Bendy & Strong Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Bendy & Strong podcast I sit down with Gia from The Hypermobile Lifting Club to answer your questions and chat about hypermobile training. Topics we covered: What's going on in our training How long do you have to do "foundational" work before you get into more traditional strength training? How to fix sore wrists from training? How to adjust bracing for heavy lifts if it causes an MCAS/head pressure symptom flare? How to find a coach who understands hypermobility, or communicate your knowledge about hypermobility to your coach? You can find Gia HERE on instagram Join her Hypermobile Lifting Club! ------------ DISCLAIMER: this is not medical advice or a substitute for medical advice! Find a good doctor and work with them and make sure you have clearance to exercise before starting anything new. ------------ Join the Bendy & Strong course! Learn how to strength train with a hypermobile body: www.bendyandstrong.com Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Bendy & Strong Podcast, I have guest Shant Rahman on to discuss posture. Some topics we cover: - Destigmatising posture - Is there such thing as "good" or "bad" posture? - When is "anterior pelvic tilt" an UNhelpful diagnosis? - When can postural deviations (e.g. exaggerated lordosis) actually enhance sporting performance? - Are the people who say "there's no such thing as bad posture" taking things too far? - What we want to see instead of the "anterior pelvic tilt" diagnosis - & of course... how this all relates in to hypermobility, EDS, and other hypermobility conditions ------------ Some more podcasts w/ Shant: "Safe" Exercises That Aren't So Safe w/ Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome & Hypermobility Training Basics That Will Help You Train Autonomously With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome My SIJ subluxed after training - here's what we did [w/ guest Shant Rahman] ------------ DISCLAIMER: this is not medical advice or a substitute for medical advice! Find a good doctor and work with them and make sure you have clearance to exercise before starting anything new. Your Host - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength 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) Use code ANNIE100 for $100 off (hypermobile patients) ------------ To sign up for the latest round of the Bendy & Strong course (or put your name on the waitlist) go to www.bendyandstrong.com Support the show

Send us Fan Mail Research literacy is SO important - both for navigating the world with hypermobility, and when navigating the current online/social media space. Research literacy is the ability to find research, read it, understand it, critically evaluate it, and put it into practice. This is not a skill you are born with - it is one you need to learn and develop. So I sat down with researchers Jade Barclay & Rouha Granfar (both with lived EDS experience) to have a discussion on this exact topic! This is Part 2 of the discussion (for part 1 go HERE ) Discussion based around this article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39188704/ ------------ DISCLAIMER: this is not medical advice or a substitute for medical advice! Find a good doctor and work with them and make sure you have clearance to exercise before starting anything new. Your Host - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength ------------ To sign up for the latest round of the Bendy & