Shoulder School

This DVD has been on my Wish List forever, and I finally got the opportunity to try it from a generous friend. I have chronic issues in my dominant right shoulder, most likely having to do with computer/mouse use, amongst other things. I have tried various stretching programs, but to be honest, it's been hard to stick with anything consistently, and nothing seems to provide anything more than temporary relief.

I was already familiar with instructor Kristina Nekyia from her You Tube channel, where she offers a brief Shoulder Supplemental routine that I've always found useful. On this DVD, Nekyia provides introductions to each of three segments: Part 1, Stabilization/Warm-Up (19 minutes), Part 2, Strengthening (17 minutes), and Part 3, Mobility (10 minutes). During the exercises themselves, Nekyia is not on-camera; rather, she instructs via voiceover while three different athletes model the workouts. Nekyia, both a fitness coach and contortionist, offers precise, detailed instruction interwoven with quite a bit of humor.

The Main Menu breaks down the DVD into individual chapters rather than the three parts. Here is the entire listing:

Play Shoulder School

Select Workout (submenu)

*Shoulder School Introduction

*Shoulder Stabilizers

*Right Rotator Cuff: Supraspinatus

*Right Rotator Cuff: Infraspinatus/Teres Minor

*Right Rotator Cuff: Subscapularis

*Left Rotator Cuff: Supraspinatus

*Left Rotator Cuff: Infraspinatus/Teres Minor

*Left Rotator Cuff: Subscapularis

*Part 2: Shoulder Strengthening

*Pull Up Prep

*Twisted Grip Prep

*Upper Back Strengthening

*Handstand Prep

*Part 3: Shoulder Range of Motion

*Fit and Bendy

*End Credits

Tubing with handing is used for all three segments, and for main of the exercises, you will need to be able to anchor your tubing in a doorway/other heavy object. The first time I tried the workout, I did only the Warm-Up. All of these exercises use the anchored tubing, and they generally felt good on my shoulder. On the second day, I did Parts 2 and 3. The Strengthening work was much tougher than I had anticipated. It starts off stepping on the band and doing some more traditional-like strength moves, but eventually, you move onto the floor for a series of upper back work (some with the band) and finally plank work. The latter was tough on my shoulder, which felt sore after. The final segment returned to both anchored and two-handed band work, including pulsing movements, which Nekyia explains in the introduction to this section. Again, this work felt good on my shoulder.

I think that right now, when I am in more of a rehab stage, I need to stick to Parts 1 and 3 of this DVD only. This will give me a nice 30-minute routine that I can do every other day. I believe that I will still make strength gains, and I am hopeful that I will see improvement. I will update my review as I have more to report, but at this point, I am cautiously optimistic that this DVD may be beneficial to me.