EXURA Builds — The Podcast
The engineering, rehab science, and training protocols behind knees-over-toes style equipment — hosted by Benjamin Schalchli, founder of EXURA. Short, technical episodes on slant boards, tibialis training, and building joints that last.
The Engineering Behind a Knees-Over-Toes Slant Board: Material-Science Notes From 14 Months of Testing
Most slant boards on Amazon are engineered for casual calf stretching — not for the progressive, loaded work that knees-over-toes style training demands. This episode breaks down the three mechanical failure modes that cheaper boards share, and why EXURA engineered around each one.
The three failure modes of consumer slant boards
- Plywood deflection under load — wooden boards flex once loading climbs past bodyweight-plus-dumbbell territory, robbing the ankle of a stable base for split squats and heavy calf raises.
- Aluminum hinge fatigue — adjustable boards with a single hinge concentrate stress at the pivot; repeated loaded reps loosen and eventually fail that joint.
- Grip-surface delamination — glued-on traction layers peel with sweat and time, turning a training tool into a slip hazard.
How the EXURA Slant Board is built
- Rigid laser-cut steel frame rated to 900 lb — effectively zero flex under real training loads.
- Two fully independent platforms (one per foot) so each ankle can sit at its own angle — asymmetric loading and wider split stances that single-deck boards can't do.
- Four fixed angles (20° / 25° / 30° / 40°) — no hinge to slip, progress by moving to a steeper platform instead of trusting a moving part.
The Most Undertrained Muscle in Running: A Tibialis Anterior Protocol for Runners
The tibialis anterior — the muscle on the front of the shin — is one of the most neglected muscles in running, and a major factor in shin splints. In this episode, Benjamin walks through a 12-week progressive protocol to build it, why unilateral (single-leg) loading matters for runners, and what typically changes after eight weeks of consistent work.
What the episode covers
- Why runners ignore the tibialis anterior — and how that shows up as shin splints and poor deceleration.
- Training it unilaterally, so a stronger side can't cover for a weaker one (a common runner asymmetry).
- A 12-week progressive structure: from bodyweight tibialis raises to loaded work with a tib bar, with slow eccentrics as the driver of adaptation.
- What to expect around the 8-week mark once loading is consistent.
The tools mentioned
- EXURA Solo Tib Bar — single-leg, built for runners and single-side rehab.
- EXURA Tib Bar Adjustable — bilateral, for lifters and PT-style progressions.
New episodes on the engineering and science of training joints that last. Subscribe on Spotify or Amazon Music.