Adil Zulkahari PT

Last year I tore my meniscus and it made me realise I was training legs all wrong.

I was still squatting, but I was pushing my hips back (basically what you are always told to do) keeping my knees from bending too much, never letting them travel past my toes. For this reason I was training the movement like a deadlift but never really training my knees.

When I actually leaned into deep knee flexion (bending the knee more) instead of avoiding it, my knees got stronger not worse. Turns out the thing I thought was protecting my knee was just weakening it.

Three exercises I’ve been doing to rebuild the strength of my knees:

1. B-Stance Front Squat — If you don’t like the front squat position this can also be done hold one or two dumbbells.
2. Front Squat (heels elevated) — more knee travel so more demand on the quads. Again can be done holding a dumbbell in a goblet squat position.
3. Bulgarian Split Squat (I personally think the goat of leg training — front leg gets a single-leg squat and back leg is almost doing a leg extension. Great single leg exercise.

Save this if your knees need the same fix. 📌

Earlier this year, I experienced the worst lower back pain I’ve ever had.

I shot in for a takedown during Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and my lower back went into a mad spasm. I couldn’t bend over to pick something up, rotating hurt, and simple daily movements became difficult.

My first thought was to get rid of the pain so I spent a few weeks having acupuncture, dry needling, and soft tissue work to release everything around my lower back. It helped enough that I could move again but then I got excited and messed it up again doing rows 😂

I realised pain relief wasn’t enough. My back was weak in dealing with the demands I was putting on it.

Once the pain settled, I gradually started rebuilding it with back extensions. Over time I progressed the load, improved my tolerance, and now I’ve progressed to reverse hyperextensions like I’m demonstrating here.

I’ve found the best way to do these is by setting a barbell across a squat rack, padding it with a pillow, and holding onto something sturdy in front of you. This setup lets your legs hang freely so you can get a full stretch at the bottom of every rep, which is where I feel the biggest benefit.

I also keep the weight light and the reps high. My goal isn’t to max out, it’s to build endurance and resilience.

I’ll do sets of 50 reps, or simply set a timer for 2–3 minutes and keep moving until the timer runs out.

For me, it’s not just about building an aesthetic physique anymore.

I want a body that looks good and is strong, resilient, and can handle whatever I throw at it, whether that’s lifting, BJJ, or everyday life.

The goal isn’t just to build muscle. It’s to build a body that’s less likely to break down.

Sometimes the best way to protect your back isn’t to avoid using it it’s to train it.