Strength is finding patience with your weaknesses.

Getting to the root of injury isn’t easy. The human body is an extremely complex system that works in mysterious ways. Pain is a signal of disrupted function, but the root of dysfunction doesn’t always lie where the pain resides. 

I’ve faced this reality several times throughout my life. I dealt with unrelenting shin splints as a kid and have had persistent aches and pains in my shoulder, hamstring, knees, and feet as an adult. Utilizing various treatment modalities, I’ve been able to alleviate the aches and pains for a period of time. But as they’ve continued to reappear, it’s become apparent that I’ve been managing symptoms rather than addressing the root problem. 

I can’t say for certain, but my recurrent niggles appear to be the cumulative result of suboptimal movement patterns over the years, which have caused unnecessary wear and tear on my body. I’ve learned the hard way that the human body is really adept at overcoming weaknesses in the moment. My body has allowed me to run, bike, climb, and lift heavy weights, despite inefficiencies in my movement patterns.

The aches and pains over the years have been signals of these inefficiencies, but I often ignored them until they were screaming at me to stop moving. My half-hearted efforts to fix the issues have led me to my current state: chronically injured and unable to pursue my athletic goals.

Currently, my injuries are minor; things I would have ignored in the past in hopes that they’d eventually disappear. I now know, all too well, that this will not lead to favorable outcomes, so I’m working hard to resolve the underlying issues. 

My knees feel like the weakest link at this point, so that’s where I’m focusing my efforts. This past week, my research led me to Ben Patrick (@kneesovertoesguy) — the founder of Athletic Truth Group (ATG), a training system focused on rehabilitative strength and joint health. The ATG training philosophy is centered around building strength through mobility.

After watching many of Ben’s videos and reading his blog articles, my takeaway is this: Strengthening muscles and tendons through their full range of motion helps the body move in an efficient, natural way, which prevents injury, maintains functional ability, and enhances sports performance. Building strength through mobility trains functional movement patterns and makes the body more resilient to the demands of life. 

For both injury prevention and injury rehab, the key is to match ability with demand. The loads placed on your body during any form of movement must align with your current physical abilities. Each muscle and tendon from the ground up must be able to withstand the load, or injury becomes probable. A small amount of overload will cause the body to adapt and get stronger. Too much overload will cause a slow deterioration of tissue integrity (as in my case) or an abrupt loss of tissue function, leading to serious injury.

It’s become increasingly clear that the demands I’ve put on my body over the years have exceeded my physical abilities. I’ve tried to apply the progressive overload theory in my exercise training, but have failed to do it well. The times I’ve gotten it right, I’ve had small glimpses of my athletic potential, which I suppose is what motivates me to pursue such a lofty goal of running 100 miles.

I’ve come to believe the human body knows no bounds. I’m certain I can overcome the injuries that are preventing me from pushing the limits of my physical capacity. I just have to be willing to put in the often mundane and monotonous work required to rebuild my strength.

“Find a routine that works for you and do it for a very long time without wavering. Relentless routine is the key.” – Truett Hanes

If my goal next year is to run a 100-mile race and ensure that my performance matches my potential, I must prioritize matching ability with demand. It seems building strength through mobility is an effective way to do this, which is at the core of the “knees over toes” training system. 

Taking my learnings over the past few weeks and incorporating this new information, here’s an updated version of my training program that includes some of the foundational “knees over toes” exercises:

Warm-Up

• Resisted forwards/backwards walk (using a sled) and/or 10 minutes uphill treadmill (10%) + 5 minutes backwards walk (15%)
• Tibialis raises (1-2 sets to fatigue)
• Calf raises (1-2 sets to fatigue)
• Portal squat routine
• Front plank (1 set to fatigue)

Isometric Work 

[4 sets; 30-second hold]

• Wall sits
• Single-leg seated knee extension

Workout

[2 sets; perfect reps until fatigue; if >10 reps, add weight]

Legs

• Split squats
• Poliquin step-ups
• Single leg RDL
• Slant board squats
• Bulgarian split squat
• Lateral lunges
• Curtsy lunges
• Hamstring curls
• Couch stretch
• Pigeon stretch

Back

• Seated back extension
• GHD back extension

Core/Adductors/Hip Flexors

• Hanging knees to elbow
• Star side plank
• Copenhagen plank

My goal is to do this routine three days a week. I’ll likely split the exercises up such that I’m only doing each one twice a week. I still plan to do an upper body session two to three times a week. I’ll also continue my regular morning routine of band work, mobility, and core exercises. 

I did a longer bike session this past week and my knees felt a little achy afterwards, so I might hold off on the bike for a bit. I attempted another uphill training session on the treadmill this morning and felt really good, so I think this will be how I continue to sprinkle aerobic training into my exercise routine for the time being. 

Overall, it seems my efforts are paying off. Though I’m not nearly as sweaty or out of breath after my workouts these days, and am missing my early morning runs in nature, I’ve enjoyed the slower-paced skill work involved in strength training. I’ve always loved skill work, but as a fast-paced individual, I’ve found it challenging to slow down enough to prioritize it.

I guess I’m finally coming to understand that sometimes you have to slow down to speed up. By maximizing efficiency at slow speeds in my full range of motion, there’s no telling how much speed and power I’ll be able to generate come race day. Onwards and upwards, with unwavering patience and relentless dedication to the process.