My name is Benji, I am the founder of Freak Athlete Essentials. In my pursuit of professional soccer, I’ve undergone three knee surgeries, all before the age of 21. That’s not normal. Humans are not designed to break, we’re meant to MOVE.
Soccer is how I move. It’s where I feel most human, most alive. When I tore my ACL 9 months ago, there wasn’t a question of whether I’d get back, I just needed to learn how.
I was the strongest and fittest on my team, yet here I was, back on the operating table. Something wasn’t working.
In October, I had surgery. 12 hours later, I was in the bathroom doing single-leg RDLs on my right leg. 5 days later, I was biking in the gym. I had to move.
After 6 weeks, I started ATG Zero. I used every regression possible when training my left (ACL) side. I struggled on my right side too. I never thought it would fully bend again after two meniscus surgeries, but I worked through the progressions nonetheless.
With a month of Zero and obsessive sledding under my belt, I was ready to add load. I bought the cheapest tib bar I could find for $50, hand made from PVC.
It got the job done, but I knew I could make something better, more affordable, or both. So, I spent my life savings to produce 300 metal tib bars, and I launched in March for $49. No ads, no connections. Just a damn good tib bar.
Today, Freak Athlete is more than a 21-year-old selling Tib Bars. It’s a community of coaches and athletes around the world with one common mission: to help people achieve longevity and performance. ATG is about allowing anyone to do what they love, pain free, for as long as they want. If our equipment can help just one person achieve a pain free, athletic life, then we’ve made our impact.
1 comment
Great story. Thanks for sharing., I’m Peggy’s, almost 94 year old cousin in New York.
Keep it moving is my motto too. Not always so easy now. Good luck—I hope no more surgeries. ( I too had muniscus surgery last summer, and still playing golf!!!