Very interested in seeing those videos!. Also, could you do a video showing how to progress toward more advanced flexibility?. Like going from beginner to loaded

i would like a video like that about atlean x

I really want to see a showcase of your favorite movement games that you have come across! I've started playing Ido's Stick Game with my friends and we all love it! We made a variation that uses a ball instead. Movement games that involve partners are my favorite way to move and I'd love to know some of YOUR favorite games after spending so much time involved in the movement community :) Thanks for all your work, your content is invaluable!

Those topics are great! They will be great to have it separately, they have lot of information to talk in both of them. How to create macrocycles will be interesting too (In my opinion the 8-12 weeks programs are more mesocycles). Thanks for your time and knowledge

How intertwined are the two topics? Do you have to refer to the other while discussing one a lot? If so, I prefer one video. If not, I prefer two videos (plus it's better for the algorithm as it sees you're more active).

In case you have a gym with standing bycicles or any of that sort, I can highly recommend riding it backwards for cardio - targets your quads a lot more, and my knees always feel awesome afterwards!

oooh. interesting idea.

Thanks Harvey!

Yes, from a size perspective regional hypertrophy occurs depending on the function worked. From a function/injury perspective, nordic curls train the hamstring in a highly lengthened position and therefore provide additional resilience + strength in those ranges.

Much appreciated Petie Project!

I believe so, yes, but haven't looked into it myself yet. My source here is Quinn Henoch, who I think is very reliable. if anyone looks into this and can find any primary research, please leave it here!

Excellent. If there's enough interest here (like this comment) I'd love to do a full video on this too. The review I wrote was on icing and cryotherapy in particular, but much of the research on icing is done within the setting of the RICE protocol.

Yeah, me too.

True, it’s a little too solves all for me, although I’m incorporating backward sledding and the reverse step up over a slow progression

Thanks Jim! Science all the way.

Hey Leo, the numbers I go by are 20 min per muscle group per day to lengthen the physical structure of the muscles, but just 5-10min per muscle group per week to maximize increases in flexibility in a meta review of a whole bunch of 8-12 week studies.

@@BrenVez thank you

Ahaha. Don’t worry Kelly, that page is actually dated and we still have spots open :)

It doesn’t actually seem so- I’ll go into more detail hopefully soon

Lol

Congratulations on that win! kneesovertoes is a maestro, i agree. Just one note, most of the comments on what's been proved get a ver positive reinforcement here, this is not a testosterone test review. The man is actually honest and transparent with his knowledge. "less knee-pain, more knee-ability" ;)

Tell us exactly what your physiological structural compromise was before spouting this. I have had an ACL recon, a meniscus repair and a meniscectomy all at different stages and i struggle with knee pain, i have a real tangible issue here. I’m sceptical and it’s made worse by people like you claiming he has THE answer without actually stating what exactly you’ve rehabilitated from….

​@@JohnDoe-12 Instead of 'spouting' from your fingertips like you're seriously questioning someone's feedback because you're looking for a definite positive answer before you commit yourself to trying, why don't you fully research a small knee of toes routine and stick to it, then see if it makes a positive impact, then build on it if it does work! If you're not willing to try anything without a 100% guarantee, then fine, feel sorry for yourself and do nothing! 🤷🏻‍♂️

​@@JohnDoe-12 ACL and meniscus surgery on the left knee here, did all my rehab on my own, I'm now squatting my bodyweight with no pain. Included quite a few of the KOTG's advice in my rehab, still do. The ATG split squat and Nordic curls are gold for knee health.

right wrist is a whoop strap!

does any movement not hurt? like lunges or hindu squats?

@@levirognejensen1745 its not painful like in a way that I cannot perform those movements its just major tightness and discomfort afterwards and throughout the day and no amount of foam /cork rolling, tim tam high powered massaging, or stretching seems to help 😕. Not yet anyway 🤷

Hey man, check out my MOVERS method video, I think it will really help you

I would definitely recommend Ben's method for knees. Knee pain I'd experienced for 15 years went away after doing his Zero program for a few months. I've read countless comments of people with the same experience. Definitely worth a shot at least.

Yeah. Honestly he would have if he didn't say that he could 'easily make it physically impossible to get injured playing basketball', but given that he did say that, and the whole thing with science and misreading studies, I think the 3.5 is well earned but generous.

@@BrenVez id say he is a 3.5 for the population but a 1.5 for athletes

Thank you :)

Thanks Galo!

Thanks Rafe!

Hey David, check out my recent video on ‘how to heal any injury’ or the older one ‘a smarter approach to pain and injuries’. You must have missed them ;)

My pleasure!

