The Ultimate Guide to Tendon Training (With KneesOverToesGuy!)

Tendon training is crucial for longevity, pain-free movement, and superior athletic performance. While all weight training/calisthenics will train the tendons to some degree, general training falls short of optimally developing them for maximum performance.

Combine the limited moves we often use in the gym with our inactive lifestyles, and tendon problems are common. Tendon training can reverse this and may help to build "freak athletes."

So, how do you go about strengthening the tendons?

There are a few options. Because tendons can withstand greater force than can muscle, using heavy partials and other strategies to significantly overload a movement can be effective.

More efficient, though, is to put the muscle into a stretched position.

Ben Patrick AKA KneesOverToesGuy has done more than anyone else to promote tendon training and is especially known for building bulletproof knees. Ben uses a combination of short-range movements and long-range movements as part of his ATG system to systematically strengthen the tendons before taking them through a full range of motion.

HUGE thank you to Ben for appearing in this video! Stay tuned for the full chat, coming soon. And thanks, as well, to Paul Clutterbuck for hosting me and demonstrating several of the moves.

Enjoy the video guys! And let me know if I missed anything in the comments down below. Do you guys train tendons? What are your top tips?

[TheKneesovertoesguy]

Bioneer is one of my favorite people! Honored to have been involved in this. I look forward to more collaboration. Thank you brother 🫡🙏

[Lankzino]

A Bioneer and Knees over toes guys Collab is so perfect, they both give completely unique ideas compared to everyone else

[KRN]

Cliff Notes version:
4:03 High volume, high frequency training

6:50 weighted stretching

8:44 short range movements

10:14 long range movements

12:40 outer range

13:05 polymetric/shock training/isometric

[adlockhungry]

You, Ben Patrick and Squat University are absolute godsends to the global fitness community. Especially for those of us entering middle age, who, more than ever, need these insights into tendon health and mobility. Thanks a million!

[samwelltayrlor]

I messed my knee up terribly while rucking and I couldn’t squat all the way. Ben Patrick’s movements seriously changed my life and my confidence for movements has moved to a whole other level. I honestly believe atg movements are all I need forever!

[mdilla-nhek]

PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO SHOWING EXERCISES FOR EACH TENDON! YOURE A LEGEND, LOVE YOUR VIDEOS

[cronikvialo]

Could you make a video on specific exercices or variations for each body part ? And how to implement it in your routine. Like is it good to add specific sets of isometric holds / quarter reps on your main exercices, can you do specific tendons work on off days, how fast do you recover from it, can you just add specific exercices at the end of your training. It feels really hard to actually implement it except for the range of motion aspect. I could figure out on my own by experimenting but I would love to have more insight from you and I think it would help people more than a video on the actual science of tendons.

[agusc]

Dude. How are you at 670k already? I remember finding you at like 40k and thinking how your content deserves way more. Way to go man. Keep being great and preaching health!

[kallvt]

You might never read this but the two of you (along with daniel vadnal, he also deserves the spotlight) have no idea how much influence and inspiration you've been just pouring over me, in both a lifestyle and career sense. I've been a bit demotivated with a lot of pain and injuries lately but just casually watching this video right now and a few others are making me hopeful and excited to just do things with intention and get better at them, as it always happens when watching you. I can't express how thankful I am that you guys do what you do, and that I have found you. You are literally changing lives, for the better.

[JoaquimGonsalves]

Tendons are underrated. Thank you to all of you for putting this together.

[TheBioneer]

Hey gang! Superfunctional Training 2.0 is currently on sale for black friday/cyber weekend! You can get it here for $13:


It's a training program designed to combine multiple modes of training in order to build strength, speed, mobility, endurance, focus, and more. Two hours of video and an 80+ apge ebook!

Enjoy!

[BiggieChungulus]

I can't believe I've never considered tendons too deeply. As a climber this info is invaluable.

[sladehorne]

Bro thank you so much for providing us with this knowledge free of charge. You, Ben Patrick, and Bill Maeda are my heroes.

[charliewolfe]

Ben Patrick has uncovered some incredible exercises to target and train the knees and our full range. Now that I have just learned about overcoming isometrics and how powerful and beneficial they are for the tendons I'm even more excited. You can use a yoga strap to push 100% from the bottom of an ATG split squat! I've been doing the same with a heel elevated deep squat (The strap simply goes over your legs) and I have felt my patella tendon more precisely than I knew was possible. I can feel every centimeter of it and it's exact shape. It's being completely seen and trained for the first time in my life. Overcoming isometrics can now take knees over toes exercises to the stratosphere. There are people than gain more strength in a month than in 2 years of their weight lifting, because that form of exercises is what the tendons love more than anything.

[Deondre_Clark]

This is the team up I've been waiting for! I attribute my healthy knees and joints to the info I've gotten from these 2 fantastic teachers. Thank you both for everything you have shared.

[samhayward]

I'm so glad I found this channel. After a complete breakdown during COVID and going from 75kg to around 105kg with no exercise, Adam you're inspiring me to take this approach to train all the pillars of strength mentioned in your channel video. Already back down to around 90kg and not stopping. I hope to reach even half your power level 😂 and become a capable bioneer. Cheers.

[jeremybuckets]

Ben might be the only person I've ever seen that consistently and repeatedly encourages people not to buy his own products. I've never heard him try to push any bullshit about how his plastic wedge is magically better than any other plastic wedge, he really does want to make this stuff as accessible as possible.

[CaptChilly]

Weighted stretches are also amazing for hypertrophy when done right after a normal working set. No wonder why I, who emphasizes weighted stretches, feel like my tendons and joints have gotten bulletproof!

[abhinavmishra]

Adam sir is a gem in fitness community

[johannwinkler]

It’s neat how ideas get buried with time and then rediscovered by people who are searching. Martial arts and yoga focus a great deal of attention on tendon strength. You did mention this. I love your channel. We have a lot in common with this kind of stuff. I always was trying crazy things and different things to try to develop my body in ways that most ppl overlooked. The cool thing about you is that you do this now for a living and your an adult and can talk to other professionals and y’all feed on each others questions and knowledge.