NOTE: All Solo Tib Bar V2 exercises are shown in the module for quick reference. Please see below for the complete upper body workout.

Goals: Hip/knee flexion & extension strength; quad & hamstring hypertrophy; improve ankle function and resilience; enhance movement quality, especially in walking, running, and jumping.

Duration: 45-60 minutes

Frequency: 2x per week

Schedule: Perform the Bulletproof Hips, Knees, & Ankles Workout on the Solo Tib Bar 2x per week with 2-3 days in between sessions.

How to Progress the Movements

For all of these exercises, the goal should always be to move the weight with control through a full range of motion, while achieving a squeeze with good muscle activation at peak contraction. To progress the exercises, you should strive to get more reps every time you attack a session.

From there you can add a pause of 2-3 seconds at the peak contraction of any of these movements (except the ankle circles), and when you are easily dominating a given weight for 20 reps on both sets with both legs then you can add 1.25-2.5lbs onto the implement to increase the intensity up another notch on the dial. 

A. Standing Hip Flexion (Detailed Breakdown)

How to Perform It

1. Stand with the non-working leg on an elevated platform (6-12 inches). Load the Solo Tib Bar on the other leg, stand up straight, and hold onto a sturdy object for balance.

2. Flex your hip by raising your knee up as high as possible while keeping your torso tall.

3. Squeeze at the top, then lower with control to a fully extended position at the bottom.

Muscles Worked: Hip flexors (iliopsoas, rectus femoris, sartorius); Lower abdominals (stabilizers)

Benefits:

1. Strengthens a chronically undertrained function—hip flexion

2. Helps counteract tight or weak hips from prolonged sitting

3. Direct carryover to sprinting, kicking, and knee drive

Rehab & Recovery: Hip flexion strength is essential for avoiding hip impingement and groin strains. This movement can be used post-injury (once cleared) to restore active hip range of motion, prevent asymmetries, and improve pelvic control.

B. Quadruped Hip Extension (Detailed Breakdown)

How to Perform It

1. Load the Solo Tib Bar securely on the working leg and kneel on all fours.

2. While maintaining a slight bend in the knee, extend the hip of the loaded leg back behind you and slightly upward, squeezing your glute hard at peak contraction.

3. Slowly return to the starting position.

Muscles Worked: Gluteus maximus; Hamstrings; Lumbar stabilizers

Benefits:

1. Builds glute and hamstring strength through a long lever

2. Reduces reliance on the low back during hip extension

3. Reinforces hip function in gait and explosive movement

C. Seated Knee Extension (Detailed Breakdown)

How to Perform It

1. Sit on a bench with your upper leg supported and lower leg hanging off the bench. Secure the Solo Tib Bar around the foot of your working leg.

2. Extend your knee by lifting the loaded foot until the leg is straight.

3. Squeeze the quad hard, then lower under control back to a deep bend.

Pro Tip: To ensure the knees are doing all the work here, hold the working thigh securely in place on the bench using your arms. 

Muscles Worked: Quadriceps (all heads, especially rectus femoris and vastus medialis)

Benefits:

1. Targets the quads through full knee extension

2. Great for hypertrophy and tendon integrity

3. Helps develop terminal knee extension strength

Rehab & Recovery: This movement is foundational in knee rehab protocols (post-op ACL, patellar tendinopathy, runner’s knee) as it reinforces VMO strength and restores controlled, pain-free knee extension. Use light loads initially and progress as tolerated.

D. Standing Knee Flexion (Detailed Breakdown)

How to Perform It

1. Stand with the non-working leg on an elevated platform (6-12 inches). Load the Solo Tib Bar on the other leg, lean forward slightly, and hold onto a sturdy object for balance.

2. Flex the knee by curling the foot up as high as possible toward the hamstring.

3. Squeeze the hamstring at the peak contraction, then lower under control back to the start..

Muscles Worked: Hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus)

Benefits:

1. Builds isolated hamstring strength in knee flexion, enhancing resilience.

2. Supports a balance between quads and hamstrings

3. Enhances sprint performance and deceleration

Rehab & Recovery: This exercise is especially helpful in hamstring strain rehab or posterior knee joint issues (e.g., distal hamstring tendinopathy). It’s an excellent step toward restoring full hamstring contraction strength without needing advanced equipment.

E. Unilateral Tibialis Raise (Detailed Breakdown)

How to Perform It

1. Sit on a bench with your leg extended and supported on the bench. Secure the Solo Tib bar v2 onto your working leg, ensuring that the ankle is hanging off the edge of the bench.

2. Dorsiflex the foot by lifting the ball of your foot as close as possible toward your shin.

3. Pause and squeeze at the top, then slowly return to the bottom until you have reached a position of maximal plantarflexion.

Muscles Worked: Tibialis anterior; Extensor digitorum longus

Benefits:

1. Strengthens the front of the lower leg

2. Improves ankle stability and dorsiflexion capacity/range

3. Critical for sprinting, jumping, and deceleration

Rehab & Recovery: This is one of the most effective drills for preventing and recovering from shin splints. Use lightweight for high reps and focus on moving through a full range of motion first and foremost. Build control before loading heavily.

F. Ankle Circles (Detailed Breakdown)

How to Perform It

1. Sit on a bench with your leg extended and supported on the bench. Secure the Solo Tib bar v2 onto your working leg, ensuring that the ankle is hanging off the edge of the bench.

2. Slowly draw controlled, smooth circles with your foot, first clockwise, then counterclockwise. Be sure to perform 15-20 reps in each direction.

3. Keep the movement controlled and deliberate, move through the full range of motion available at each ankle.

Muscles Worked: Peroneals; Tibialis anterior/posterior; Gastrocnemius and soleus

Benefits:

1. Trains ankle control in 360°

2. Promotes joint lubrication and proprioception

3. Great for prehab and warm-up

Rehab & Recovery: Ankle circles are ideal during ankle sprain rehab and to restore motor control after immobilization. They’re also useful as a daily mobility drill for reducing stiffness in the foot/ankle complex.