You have to keep in mind, if your muscles can’t handle the load of a deadlift at any point you can simply drop it, the ability to do 30 reps after failure implies if not defines low intensity, and this is also in comparison to other exercises. In addition, long story short the things you mention have no legitimate scientific basis to effect injury risk (have never had any evidence for them).

Thanks Corey! High praise man :)

Sorry if it wasn't clear, my point was that not only is there no real evidence to support the idea that lumbar flexion isn't a problem or mistake, that study in elite powerlifters was evidence that it may even be proper technique. Personally, I still cue people to arch if they can, but I always keep this in mind.

Thanks man. Yes, but marketing or no, if I ever get to a point in my career where I don't take some serious points off for a popular health and fitness figure making public and blatantly false claims like this, please slap me. Also, as I mentioned, he is behind the science in a number of areas as well.

@@BrenVez I think you're losing the forest for the trees. The fact is, he is helping tens of millions of people improve their mobility. What's more important - helping people or getting the facts right? I would rather take a Ben over someone who is always 100% accurate with their statistics but only reaches a few thousand people because they simply aren't an effective communicator.

​@@SolarJakee your profile pic looks like it's some scientology-based drawing

Yes the methods are legit.

cool

@@BrenVez This is a great critique video. I've haven't had an issue with the reasons Ben provided since I chose his program for "lengthening and strengthening". In hindsight it is concerning why he'd present it this way... I was able to learn front splits in 3 weeks, where I was stagnant prior. Which I did not expect or intend with his program. I'm 18 weeks into his program, and feeling a plateau on the "lengthening" benefits. I'd like to continue with my other movement goals like side splits, backbending, handstands etc. If you have any recommendations I'm all ears. You are more knowledgeable than I expected. Did you go to school for any specialization or self taught? I know you mentioned you did some classes, but not sure. Personally, I'm trying to change gears in my life, and your expertise in practice and knowledge is in line with what I'm aiming for. Your video on optimization has been huge help. Thanks for sharing

“He doesn’t need any” -average koolaid enjoyer

Hey Jonny, thanks for the kind words and adding your perspective here. I disagree fairly heavily with the point I believe you are making for the most part- I'll cover a few separate areas as someone very close to me made a similar argument not long ago. 1) For KOTG in particular, he occasionally quotes specific research (e.g. "you're 4x more likely to injure your hamstring if you have an ankle injury"). I recognize that it's more effort to go through and cite the studies you referenced, but it's very minimal compared to actually reading them, and gives people a chance to look into the foundation of the claims you're making. For instance, in the case of the above, he actually almost completely misread the study, as I went through in the video. However, in another case (talking about the importance of the hip flexors for sprinting) When I dug out the references, It was actually very compelling, and turns out it seems I was the one in the wrong. 2) I think it's important to separate the ideas, concepts, and paradigms of science from the individual studies, and the way research is typically used or associated with. Individual studies are notoriously bad. So bad that Stanford literally created an entire department dedicated to reproducing research, and the typical number mentioned is horrifying: only ~50% of studies are reproducible. and if only 50% are reproducible, we could only guess how low their accuracy may be in terms of their theories and hypotheses. That said, science on the whole, is beautiful, wonderous, and in my eyes, the foundation of human development. and science isn't limited to just the quantitative stuff you're probably aware of- in the last few decades huge advances have been made in the field of qualitative research- an area I think you would enjoy looking into. Science is simply the idea and practice of testing what we think we know, and recognizing more often than not that we were wrong. individual studies and scientists may point us forwards, backwards, or sideways, but on the whole, we over time learn from our mistakes, and the field advances forward. For instance, you mentioned plant medicines. there's a large number of psychoactive plants that are starting to get a lot of attention for a number of conditions: Psilocybin, Marijuana, Ayahuasca, etc., and regardless of any current politics or perspectives, if these plants have a benefit for any condition we can look at, quantitatively OR qualitatively, science will show and support it. For instance, many people have no idea that aspirin was developed from the bark of the white willow tree in the 1800's. Almost of the research I did at Stanford was on the many awesome effects (anti cancer, anti-alzheimers, etc.) of Celastrol, a small molecule which is the most active in the thunder god vine, a plant commonly used for hundreds of years in traditional Chinese medicine. On the flip side, it was science that showed us how harmful cigarettes and smoking was, and created the foundation to change the culture, fight and restrict a multi billion dollar industry and save, at this point, many thousands of lives. 3) Finally, I understand your point about people disregarding things that haven't been backed up by science. I offer to you first that science should not restrict creativity or art. Second, I'm not generally a fan of waiting for studies of a particular thing before trying it on a personal level, however, there's a level of foundational literature in every area that's going to tell you if something's likely to be a good idea or not. We all have limited time, energy, and money, and in general I personally don't want to be wasting time trying things that are already contradicted by previous research, when there's an infinity of things to try. In fact, just trying things for yourself and seeing if they work for you is a practice of science as well- albeit for most people a very weak one. P.S. I'm going to make a sweeping and harsh generalization here: I believe most if not all figures in the health, fitness, and movement spaces who disregard, distrust, or worst of all, openly reject science do so only because 1) they don't understand it or 2) science has, would, and will continue to shred their life's work into scraps of the placebo effect. If you're doing anything real and truly positive, the science will (eventually) always support you. Cheers man, and may the science be with you ;).

