This gadget looks a bit ridiculous but it is fast becoming one of my favourite things to use 😁 🐵 🦶

It would be great to have a long-term update on the Monkey Feet. Are you still using them? Is the main benefit improved mind-muscle connection? Has it resulted in better form in your running, higher/more consistent lifting of knees?

Great stuff, keep the videos coming! Just two inputs: 1. The rectus femoris (a hip flexor and knee extensor) is a biarticular muscle, there is not much activation during squat. For this you will need knee extensions (or any other movement where you have knee extension without hip flexion - such as sissy squats). 2. Try (strict) toes-to-bar, maybe with grip support if you can do many reps

I purchased these to work my legs out more for my home workouts since I've stopped going to the gym. So far I'm impressed and though be it a bit difficult for balance, I find that us something I need to work on as well. Working on strengthening my hamstrings and quads.

Another great video Mark. Really enjoying the channel! You should do a Zero to Iron man/ zero to above average programme in the near future which includes your own journey and philosophy. I'd pay for that and trust all the information due to this channel! 💰

I do this exercise with an elastic band tucked under the foot of the standing leg. You can even do it lying down, then it's also a core exercise. And when the band around your foot hurts, wear shoes. And when even that hurts, wear ski or snowboard boots 🙂

Very quick on the row considering it was training. For the concept 2 rankings (40-49 HWT) you would be over the 90th percentile. You definitely have the ability to put down some impressive times. I'm surprised you didn't use the rower in your training more since it's a great way to get some tough work in without hammering the joints. Keep up the awesome work!

When I was coached we did hip flexor which was to increase stride length if you have a foot pod ( garmin or stryd) you can see how this improves over time, also dont forget the IT band, often overlooked until it hurts

Interesting info on hip flexors. 3:16 for 1km is way 'above average', ~90% for age group. As its part of a multi-event and such a small percentage of hyrox, pulling it down to e.g. 3:10 or less is going to take a lot more energy for very little overall gain and probably detriment to next events so think you have the right approach to use your natural ability :) Hard to tell but looks like slightly over-compressing at front of stroke which possibly loses you a tiny bit on each stroke. Rate 23 is low for 1km, but if you can do this pace at this rate and save energy then its all good, but maybe try at 26 on next practice and aim for same time to see how it feels energy drain wise to find a rate sweet spot for you in terms of effort expended.

I have hip issues and maybe I should finally watch knees over toe guy. I have known about him for a while but Wil Tennyson just did some training with him and now you are referring to him. I will head over and see what he’s about. Thanks for the video.

I prefer to use ankle straps attached to a low pulley. You get the same knee high working but it pulls your leg back into a stretch. Making the muscle strong in a stretched position and giving a larger range of motion. Much cheaper too.

Great channel Mark👍, just a little advice on the rowing, use it or don’t, doesn’t matter😂. When you come forwards on the rower, try and not come to far forwards. Try and keep the heels in contact with the foot base at all times and really drive though the heels when going back, like in a squat. 👍

Rowing for hip flexor work? I’m on and off the Concept2 as an alternative to core training for cycling. You’ve given me another reason to keep the rower from gathering dust. That and Monkey Feet. Great stuff!

Bought, cheers mate - been watching kneesovertoes for a while and just forgot about these , have got mine from the states - $75 plus about $30 delivery works out at £75ish anyway so ideal

I'm very excited for you and Nixon to go up the Alp on Christmas.

For that kind of hip flexor and hamstring training besides monkey feet you can also use : ankle weights wich you can wrap up with velcro slightly above the ankles I have one of those as a pair of Reeboks at 1kg per piece / 2 kg per set. Benefit of wrapped above the ankle weight bands is you can do more Sport Specific workouts f.i. while wearing the extra weight during cycling of while walking during the day. The only sport activity I would not recommend those weights for is for Swimming 🙈.

Knees over toes guys is next level.. I've been eyeing up his book.

