History of The ATG Split Squat

After Backward Sled, the ATG Split Squat is the exercise I’m most grateful for.

After Backward Sled, the ATG Split Squat is the exercise I’m most grateful for.

It originated 50 years ago as a means of catching the bar in Olympic weightlifting:

It turned out not to be most efficient for that, but it illuminated what could be the greatest stretch-strength exercise.

Fast-forward to today. This exercise regresses all the way down to NEGATIVE bodyweight by using reverse band technology, so grandparents around the world are restoring youthful mobility with it:

[Reverse band applied to ATG Split Squat was realized by legendary powerlifter and innovator Mark Bell while we were training together.]

My beautiful mother is demonstrating above. She used the ATG Split Squat to overcome debilitating hip pain, run faster and improve her mobility. She plays with my son as if she’s in her 20s, not her late 60s.

And by using this unusual exercise as the primary strength movement in the ATG Program, people like me who used to be made fun of for being fragile and unathletic are now turning themselves into freak athletes not just in speed and jumping but in injury resistance and pain-free performance:

In this movement you have a perfect example of what the ATG Program is:

ATG (Athletic Truth Group) is a full-body human performance system devoted to improving modern deficiencies. Each ingredient must be measurable and must scale step-by-step, from grandparent to world-class athlete. These methods come from around the world and throughout history rather than adhering to only one “style” of training. When an unsolved problem is encountered, we pour energy into a solution until we have one.

[In exercise terminology, “ATG” refers to “ass to grass” — meaning your glutes go so low to the ground they could touch grass. I intentionally named Athletic Truth Group with that same acronym.]

Thank you for reading and learning with me, and massive thanks to those joining me on the program and using the knowledge to help others.

Yours in Solutions,

Ben

To become an ATG Certified Coach: atgforcoaches.com