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply Bren. You definitely made me think a lot. You are right, if you mention a study you need to have a reference for it. What I wanted to focus on is that sometimes logic itself is enough for accepting an idea, without asking for a specific study to back it up . Ben says that you need to strengthen your muscles in the long and short range and training both agonist and antagonist muscle in every joint. That makes sense and those were amongst the first things I realised when started observing my body in motion. The ability to observe is the foundation of science, this is how science starts and we need to practice it because we all have this ability. A lot of people purely reproduce thoughts all their life instead of producing it. I believe science is important but it needs the right orientation, which is finding applications to relief physical-psychological pain and make people happy. Without that it is lost or even dangerous. Also at least in England,in medical schools they don't even mention fasting as a therapeutic tool. But it's a powerful one! In terms of aspirin, scientist discovered,(thank you science :-))Neatherdal knew the trick 40000, please see the link.www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39205530 For Neatherdal it was just experience and observation back then, they wouldn't wait a study to approve, in order to get relief. People today just look for a study and their judgement weakens. Also I am sure you have met a lot of people who have chronic joint pain, went to a physiotherapist who applied their university teachings, they took well studied drugs and nothing happened. I was one of them when suffering with my neck. Eventually I realised that I have to treat it. I spent hours per day just moving my neck and instead of purely asking why is it in pain, I also asked how does it work? This was key to understand it and fix it. also I was let down by well studied psychiatric medication that harmed my body and counselling which made me live from my neck and above and ignore how a stiff spine can ruin your mood. Movement mainly, plenty of meditation/self exploration and plant medicines secondly helped to overcome my problems. Sometimes you have no other option than relying on yourself. I know people don't have time but in my opinion there is nothing more important than knowing your self and overcoming pain. What I wanted to say is that people don't need science necessarily to solve your problems(if you have it why not), as you have the tools to solve it. also one needs to practice logic before accepting an idea. In regards with time and money, trying your self is free. It takes time but what is more important and interesting than knowing your body and mind? It's worth the time. You become happier and you share the feel good tips with others. You know that better than me! Science is important as well as experience, but sometimes life is hard and some people may not have any help. one can still find the solution though. It doesn't mean that modern humans are happier than Neatherdal were because we have science and complex languages. Thanks again brother and I am grateful for the knowledge you share.

@@jonnyardan8446 I agree with you wholeheartedly. The studies are what led physiotherapy to the abysmal point its in currently. If we'd waited for the research to be done on Ben's KOT programs, many millions of people would be foregoing their own health for the sake of sticking to "the science". Not everything in life needs a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study to prove its effectiveness; especially when it's something that is free (as all Ben's content is) and with little to no risk (I am yet to hear a story of someone injuring themselves attempting KOT exercises).

Me too, but I think studies on specific exercises are generally hard to justify & that every exercise is useful, the question is how useful, and for what (and when).

I think the point is that it's about relative difficulty rather than absolute weight. A small weight can still be dangerous if applied in a certain way (in this video e.g. finger lifting)

