Family Full Squat Example with Ages 14, 49 & 78

Coach Geoff Reed = STRENGTH/ LOVE/ INTELLECT COMBINED

Date: September 18, 2026

Age 14… 49… and 78!

This is a good life lesson because my close friend and ATG Coach, Geoff Reed, is helping his family with a subject that’s HARD to face but has better outcomes facing it than avoiding it.

Let’s start from the daughter because high school sports is one of the top sources of KNEE SURGERY.

Kids can naturally full squat with knees over toes.

You can fortify that natural squat with a dumbbell or kettlebell as they grow up.

But SPORTS takes demand beyond what’s natural.

Zercher is a low-learning-curve, high-results option for progression beyond dumbbell or kettlebell.

(The main barrier is elbow discomfort, but a thick towel solves that!)

However, in coaching about 1,000 people in person, I can tell that hundredscould not start any of the above options without knee pain.

That’s where counterbalance comes in, allowing you to use LESS KNEES OVER TOES.

In 1978 a university found that more knees over toes = more pressure on knees. They jumped to the conclusion that knees over toes was therefore “bad,” so “no knees over toes” became the prevailing mandate in college exercise science textbooks.

Long-term research now shows the outcome in life is the OPPOSITE of their initial theory - but that is also our clue! NOW we can finally use this full information to systematize a gradual scale of pain-free ability.

Pain is a communication, and I want you to work in the zone that does NOT hurt.

Facing our ability at the level that doesn’t hurt is now closer to true, scientific advice than either of the previous norms: “avoid knees over toes” or “work through the pain.”

FAQ #1: Heel elevation?

Heel elevation is not mandatory but helps emphasize the knees and legs.

I like a slantboard or a $2, 2” x 4” x 2’ board.

I separately use dedicated exercises for the ankle and lower back to stay in common sense balance to increased knee and leg strength.

FAQ #2: Just full range?

I use a variety of exercises to accomplish balanced bodies.

For example, going downhill is a basic human knee ability which is NOT FULL RANGE.

Downhill is one of the main exercises I’ve used to help people reduce knee pain in life.

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Conclusion:

Coach Geoff Reed = STRENGTH / LOVE / INTELLECT COMBINED, something I haven’t seen as common in my lifetime.

This squat article merely shows one example of these three in action.

For all the bad news in the world, I am grateful to become a new breed of DAD.

To build better lives for my kids and others, I see no alternative for myself than DADAPTATION.

Yours in Solutions,

Ben

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