Louie Simmons’ Kneeling Jumps

A fun and helpful gradient scale of kneeling jumps

“This here will build some tremendous jumping ability.” - Louie Simmons, as he’s coaching someone on a snatch from a FULL-KNEE-BEND kneeling position.

[Louie is in the red shirt below.]

Yes, Louie Simmons, the legendary coach for powerlifters, who don’t snatch in their sport and don’t have to bend the knees below parallel in their squat.

I’ve never trained this exercise before, but my specialties are:

#1. GRADIENT SCALES, so I’ll teach a progression today, starting from my 72-year-old mother (below.)

#2. NOT SEEING LIFE THROUGH A STRAW, and instead, TREATING OTHER COACHES WITH RESPECT and UNDERSTANDING.

My mentor, Charles Poliquin, stressed: “Don’t see life through a straw.”

That’s the #1 problem I see in fitness. People regularly ask me what I think about Louie Simmons’ system of “no deep bending,” not realizing that Louie was training deep bending even more aggressively than I do!

Louie’s sport had a specific squat. His accessory work then addressed the knees and lower back in ways his sport didn’t, so the result was an incredibly balanced system!

Without further ado…

You can work on this ASSISTED. It is an amazing joint and mobility exercise!

You can work unassisted, which may be a cheat code for young athletes since they can start from virtually anywhere, before knee problems.

Then, without arm swing.

Then, for advanced purposes, you can load. Front loading is easier to begin.

You can snatch a broomstick.

And you can even snatch a barbell, as Louie taught.

What I can do with my knees should not be possible for someone with my knee surgery and injury history, but IT DID NOT OCCUR FROM ONE MAGIC EXERCISE.

It occurred because I figured out gradient scales and never had to work through pain, so my knees adapted without being beat up in the process.

Joints adapt, but if you use too great or too sudden a force, they can get hurt.

I can now handle much greater and more sudden forces than I could 16 years ago when I started on this approach, but even I have no guarantee. Life is a game of the demands upon us vs. our ability to handle them.

Infinite thanks to Louie Simmons and to my mentor, Charles Poliquin, who saved my knees and changed my life forever.

Conclusion:

I see a gradient scale of kneeling jumps as a fun and helpful addition to a more controlled regimen. I have them in my personal program on the ATG app, and I’ll continue to coach and observe them.

Yours in Solutions,

Ben

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