Say GOODBYE to Weak Ankles & Shin Splints!

If you do a quick google search on finding a cure for “weak” ankles or shin splits (micro fractures in the tibia), you’ll get a lot of decent exercises that quite frankly, leave us hanging.

Insert — The Tib Bar. Though the “Tib Bar” has been around for decades, it didn’t gain popularity until recently with the explosion of the Knees Over Toes movement popularized by Ben Patrick of ATG. What does a tib bar do? Let’s break it down.

The muscle covering our tibia, or shin bone, is called the tibialis (which seems to be so uncommon I’ve been autocorrected twice trying to type it). The function of our tibialis is to raise our toes upwards and more dynamically, absorb the force from the ground during simple movements like walking to more strenuous movements like decelerating from sprint or loading up for a big jump in sport. When that muscle is weak, injury from overuse becomes inevitable (shin splints and knee issues at the forefront).

So what do we do? We strengthen the muscle that is supposed to protect us. Like many (if not all) people I train, the muscle on the front of our leg seems to be an accessory rather than a part of our body with a job for movement. I’ve been involved in sport either competitively or recreationally for over 30 years and I’d never HEARD of this muscle, let alone trained it. This is where the story get’s exciting.

Shared from a friend I started looking into the “knees over toes” style of training to combat my body aging as well as looking for more ways to improve myself and those I was working with. I had no idea what was in store! As I started to drag a DIY Sled backwards (which also works the tibialis and lower leg) not only was my range of motion and body strengthened, but I found myself surprised to learn I had put on roughly 6 inches to my vertical jump in my late 30s! Is this common? Maybe not, but the matter was settled — my body was thriving on the new movements it was craving, which I’d never given it.

Between dragging a sled backward, tibialis raises and a host of new exercises — my understanding of the body and its ability to perform was both exciting and filled with hope.

Since then, I’ve purchased 2 “standard” tib bars and 2 “solo” tib bars, both from The Tib Bar Guys. If you’re interested in grabbing some, head over to their site (thetibbarguy.com) and try them out. It’s a family owned business which continues to find new ways to improve the fitness space with innovation.

Make sure you use the code BFFIT10 to get 10% off your order.

Also, for an in-depth look at how and why we should train our tibalis, watch here. 💪🏼

Thanks for stopping by, I hope this is helpful. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. Let’s go get it!

For His Glory.

Joe Buys