Unlocking Power from the Ground Up: The Forgotten Chain
- Monty Stilson
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
For years, I sat.
At desks. Behind screens. On planes. In meetings. Always working. Always producing.
And I didn’t notice what was happening— until one day, I realized I could no longer move with the same ease I once took for granted.
My feet had gone numb. My hamstrings were tight. My glutes barely fired.
I wasn’t lazy—I was disconnected. The long hours of sitting had weakened the very foundation of my body: the lower posterior chain.
This post is an invitation to rebuild what we’ve unconsciously lost. To reclaim the strength, mobility, and awareness we were meant to carry.
Because strength doesn’t begin in the gym. It begins when you reconnect to the ground beneath you.
You can’t rise if your foundation is weak.
Most men treat strength like it begins at the barbell. But the truth is: strength begins at the ground. It begins with what’s been neglected for too long—the lower posterior chain.
Feet. Ankles. Calves. Hamstrings. Glutes.
This system is your foundation. It holds your weight, absorbs your impact, stabilizes your movement, and transfers force from the ground to the crown. When this chain is tight, immobile, or weak… your progress halts. Your power leaks.
And worse—it’s when aging starts to show.
The Neurology of Your Feet: Your Forgotten Brain
There are over 200,000 nerve endings in the soles of your feet. This isn’t random. Your feet are a sensory map—a neurological bridge between body and brain. When feet become stiff or desensitized by modern footwear, we lose the ability to sense, respond, and stabilize.
This is why foot awareness is the first step to longevity.
Try this: Remove your shoes. Slowly raise your big toe while grounding the other four. Reverse it. Can you do it without compensation? If not, your neural pathways have dulled.
Reawakening your feet is like rebooting your nervous system.
The Big Toe Ball Joint: The Hidden Lever of Power
Your big toe isn’t just a toe. It’s a lever, a stabilizer, a generator of torque.
Without control of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (the ball joint of the big toe), your gait is compromised. Your balance wavers. Your hips and knees overcompensate. This creates dysfunction, tightness, and long-term breakdown.
In Infinite Warrior, we train this joint intentionally—through weighted toe lifts, barefoot walking drills, and dynamic mobility sequences.
Horse Stance: The Root of Readiness
Few positions ground the body like the Horse Stance.
Done properly, it activates:
Arch control
Ankle dorsiflexion
Deep gluteal engagement
Adductor strength
Spinal elongation
Exercise: Hold Horse Stance with feet slightly turned out, knees tracking over toes, and spine long. Add foot raises—lifting your heels slowly while maintaining balance. This builds both proprioception and grounded power.
Hamstrings & Glutes: Length + Strength = Longevity
Most hamstring stretches chase sensation, not function. But tight hamstrings aren’t just short—they’re often weak.
True flexibility is built through strength in length.
That’s why we combine:
Loaded Hamstring Sliders for eccentric control
Jefferson Curls with mindful spinal flexion
Isometric Glute Bridges with controlled breathwork
Kinstretch CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations) for hip and ankle control
These aren’t just exercises. They are rituals of reclamation—reclaiming range, strength, and connection to your root.
Why It Matters: Power Comes From Below
The lower posterior chain is the base of your fluidity, your resilience, your readiness.
When this chain is awakened, the rest of your body follows.
You don’t just move better.
You think clearer. You stand taller. You age slower.
And most importantly—you reclaim the power that modern life tried to take away.
Begin With the Foundation
This is where the Infinite Warrior path begins: not with heavy weight—but with grounded presence.
You were meant to bend, fold, root, rise. Anything less isn’t aging—it’s amnesia.
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Suggested Practices to Begin Today:
Foot mobility drills (big toe lifts, arch waves, barefoot walking)
Horse stance with foot raises
Calf raises with pause holds
Hamstring sliders or wall stretches
Glute bridges with mindful breath
Kinstretch CARs for ankle & hip mobility
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