STUDfit · Stretch
Knees over toes
Also known as
ATG · kneesovertoesguy · Patrick training · tibialis raises · ATG split squat
Community talk may be wrong. Not medical, training, or diet advice. Sharp pain, fainting, or disordered-eating concerns need a clinician.
In brief
Knees-over-toes training is a label associated with exercises that allow forward knee travel, including the split squats, backward sled work and lower-leg exercises discussed around the ATG method.
The common picture
Knee is allowed forwardThe whole argument with 1990s PT posters.
ATG split squat: deep split-stance squatAn easier setup or smaller range is one version in the discussion.
Tibialis raise: lift the front of the footThis targets the shin-side muscles referred to by the shorter exercise name.
Slow and high-rep firstNot a one-rep-max in a deficit.
Sled backwards optionalGyms that have a sled.
Reported extras: 10–20 minutes, 2–3 days a weekThe notes give 15–25 shin-raise reps and 8–15 split-squat reps per side.
People compare individual drills, easier and harder variations, equipment needs and how this approach differs from the old cue to keep knees behind toes.
Good to know. Copying a 6-day ATG program on an angry knee. Bouncing into end range. Treating it as a surgery replacement.
What people say
- The job: make the knee happy going forward so a squat or a step-down is not a fear.
- KneesOverToesGuy / ATG is the 2020s brand. 2026 rooms still search the phrase.
- r/kneesovertoes and r/flexibility vs old “knees never past toes” school-PE.
- Why people stay: stairs and split squats feel less scary after a month.
- Why PTs roll their eyes: some clients smash into painful end range because a reel said so.
- Not a squat program. 5/3/1 still squats. This is extra knee capacity.
- Not couch stretch. Couch stretch is hip flexor. This is knee travel.
- Bulletproof knees marketing is a promise. This map does not promise.
- Pain during vs after: a little work-sore is common; sharp line-pain is a stop.
- Beginners do a short-range split squat to a pad, not a deficit ATG day one.
- It will not un-do a torn meniscus on a video.
How people do it
- Pick 2–3 drills: tib raise, split squat to a comfortable depth, maybe a step-down.
- Slow. They own the bottom.
- 2–3 days a week as extra, often after easy cardio or before lifts.
- They raise height of the front foot later, not week one.
- They keep the heel down when the cue says so.
- They stop a set when the knee line gets angry, not when the reel hits 10.
- Sled backwards if they have one and the knee likes it.
Amounts people use
- Tib raises: often 15–25 slow reps.
- Split squats: 8–15/side, bodyweight first.
- Frequency: 2–3 days / week.
- Session time: 10–20 minutes extra, not a 90-minute ATG religion.
- Progress: more range, then a little load — not both at once.
How people keep it
- A short list on a note so it is not a 40-exercise app.
- They pair it with walking.
- They skip deficit work when the knee is already loud.
- Shoes they can feel the floor in.
- A PT or a coach if the knee already has a name (surgery, swelling).
How it may feel
- First tib workout: shins sore in a new way. Walks funny the next day.
- Split squat bottom: stretch and respect, or a pinch they should not push.
- After a few weeks: stairs feel less like a negotiation.
- Ego deficit: they limp and blame the method.
- Good day: knee tracks, heel stays, they forget the cue.
- Swelling after: they did too much range too fast.
How long
- A 4–8 week introduction is how most logs start.
- Then it becomes a 10-minute extra or it dies.
- Not a 12-month paid program unless they want that.
- They return after a layoff at the short range.
The longer notes
- Couch stretch / 90/90 is hips. This is knees traveling.
- Ten-minute mobility can host tib raises without an ATG identity.
- First gym week should learn a squat that feels safe, not a deficit ATG.
- Research compounds do not live here.
- Sports-med nuance: some knees hate end-range. The map is talk, not a diagnosis.
Good to know
- Sharp pain, locking, giving-way: a clinician, not a deeper split squat.
- Copying the full ATG program the first week.
- Bouncing out of the bottom.
- Treating it as surgery replacement.
- Loading a stretch they cannot control.
Earlier wording (updated)
- ATG split squat The named pattern.
- Tibialis raise The shin muscle Instagram discovered.