The sweat shirt explains the product review to the point even I understand

His content is honestly life changing , well on you spreading the good word 🙌🏼

Thanks , I suffer from hip flexor pain in long runs so will try the weighted foot exercise you demonstrated……………….not splurging £75 of course but by making my own foot attachment device somehow , gaffer taping weight to old shoe type bodge 👍

I had exruciating pain in my hips and lower back from sitting at a desk all day. So I do 1/2 chin ups combined with knee ups. So essentially you grab the pull up bar w/palms facing you, pull yourself 1/2 way up then draw your knees up to your chest. When I want extra resistance I use ankle weights. I also do short interval high knee runs as part of my run warm up.In addition I incorporated a daily hip flexor stretch. This seems to have resolved the issue.

Glad you made this video, I've been using 6kg ankle weights which are too light, just bought some, cost £81 with delivery to UK, santa wants me to have stronger legs 🎅👍

Just did my first all de zwift. 70 min. I think I will look into monkey feet to try to get under the 60 min mark. Thanks again for the inspiration.

Had all of this which also has lead to pain in the small glutes, which as lead to sciatic pain in bed.. not ideal.. after close to 10 years now using a rubber band as part of my warm-up and runners arabesque, probably 90% better than it was..

Great stuff. I’ve seen ads for those monkey feet and skip over them because of their gimmickiness. Now I might not be so fast to skip over them. Really good info here, especially the part about being in a sling for 5 weeks. That was me a couple months ago. A lot of loss of muscle and mobility from it. Great comparison to sitting all day! Cheers!

If you want to get rid of the deadlift backpain, learn to pull the slack out of the bar (look it up). I see that your hips tend to rise an inch or two right before you pull, which puts stress on the lowerback. If you master this technique you become much more efficient and stronger in the deadlift as well. (really quick: the slackpull is turning your closed fist inwards and engaging your lats right before you press trough the floor with your feet to create tension and to prepare your nervous system for the pull.)

Loving your channel - another great episode! Keep it up Mark..!!

Gotta find a place to pick this Monkey's Foot up in Canada. Hopefully better results than the Monkey's Paw.. Have a great Christmas Mark, Thank you for the consistent motivation!

3.16 at that effort level will be faster than the vast majority. Technique would improve things quite a bit further but probably best to concentrate the training on areas you're less strong in. As an aside you should add a standard 2k row event/race/ challenge to your future bucket list. I think you could with specific training be really competitive at your age group nationally.

The nordic curls... impossible to do if your brain is too heavy with knowledge and experience. ;)

Awesome videos Mark, really enjoying them. Have you tried trap bar deadlifts? I'm 6'4" and find it way easier on lower back and can go much heavier.

Hip flexors are one of my issues on ultras. Ankle weights? Of course not the weight gain available from the boot but increase in reps? But much much cheaper.

Everyone always says the cost is to much but I got it for my birthday and it’s the best investment as a ironman athlete . People spend more money on coffee weekly to keep saying this is expensive . It last years and years and it’s much easier then using floss and a dumbbell . I wish I would have asked for this years ago .

I can see the utility of this for the specific application you're using it for but on the subject of using cables you could anchor yourself with the other foot and lie on your back or in a plank position while doing a similar movement (though you are entirely on point about how much of a pain it is trying to find an opportunity to actually use the cable machine and that's not even factoring in whether the appropriate attachments are there or split across all the other ones in the gym)

Seems like a good product for isolated lower leg training, but a bit expensive imo. You could get adjustable weight cuffs for only a few bucks, they pretty much do the same thing and can be used on your arms as well, for a fraction of the cost :)

Superb presentation 👏

3.16 for a 1km would be the envy of many a masters rower with multiple years experience. Achieving above average I'd say

I get stiff hip flexors all the time. I feel them when I ride my bike. I take it as a good sign that I'm exercising hard and ignore it because it doesn't feel uncomfortable and keep pushing the pedals.

Try a establishing a baseline (measure watt and rpm) by doing one legged pedaling drills.

Loving the channel Mark. Funny and informative. Did you just buy direct from Animal House? or did you find a UK supplier? Cheers. Keep up the good work.

