Summary
Overview
Tim Ferriss interviews Ben Patrick, aka 'Knees Over Toes Guy,' about his journey from debilitating knee pain and surgeries to becoming a fitness innovator. They discuss his minimalist training approach, the principles behind his rehabilitation methods, and delve into maintaining integrity in online media and business. The conversation covers backward sled work, knee-over-toes exercises, equipment innovations, and the philosophy of earning trust with audiences through consistent ethical behavior.
Ben Patrick's Journey from 'Old Man' to Athletic Recovery
Ben discusses his early struggles with chronic knee pain starting at age 12, earning the nickname 'old man' in high school due to extreme stiffness. After multiple surgeries including partial kneecap replacement and meniscus transplant, he spent 18 months unable to run and became dependent on painkillers. His discovery of Charles Poliquin's work on knee-over-toes training became the turning point that would revolutionize his approach to rehabilitation and eventually help him achieve a 42-inch vertical leap.
- High school basketball coach nicknamed him 'old man' due to extreme stiffness and inability to get low in his legs
- Chronic knee pain began at age 12 from doing crazy workouts starting at age 9
- At 18, had surgery including partial kneecap replacement and quad tendon reattachment
- After surgery, stayed on painkillers for extended period without parents or girlfriend knowing
- Discovered Charles Poliquin's work stating athletes should train knee-over-toes position rather than avoiding it
" I was so stiff. It'd take me so long to warm up compared to other players. I knew I wasn't built well for basketball. "
" 1970s exercise science is becoming a thing in school. And they found that when the knee goes over the toe, then there's more pressure on the knee. So what went into textbooks was showing when you exercise, don't let your knee over your toes. "
The Backward Sled Pull Discovery and Early Recovery
Ben explains how Charles Poliquin's work led him to discover backward sled dragging as his first breakthrough exercise. This simple movement, where the knee travels over the toes with each step, became the stepping stone that allowed him to get off painkillers within a week. The backward sled pull originated from Louis Simmons at Westside Barbell, who learned from Finnish powerlifters whose secret weapon was their day job dragging trees.
- First exercise that allowed getting off painkillers was dragging a sled backwards, loading knee over toes with every step
- Started with just controlling a couple inches of downward motion since couldn't control a full 6-inch stair step without pain
- Backward sled work originated from Louie Simmons who learned from Finnish powerlifters whose secret was dragging trees at their day job
- After first week of sled work, intentionally got off painkillers to experience the rehabilitation route without shielding pain
- At gym, coached over 100,000 times on the sled with no one ever getting hurt doing it
" Every single step you take downstairs, you're loading your knee over your toes. So when I started studying Charles Poliquin, because of what I had been through, for me, instantly, I knew there was something here. "
" We put a thousand pounds on the sled and had her try to drag it backwards. She couldn't budge it, but she was fine. People are going to be wondering why you would do that to your mom. "
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