Ahahaha. Touché

God no lol I would die 😆

Hey Jake, Thanks for engaging with me here. I definitely agree, Ben's greatest strength is his ability to communicate simply, effectively, and I would add, passionately. I think ben actually has much more of his content behind a paywall than I do- mine is just directly visible through KZfaq channel memberships, his is through his website where he probably links to the many videos he puts private (unlisted) on his channel. (I didn't do any math, but Many if not most of the videos I watched for this video in December are no longer available on his channel). I put all my best work up here for free for all of you, many of the movements and specific programs are through my channel memberships because that's the easier part if you understand the concepts, and I have to make a living somehow. Seriously, I summarized my book and entire rehab method as best I could in a 30 min video and put it up for free. It's interesting that it gives you this perception though, I'll take note of that. Popularity doesn't exclude or excuse inaccuracy, and I said this was a brutally honest review, not a 'well he seems to be having a good effect so I'll let it slide' review. What I'll call the science issue It's a hell of a lot more than just not citing statistics with 100% accuracy as well, but I'll also remind you that I did give him 4.5/5 for exercise design. I really did mean it when I said this was a really strict and harsh scale- I'm holding him to the highest standard as a public figure and leader in the field. on a similar scale, I think most fitness coaches would be lucky to get 2 stars, let alone 3.5, and I wouldn't bother talking about them because they wouldn't have any new, interesting, or valuable ideas of their own. I think you're jumping to some assumptions about my motivations here that you wouldn't if you'd watched any of my other videos.

@@BrenVez Thanks for the response Bren. Very reassuring to know you take feedback to heart. And I apologise for assuming your motications. I didn't realise all of your content was free. From the layout on your channel, it looked like paying subscribers were the kind of inner circle, with full access to your methods. My mistake. Having been a subscriber on Ben's app, I haven't seen any exercises on there he doesn't show for free on KZfaq or Instagram. The main benefit is the imposed structure and also the feedback on form (you send in videos of your technique) and them answering any of your questions. I understand your point with it being a harsh scale; I still think the 3.5 star rating could mislead some people into thinking his overall system/program isn't effective, simply because of how people are used star ratings being used. 3.5 stars suggests to me (and I imagine a lot of people) - some decent content, overall pretty average and certainly nothing special. Given that Ben's methods are pretty much revolutionising the industry and changing countless lives, I don't think that's a fair impression to give people, even if it's not intended that way on your part. Who are some trainers (if any) you'd give a better rating than 3.5 to by the way? Thanks again

That sucks, hope you recover and get back to where you want to be asap. I started with a lower back/sacroiliac injury, never managed to have it diagnosed as docs just put me on opiates, benzos and NSAIDs and I was prone for 2 weeks then like a 90yo for several weeks after. Waited for a scan for 3 months until letter came asking me to call to arrange an appointment, by that time I was on the road to fixing myself with calisthenics and intermittent fasting. Only side effect was sore knees and I came across Ben. I do find the tibalis raises and backward sled good exercises for alleviating knee pain and as "prehab" to strengthen the joint and prevent injury. My main lesson I learned is to strengthen the body in balance i.e. not leave anything out. Prior to my injury I was playing amateur league soccer twice a week plus soccer training and doing no other type of training not even strengthening core or stretching etc and I think favouring kicking with my right foot I developed a hip flexor tear on the right side leading to weakness in that hip and then a SI joint/lumbar injury. Now I train legs x 2, push x 2, pull x 2 and core x 2 every week with short runs and deadmill (backwards sled) every day. At 40yo my body is the the strongest and most stable and balanced it's ever been.

That sucks @paul , sorry to hear that. Hope you get back to full power soon, check out my rehab video if you need any help or ideas with structuring things for yourself

@@rberto3804 Thanks for the response.

I never got that he was into quads. He always seems to discuss balance muscle building. I think most talk about calves and forget tibialis

just did a quick search on them and from what I've seen so far I'm not sure I could tolerate it.

@@BrenVez goata is extreme form of nocebo lol. Hate those guys. They're so hyperfocused on biomechanic

@@kat_enj Lol. What's nocebo?

@@lucasgrey9794 its opposite of placebo. Nocebo = negative expectation craete negative outcomes. Goata propagates information that can make some people scared of exercising, their philosophy is like when you will move with bad biomechanics you will ruin your body. If you want to fix it and don't ruin your body come to us goata coaches! Goata pretty much talks about biomechanics and overemphasise importance of it. Biomechanics are important sure. But pain isn't always result of bad biomechanics. Pain is signal in the brain and it can be caused by so many things. And I think improving biomechanics don't work. Your body will always try to do movements the easiest way. Most people would benefit more from standard strenght training then goata.

But it would be funny to see Bren reaction to goata. They're like polar opposite of him.

Something being "counter intuitive" or "the next big thing" doesn't bear any relation on the actual effectiveness of the protocol in question. I think equally as much, whenever something comes along that takes the industry by storm, there are certain people who gain a sense of superiority from "seeing through the fad" and not "jumping on the bandwagon" like everyone else. As to KOT actual effectiveness, I don't see how you can call something "just hype", when there are quite literally hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of people publicly saying the protocol has drastically improved their mobility and health, not to mention many scientists and trainers (such as yourself) endorsing them.