I have a question, for the comments ;) Have you ever thought of trying shorter pedalarms? like 165mm or 160mm? Shorter pedalarms will raise your seat (because bottom pedal stroke is now higher from ground) and make your hips less compressed due to a more "open" angle (because the upper point for the pedal will be lower, so the knee wont travel as far up). Less leverage, but with the power in those legs, they must be a little heavy and therefore have the advantage of shorter, slower, travel and utilizing the power burst I see in those legs!

Thanks!!!

Have you given the PsoRite a go? Goggins talked about using it on JRE. I’ve had one for a year+ now and it really helps me get at all of those hip flexor bits. I also do a lot of goblet squats where I just sit in the bottom for a while and do curls with the kettlebell (learned that from Pavel). That helps out my hip flexibility IMMENSELY, especially after a long run or the day after deadlifts. As always, thanks for bangin’ content: honest, relatable, and plenty of giggles. Merry Christmas from New York!

Awesome content! 👌🏻👍🏻

You are such an inspiration, Mark! Now give me a shoutout… lol!

Your videos are always a great source of inspiration and really fun to watch! It would be interesting though if you - given the high volume of training that you do - could reveal your secret on how to stay above average also in the flu-department since you never seems to get sick! I consider myself a healthy person. I have a kicker bike, I schedule my zwift rides and strength training in my trainingpeaksprogram every week. I eat fruits and greens Well above average, I have an Oura ring to track my readiness and I make sure to have my rest days, but never the less, here I am again - down with the flu. How do you do it?! Happy New Year Mark, and keep up your awesome work!

Mark Can you send me the link for the monkey foot I’m in the uk Great video 👍

You could do some sort of one legged cycling benchmark for comparison

For those wanting a cheaper option than a Monkey Foot to do Hip Flexors like in this video, you can use a Floss Band wrapped around your foot and the dumbbell (A bit time consuming to set up though) or alternatively, I use my cord from my Gymnastic Rings and just loop that over my foot and dumbbell then pull it tight. Takes a few seconds to set up and feels really stable.

Wicked video mate. I’ve got a knee issue at the minute after doing too much, too soon after coming back from a hip injury so gunna get on kneesovertoes guy and see what he’s all about!

A few years ago : “ stretch those tight hip flexors “ , today : strengthen your hip flexors

Those perfectly racked weights on the squat rack are making me feel things

I've been training to increase my running cadence, I find trying to maintain above 175 steps per minute for more than 10k really burns up my hip flexors.

I have been contemplating getting one of those pso rite gadgets for massaging the psoas but this might fit the need. Great video as always Mark.

I think there's a way to make this thing using two shin pads back to back and some creative fabrication utilizing a size 15 Adidas Samba trainer.

You had me with Clyde! Curious how the primary exercise you are using this for differs from doing suitcase carries up steps or step ups on a box? Maybe that’s a question for knees over toes guy. Wife’s looking forward to your world record attempt with the pooch. Merry Christmas.

Mark wish me luck. Doing my first half triathlon june 22 🤞🤞💪

Total tangent, but you read my mind on one topic: after your recent video where you complained that "fitness" culture focuses too much on looks and not enough on function, I meant to challenge you to do some videos not wearing tshirts that are 2 sizes too small :) bravo.

Could hip flexor issues be a side affect of being tall, heavy financial planners? Definitely have those issues here too.

I love the monkey feet, I use them for a lot more than just hip flexor work.

3:16 is decent for a non-rower

Is there are follow up video? Did using the Monkey feet help your training?

I’ve just realised how potentially beneficial it is for skiing

you need to practice atleast half of the event distance/ exercise: It could be a bit of a shock trying to keep the pace running between lifts etc towards the end compared to people who have practiced replicating the event

@40seconds - what sh*te has Mark been buying now, this looks ridiculous. @1min - that looks cool where can I get one. @6.55 - absolutely devastated that they are sold out in the UK and I NEED one as soon as possible.

Would you see significant benefits if you were only able to use these with up to 10kg dumbbells? I may be interested in using this at home but don’t have a wide range of weights

and also you get to flex those psoas next time you're on the beach!!!

