Knees Over Toes got me back to BJJ after a significant knee injury.

I tore my meniscus in September 2022.  This was a year after I broke that same leg.

I could barely walk. When I asked my orthopedic surgeon if I could train BJJ eventually, she hesitated to answer.

I thought to myself: “Would I ever get back on the mats?”

Fast forward to today, and I’m just as strong as I was before my injury.

Despite my tibial plateau fracture and meniscus tear, I’m able to train BJJ hard 3-4 times a week.

What was the difference?

At the cornerstone of my recovery was the Knees Over Toes program by Ben Patrick.

In this article, I’ll share my in-depth review of Knees Over Toes (the ATG program) to help you build more resilient knees for BJJ — just like I’ve done for myself.

Whether you’re trying to come back from a knee injury — or you just want to prevent a future knee injury — this review will help you understand if Knees Over Toes will get you back on the mats.

Knees Over Toes Review: Table Of Contents

• Review Summary
• What Is Knees Over Toes?
• Who Should Get Knees Over Toes?
• Who Shouldn’t Get Knees Over Toes?
• Knees Over Toes Exercises
• Knees Over Toes Equipment
• Price Breakdown
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• Takeaway Thoughts

Review Summary

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 Stars)

What Is Knees Over Toes (ATG Program)?

Here’s a brief overview of what you should know about Knees Over Toes in the context of BJJ and grappling for knee recovery.

The Knees Over Toes Methodology

Knees Over Toes is a coaching program, mobile app, and training philosophy created by Ben Patrick to help people get rid of knee pain by building stronger, more resilient knees.

The whole idea is that it’s good, not bad, for your knees to go over toes.

Think about how often your knees go over your toes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Whether you’re simply sitting on your heels or you’re doing a knee-cut pass, putting your knees over your toes is a common movement.

So Ben asks why not train the movement?

Why not get strong with your knees over your toes instead of thinking about it as something bad?

Ben Patrick’s Story

Ben has vast experience with chronic knee issues himself.

He was dealing with chronic knee issues as early as high school and was unable to play basketball, the sport he loved.

By the time he was 20, he was dealing with multiple knee injuries and surgeries.

He’s suffered the following knee injuries and pathologies:

• Osgood-Schlatter disease
• Chondromalacia
• Patellofemoral tendinopathy
• ACL pathology
• Partial patella replacement
• Meniscus tear & transplant

He tried following conventional wisdom when rehabbing his knees, like “don’t put your knees over your toes.”

That didn’t help. So, he developed a counterintuitive approach:

“When you do a full bend, you grow this tear drop muscle and this one is the fastest twitch which means it reacts quickest when you put impact on it and when you train full bend, you actually grow and thicken your tendons and that’s what holds the muscles together,” Patrick explains.

“I’ve actually been able to internally transform my knees, therefore the jumping is easier.”

Today, Ben has 0 pain in his knees, has impressive knee function, and can dunk a basketball — something he couldn’t do in his 20s.

Joe Rogan interviewed Ben on the JRE podcast and shared how beneficial knees over toes training has been for him.

The ATG App & Coaching

After successfully rehabbing his own knees, Ben created Athletic Truth Group (ATG) to share his methodology.

The ATG app and website host Ben’s training programs.

Not only does it have programs to help you rehab your knees, but it has BJJ-specific training programs.

The app is clean, modern, and easy to use. You can pick a routine, follow the exercises, and take notes.

The app also includes coaching. You can hit the “chat” function to get personalized help on your routine, form, or specific injury.

Like Yoga for BJJ, it’s a great way to pick a routine to help you solve a specific problem with your body.

Whether it’s your knees, ankles, spine, or something else, the ATG app will give you the routine (with instructional videos) and the coaching to help you rehab and get back on the mats.

Who Should Get Knees Over Toes?

1. You have a current knee injury. Whether it’s acute (it just happened) or chronic (long-term), Knees Over Toes was built for you. In my experience, the Knees Over Toes programs are more effective for your knees than 99% of personalized routines prescribed by a physiotherapist.
2. You have healthy knees, and you want to keep them that way. BJJ is a demanding sport, especially on the knees. According to a recent study, knees are the most frequently injured part of BJJ. Strength training is one of the best ways to reduce knee injuries. So, by making your legs and knees strong and mobile, you’ll reduce your chance of injury in BJJ.
3. You want to be stronger and more agile for BJJ. To strengthen your knees, you’ll have to make your ankles, calves, quads, hamstrings, hips, and spine stronger and more mobile. Making the entire lower half of your body stronger and more mobile will make BJJ feel much easier.

Who Shouldn’t Get Knees Over Toes?

1. You don’t have 25-30 minutes a day to do the program. Knees Over Toes is an exercise program, meaning you have to do the work. Their primary programs are quite short and can be done at home, but you’ll still have to carve out some time to get it done.
2. You already have a rock-solid leg training program. If you’re already hitting legs 2-3x a week with a solid program — and your knees feel great — then Knees Over Toes might be overkill for you.

Knees Over Toes Exercises

There are over a dozen programs inside the ATG app.

However, the most popular program — and the one I use and recommend for BJJ athletes — is the Knee Ability Zero Program.

Here are the exercises for Knee Ability Zero:

1. Backwards Walking: 5 minutes
2. Wall Tibialis Raise: 2 sets of 20 reps
3. Wall Calf Raise: 1 set of 20 reps
4. Bent Leg Calf Raise: 1 set of 20 reps
5. Reverse Step Up: 2 sets of 25 reps per side
6. ATG Split Squat: 3 sets of 10 reps per side

Ben Patrick, the founder of Knees Over Toes, has tutorials for these exercises on his YouTube Channel.

For my knee injury and BJJ in particular, I found the backwards walking and ATG Split Squat most helpful.

