Send us a text Have you been told "the best thing for EDS/hypermobility is to get strong" - but then nobody told you how actually start? Or maybe you've started up already but you keep getting hurt/flared up each time you try. To be clear, I'm not saying that everyone with EDS will experience difficulty when starting out with strength training, but if you DO then this podcast is for you! This is the approach I have used with clients before with great success! Let's get you strong WITHOUT flar...
Send us a text I recently had my SIJ sublux a few days after a heavy training session. I spoke about it with my EDS/hypermobility specialist 'rehab guy' - Shant - and he told me he'd recently had the same thing happen to one of his hEDS clients. We discussed the solution we had each come up with, which was so far working for each person respectively - and it turns out great minds do think alike, as we had independently arrived at the same approach. Our approach is what we discuss in this vide...
Send us a text Do you find you flare up every time you try to progress in your training? This is a very common complaint - but on the other hand, if we NEVER progress our strength and rehab can become stagnant and this can cause its own set of issues. This "Goldilocks zone" where we're progressing in the right way AND amount is our "window of tolerance". And this is where the magic happens - pain free training, increased capacity, and reaching whatever training goals we want to ac...
Send us a text In this episode of Bendy & Strong I am running through the list of things I've been doing over the past few months/years to pull myself out of feeling the worst I've ever felt. When my dad died 2 years ago, my health plummeted and I was so scared that I would never get better. I wished I'd had a pathway out. So in this video I'm discussing the pathway I took out. DISCLAIMER: this is not medical advice or a substitute for medical advice! Find a good doct...
Send us a text This is a very common complaint I hear from EDS & hypermobile folk. Here are 4 solutions I use when dealing with this. ********** The next round of my strength course for EDS starts soon! Sign up here (or if you missed out, put your name on the waitlist): www.bendyandstrong.com ********** **Disclaimer: the information in this podcast is not medical advice and is for entertainment purposes only. Consult a good doctor before engaging in any new exercise.** Your Host ...
Send us a text What does it take to become a coach when you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome? In this episode, I chat with a fellow strength coach (and Pilates instructor) Sheena Cuccia who also has EDS. We cover: How we navigate the fitness industry with EDSThe hurdles we encounter & how we try to overcome themTips for anyone with EDS who wants to become a coach Advice for our younger selves & new coaches How we are building a stronger & more inclusive community for th...
Send us a text Do you want to know the secret to being consistent with exercise if you have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or hypermobility? It's the ability to adjust as you go. The fitness industry tells us that consistency means following the plan as closely as possible. But with EDS, that's never possible. Have an idea of the direction you want to go in, but be flexible in how you get there. Sometimes we take a step forwards, sometimes we have to take a step back, sometimes it's a step to ...
Send us a text In this episode we discuss some of the basic training knowledge and principles that will make an enormous difference to anyone strength training with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or hypermobility. These include: Progressive overload Program structure Strengthen don't stretch Proper warmups Conserving energy Regress in order to progress Basic strength training muscle & joint anatomy Understand the purpose of each thing you're doing Nutrition Rehab isn't linear These topics and m...
Send us a text In this podcast episode we talk about some seemingly "safe" or "benign" exercises that can REALLY trigger our Ehlers-Danlos & hypermobility symptoms. Once we understand that these exercises CAN be risky, it makes us feel a lot less pressure to do them when they don't feel safe, but it also makes us feel less bleak if we acknowledge and understand why these are ok for some people... just maybe not us. And of course, we are going to give: 1) Explanations on why these migh...
Send us a text In this episode we discuss why we need to look beyond stretching and find better options for managing Ehlers-Danlos and hypermobile pain, especially the feeling of extreme muscle tightness that many hypermobile people experience. (NOTE: Reuploaded because I realised how terrible the last audio was) Featuring Guest Host: Shant Rahman WHERE TO FIND SHANT: INSTAGRAM - @strength.revolution Book in for an online consult with him HERE (or in person if you're in Melbourne) *******...
Send us a text The Olympia is the biggest bodybuilding stage in the world. As a bodybuilder, you can't climb any higher than this. Imagine how gruelling the prep is, now imagine doing it with the added challenges of Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Marie Pontini is a former chemical engineer, director, finance & insurance, and business owner. She was officially diagnosed with an aggressive form of MS in 2016, then received her hEDS diagnosis in 2017...
Send us a text Today's guest is Abbey Phillipson. Abbey has Classical EDS and is a Fitness Coach, she's competed in bodybuilding, is a National Academy of Sports Medicine certified Nutritionist & Personal Trainer, and received her Bachelor of Cognitive Neuroscience at University of Michigan (specialising in behavioural neuroscience amongst disabled populations). When Abbey was 16, her spine and tailbone disconnected, resulting in an L4, L5, S1 stage four slip. This required surgery to r...
Send us a text The sacroiliac joint is one of the most common problem areas for people with Ehlers-Danlos or even anyone with hypermobility but it’s also one of the most misunderstood and misdiagnosed areas. I have been working with Shant from Strength Revolution (@strength.revolution on instagram) for the past 3 years to manage the SIJ pain caused by my Ehlers-Danlos/hypermobility. Shant’s protocols have helped me come out on top of bodybuilding competition prep, powerlifting competition p...
Send us a text So you've got Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or Joint Hypermobility and you want to do strength training, but you've got no idea if you should do high reps or low reps. Or maybe you're coaching someone with EDS/hypermobility and you need some pointers on how to approach it. Which rep ranges should you do? And are there any you should avoid?? In this podcast, your host Annie Short discusses the most up-to-date approaches to rep ranges for strength or muscle gain, and how ...
Send us a text This episode explores how to approach your return to strength training after an Ehlers-Danlos flare-up, or after an extended time off because of injury (or life just getting in the way). Support the show
Send us a text "I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and I get a lot of joint pain. I strength train [or want to]. Do you have any advice?" This question is one of the most common things I'm asked. In my opinion, strength training is an incredible way to manage EDS and hypermobility. I've used it to reduce my pain, increase my quality of life, change my body shape, improve my health, and represent my country in a sport. So firstly, well done on picking one of the best forms of exercise for y...
Send us a text This podcast is all about navigating strength training with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and/or joint hypermobility. Welcome to the first episode of Bendy & Strong! Hi, my name is Annie. I'm a strength coach, exercise scientist, competitive bodybuilder, competitive powerlifter, and I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. My joint hypermobility has had a huge impact on my life and my ability to train. Across the episodes of this podcast, I'm going to be discussing my experiences navigati...
Send us a text On this episode I talk about one of the biggest factors that's improved my training - my warmups. I'll share the principles behind how I (a powerlifter with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome) changed my warmups to significantly reduce pain, get stronger, and improve my training in general. I apologise if this is a bit rambly - these are ideas I'm used to teaching my clients over multiple sessions and I found it hard to articulate it all in one short podcast! It's a little bi...
Hey everyone, and welcome to the first episode of the Bendy & Strong Podcast! This podcast is aimed at anyone with joint hypermobility (or Ehlers Danlos Syndrome) who has a passion for strength training or interest in getting strong - or any coaches or clinicians who are teaching strength training to hypermobile people. Your host is Annie Short - powerlifter, bodybuilder, strength coach, and Ehlers Danlos'er. DISCLAIMER: This podcast is NOT a medical opinion or advice. It's purely for entertainment purposes. The host, Annie, is not a doctor and is not qualified to give out a medical opinion. Everything mentioned in the podcast is her own personal experiences. Follow on instagram @annieshortstrength