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If you are beyond 50 years, it’s likely you’ve been taught to perform squats incorrectly. The standard was to never go deeper than legs parallel to the ground. Anything deeper than that was said to “ruin your knees.”

Stopping knee flexion at that pressure point creates unnecessary stress for the knees, lower back, and other joints. Thankfully, more people are discovering that full flexion of all joints is healthy.

During compression, such as squatting, synovial fluid is squeezed out of the cartilage. During decompression, such as standing up from a squat, the fluid is drawn back into the cartilage, bringing with it oxygen, nutrients, and lubrication.

Just about any movement that activates the knees, ankles and hips is going to activate this process. However, the ATG split squat takes this to new levels.

Here is a photo of an Olympic lifter supporting significant weight while set in a deep, single leg split squat. Source: medium.com

And here is a lightly supported ATG split squat. In both examples, the calf is covered by the thigh. This is the measure of a well executed split squat.

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Runners of all ages struggle with committing to strength training. Yet, the time comes when the regular reminders they get from sore ankles, knees, and lower backs pushes them to it.

If I could only do one strength exercise, it would be reverse sled pulls.

Unlike some strength exercises, it’s almost impossible to get hurt. If the weight is too heavy, you cannot pull it, so there’s no risk. A general guide is working up to pulling half of your bodyweight for 15-20 minutes.

Think of backward walking as a light version of sled pulls. You are not pulling any weight but are still working the same muscles that counterbalance the muscles we regularly use for running.

With or without weight, walking in reverse builds muscles that we seldom use, but that counterbalance those that we sometimes overuse when running. Walking and pulling a sled in reverse work muscles and ligaments differently than moving forward, thereby promoting balanced development across our joints.

Resources:

The ATG Equipment List - The reverse sled pull strap is the one I prefer.

Freak Athlete - Source for pull strap and sled.

History of backward sledding

Ben Patrick's story about backward walking benefits

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