The backwards walking provided immediate pain relief and lowered inflammation in my knee.

The ATG Split Squat helped me build confidence and strength in my knee and ankle, showing me that I don’t have to be afraid of putting my knee in that range of motion.

If you’re worried about your form, you can record yourself doing the exercises and send it to your ATG coach.

They’ll ensure you’re doing each excercise in safe way.

Knees Over Toes Equipment

You don’t need any equipment to do the Knee Ability Zero program.

If you want to do the other programs, 90% of the equipment you’ll need can be found at your local gym.

However, for those of you who want to take the programs more seriously, I’ll share which Knees Over Toes equipment was beneficial for me in the context of BJJ.

Here’s the Knees Over Toes equipment I invested in and recommend:

1. Foot-Shaped Shoes

Your regular sports shoes are far too narrow, cramping your toes together and causing issues for your feet.

Foot-shaped shoes are shoes that are shaped like your foot. They don’t provide as much arch support. And they’re wider so that your toes can splay out properly.

When my knee was injured, I was wearing standard running shoes, My knee did not feel good in them.

When I switched to ATG’s no-drop shoes with a wider toe base, I felt an immediate difference. My knee felt more stable and comfortable walking around.

These shoes helped me strengthen and stabilize my feet and ankles instead of compensating for my weaknesses like running shoes did.

2. Slant Board

A slant board is a slanted board with adhesive on top, allowing you to perform exercises on a slant plane.

The slant board enables you to do many different exercises, from deeper ATG split squats to slanted squats and various stretches.

Due to my stiff ankles, doing the split squat without a slant was very difficult.

After I started doing them with the slant board, I found it much easier to get into a deeper squat and actually feel them strengthening my knees.

It’s a great pickup for both ATG and non-ATG exercises and stretches.

3. Tib Bar

After doing enough wall tibialis raises, they become too easy. And you can’t load them with extra weight without a tib bar.

A tib bar is a piece of equipment you attach to your feet, which you can load with plates. You can do tib bars while sitting down, loading your tibialis muscles with extra weight.

As someone with ankles that are constantly weak and stiff from my flat feet, the tib bar was amazing for helping me strengthen and mobilize my ankles.

And of course, it helps strengthen the tibialis muscles as well.

This muscle is key when it comes to defending leg locks like the straight ankle lock. Your tibialis enables you to lift your toes towards your shin.

You don’t need equipment to do the Knees Over Toes Program. But the ones listed above will give you that extra “oomph” to get the most out of your ATG workouts.

Price Breakdown

The Knees Over Toes Program (known as ATG) is priced at $49.50 per month.

There is no contract, and you can cancel anytime.

And if you sign up through the link on this page, you’ll get 50% off your first month.

What’s included with this price?

• Access to the ATG app with dozens of programs
• Personalized virtual coaching with 25/7 access and communication
• Access to the private video library created by Ben Patrick
• Access to private articles written by Ben Patrick
• Access to the weekly newsletter by Ben Patrick
• 20% discounts on various ATG equipment and sneakers

Compared to a good physiotherapist, this price is a steal.

I was regularly paying $130 per week to see my physiotherapist, which cost me $520 per month — 10X the price of Knees Over Toes but with half the effectiveness.

So if the pricing seems steep to you, consider…

• How much would it cost you to see a physiotherapist?
• How much is it worth to you to have healthy knees so you can train the sport you love?

You can try the program out for a month (give it at least a month) and then decide whether or not to continue.

Worst case scenario, you’re short $25 bucks.

Best case scenario, you’ve discovered how to make your knees healthy and strong so you can train BJJ as long as you want.

Click here to try out Knees Over Toes and save 50% on your first month.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What kind of knee injuries does Knees Over Toes help?

Knees Over Toes helps all sorts of knee injuries and conditions.

Personally, it’s helped me with a degenerative/complex meniscus tear and osteoarthritis in my right knee. 

Here are the different injuries Ben Patrick has had and solved using the Knees Over Toes approach:

• ACL tear
• Partial patella replacement
• Meniscus tear (& transplant)
• Patellofemoral tendinopathy
• Osgood-Schlatter disease
• Chondromalacia

It’s safe to say that if you have a knee injury from BJJ, Knees Over Toes can help.

How long do the Knees Over Toes programs take?

According to Ben Patrick, his programs take 20-30 minutes per session.

I’ve found this to be accurate. Knee Ability Zero takes me 15-20 minutes to complete.

What equipment do you need for Knees Over Toes?

You don’t need any equipment for the main program: Knee Ability Zero.

I found the most benefit from the zero-drop shoes, slant board, and tib bar.

There is optional equipment for the other programs, which you can get on their website.

How much does Knees Over Toes cost?

Knees Over Toes (ATG Program) costs $49.50 per month.

You can get $30 off your first month by using the code FRESHSTART2025.

Takeaway Thoughts

If you’re a BJJ grappler who wants to train until you’re 70 or 80 years old like me, Knees Over Toes is a great investment.

It helped me overcome my meniscus tear and feel confident on the mats again.

And compared to your local physiotherapist, not only is it cheaper, it’s more effective.

Try it out for a month by clicking the link here (and get 50% off).

Are YOU dealing with a knee injury from BJJ? What exercises have or haven’t worked for you?

Leave a comment in the section below and join the discussion.

Having dealt with a knee injury myself, I’m happy to share my experience and tips with other grapplers.

More than anything, I’d like to help YOU get back on the mats. 

Happy rolling — and keep those knees safe! 🤙

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Tsavo Neal

Tsavo is the founder of BJJ Equipment, author of BJJ For Beginners, creator of the BJJ Missions app, and a brown belt instructor at InFighting. He launched BJJ Equipment to help grapplers at every belt level train smarter, make faster progress, and find the best gear for their game.