Please feel free to cite your sources if you have any. Intuition doesn't count

@@BrenVez honestly I though it common knowledge in the physical therapy world that muscle imbalances leads to asymmetrical loading which leads to injury, the same is true for a building or any structure not just the human body. If I had to give a source I would generally do it it and list Charles poliquin and Kelly starett.

​​@@BrenVezBut why do think muscle imbalances specifically **do not** increase the risk of injury? Could you please cite your sources yourself, that'd be new information for me. So muscle imbalances don't have any negative implications or effect on things like mobility, posture, and form? The other comment mentioned that it was regarded as common knowledge that muscle imbalances could lead to asymmetric loading and injury within the physical therapy world. which I also assumed to be the case Also, because of the massive range of potential muscle imbalances and the massive range of implications/effects it has on a case by case basis, completely disregarding muscle imbalances as a cause for injury risk was a surprise. Would love to see your sources this intrigues me, thanks!

I called it as a saw it. When he gave simple universal rehab prescriptions I called him on it, and when he said to avoid pain (which was somewhat rare) I gave him credit for it. Still, as I discussed that alone is not enough, nor acutely consistent with modern pain/injury/rehab research. Here’s the nuance I’m calling him on that you didn’t catch. Ben implies through his teaching (mainly through how little he talks about pain), and I’m sure believes himself, that pain isn’t that important because his exercises are structurally and theoretically sound (if performed to his or his coaches standards). But the reality is the opposite- structure wise, the research shows over and over that we don’t know what we’re doing- it’s the pain and changes in pain, as well as pain free function that matter the most.

@@BrenVez He mentions pain free movement in literally every video. He talks about the core principles of using pain as a gauge to avoid more injuries. One should decrease load or range of motion to work on rehab or strength training while avoiding pain. Some people can't walk backwards because the load is to much. Ben mentions that and talks about regressing the lift or using assistance to complete the movement pain free. Do you disagree with these core concepts? Ben's issues is many doctors advocate for avoiding movements which means never getting better. You can do a movement without pain by reducing the load or range of motion. Those can be added back as strength improves.

@@jwatson181 These are good concepts that I agree with and I'm glad that you seem to have gotten them from ben's videos. Perhaps they were emphasized more in videos that were unlisted from his channel before I did the review or added afterwards.

@@BrenVez That is possible. His short videos can eliminate a lot of this nuance. He has moved a lot of his video onto his paid content list. From a personal experience, his program got me dunking again after a knee injury. I could not even put any weight on it for weeks. I just regressed the movement and focused on zero pain improvement.

@@BrenVez Your approach seems really similar after watching your video on recovery.

Thanks for engaging in an intellectual discussion, Jesse. Still, you have a point and I did give him deserved credit for his success in marketing

@@BrenVez As you sarcastically alluded to, I was not attempting to have an intellectual conversation. I know enough to not bother with that online. I was only making a point. Ben's own story, as well as the stories of countless people including myself are the difference. You're giving too much weight to the marketing and not enough to the product. I had low back pain for 10 years and have tried it all. Bens program and insights were the difference. If understood and applied properly , his program works, and is helping people.

Great to hear of your success Jesse, and I give weight and credit to that- at the end of the day, that's what it's all about. @25:36

@@BrenVez You attributing his success for "marketing" seems very disingenuous. As far as I (and virtually everyone who listens to him) can tell, he is genuinely driven by helping people regain their mobility. If what he was doing was simply marketing, it would not be effective and people would have seen through it by now. Honestly, some of the things you say as well as the score you gave him make me question what your actual motives are. People could discover Ben through your video and decide not to try his programs simply because you gave him a 3.5 star rating (because who would go to the effort of following a 3.5 star program for months?). In other words, you could be dissuading people from trying something that is free (unlike much of your content) and that has helped millions of people.

​@@jesse3733 i'm late to the party. You're talking about his success. But other than his word, has he ever put any footage of the time when he was injured and was going through a rehab or do we have to believe him because he's a nice guy?

Quickly, start selling it! No need to get the FDA involved, they’ll just cause unnecessary fuss about “side effects” and “peer review”. All hogwash if you ask me

He doesn't say physically impossible. He does say that being strong in those positions can drastically lower the probability of getting injured. That is obviously true. Why did I waste my time on your dumb video?

@@jwatson181 please keep your comments respectful. If you listen closely it is a direct quote of him in a video saying “physically impossible to get hurt playing basketball.”

@James West direct quote @28:28 "I can easily get anyone to knees, shins, that are physically impossible to hurt from playing basketball"