“We must live our lives in such a way that our children, and their children after them, will form a natural and lasting commitment to the vigorous life.”
Now let’s look at the parallel: My mom, at 70, now has good control down on a pull up!
Just the other day, my dad admitted that he’s trying to keep up with my kids, so he’s working on his ability to do a pull up for the first time in decades!
I’m a proud papa… and a proud son.
A good indicator here is that I have not had to be forceful with my kids or with my parents.
But if your kids or parents or spouse or whomever doesn’t immediately jump on board, please do not let that deter you. Keep setting an example and keep looking for what level of scale they could WIN with.
The more failures that have piled up for someone on exercise, the more likely they are to resist, so please keep this in mind and never take it personally.
You and I are trying to change stats for millions. We won’t win every time.
You have a huge heart for even trying.
ATG EXERCISE 10 of 10: FULL PUSH UP
Parallel bars or even cinder blocks can work to elevate the hands.
If someone can’t do a full push-up, go on the knees, using a comfortable pad, couch cushion, etc.
Youths can usually start on the knees. But there’s a solution ahead if not.
Perform 10 full reps. Don’t rush or bounce. The eventual goal is 10 full reps not on the knees.
The other method of scaling this down - or UP - is a full chest press.
By angling dumbbells, you can get a fuller range of motion without the dumbbells hitting your chest.
My personal Standard is 37.5% of my weight per hand, for at least 8 reps, using at least a 30-degree incline.
THE BEGINNING
This is probably the longest article I’ve written and it’s only the beginning of our next goal, so I’ll spare you a protracted ending.
Thank you for joining me in this impossible mission.
Here is a full recap for easy reference:
Circulatory (up to 3 circuits)
50 Yards Backward
20 Jumping Jacks
50 Yards Forward
Youth Tests
5 Backward Medball Tosses
3 50-Yard Sprints
3 5-Rep Broad Jumps
ATG Exercises
10 Single-Leg Calf Raises Per Side
20 Tib Raises
10 ATG Split Squats Per Side (up to 3 sets)
5 Nordics
20 (Deepest) ATG Squats
20 Lower Back
10 Ab & Hip Flexor
10 QL Per Side
Full Pull Up to Exhaustion
Full Push Up or Press to Exhaustion
Please keep me posted on any feedback from you, your family, or anyone else you work with on this!
And if you’d like the program and all technique videos to be at your fingertips, with your own videos coached along the way, this program is now the first one you’ll see in the app!
Yours in Solutions,
Ben
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