Hey Mark, love your videos. Are you still using the monkey feet after a year an a half ? Did you see an improvement in your hip strength ?

Just a small note on the Hip-flexor .. Allot of people have realy tight hip-flexors from alle the sitting down we do in this world .. If you train it it will most likley get more tight so make sure to spend time stretching it. A thight hip-flexor kan lead to all kinds of inbalancing injuries on the bike and run. But with that said the hipflexor is realy overlooked and often weak as shit. So train it but be smart about it.

Another great video, but please, please, recruit a powerlifting coach to fix your deadlift! You are basically doing a wide stance conventional and you are doing yourself a great disservice!

You said you didn't care for comments on your form while rowing but it has to be said that you could be faster by just adjusting simple things and not needing to expend any extra watts.

Hey Mark, What are those nike gym shoes you are using?

Rocky 4 is on ITV4 tonight at 9pm if anyone's interested

Great video. Just asking about going from a large individual to a healthy one. Ive been training all my life always keeping a healthy diet and always hovered around 11 stone and slim. The other week my gp sent me for a scan, the result has absolutely gutted me. One of my arteries is 75% blocked. I’m like wtf. That cannot be right, I’ve very rarely eaten crap, never eaten red meat and never ever been fat. I’m now on aspirin Have you any ideas what so ever how to clear the arteries.

Another informative video...and your nose looks slightly red...but im guessing it is Christmas...cheers Mark.

Hi Mark are you still using the monkey feet and where did you get them from ?

When I saw the title I thought this would be about Vibram Fivefingers. I have a pair in black, and they make me look like I have gorilla feet, let alone monkey feet

You mentioned, what I think was (maybe) a throw away comment, that you're 6'6, is this true or a slight exaggeration? I'm also 6'6 and I'm trying to find content offered by people around my same height (so it's a little more relevant than someone who is 5'2).

Geez….

Did someone sneak in and scribe "above average" on your blackboard?

Dont they make ankle weights? Velcro style?

You can just use a small ratchet strap on a dumbbell for $10.

Nixon looked a bit bored, "not in the bag again" routine!

Mark what about ankle weights? Same concept, different?

Excellent gadget. Sight Taxonomical correction Lewis. Orangutan’s 🦧 are (Great Apes) NOT monkeys! Along with that Chimpanzees are also Great Apes! Along with Humans, Bonobo & Gorillas. We’re all on Great Ape Family. Our closest Monkey common ancestor lived approx 30 million years ago. Chimpanzee Apes are Human’s closest ‘non Human’ relative both speciating from a common Ape ancestor approx 7 million yrs ago. Ok:-). It’s astounding just how many modern Humans do not even know they’re animals let alone what species of animal they are in scientific & Evolutionary terms. PLEASE DON’T TELL ME THE EARTH IS 6000 YEARS OLD. I will start crying;-))).🙏🏽

I didn't realize this was uploaded a year ago at first. Do you still think the monkey foot was helpful? Also Nixon seems very used to being on your back. That part of the videovwas unexpected and funny. But being that I recently watched a video of a man who bought a sidecar to put on his motorcycle so that his pit bull could go on rides with him it seems practical.

You should work for JVC 😂😂

When can we see Above Average Apparel

"I could use the low pulley but I'd have to stand on a box, I'm 6'6". I'd look ridiculous."...two minutes later stands on a box to use monkey feet, looks ridiculous.

Well, my wife is going to curse you when that turns up at the door 😬

English always whinging about the weather 🤣.

yo mark maybe next time workout to warm up it was hard watching this vid with icles coming of your ears

You had me at monkey... You lost me at £75

Looks good! Is this the kneesovertoesguy workout you're trying? kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bNZ1o6yUnrO9pZ8.html I might give it a go too! btw discovered your channel recently and really enjoying the videos - especially the trail running! :)

You can drop your hands during hip flexor work for added core stability and balance. My physio got me doing them a few years ago for back pain, but I also noticed I'm more composed on the mtb when the bike is dancing under me through chunder. I too really enjoy the exercise.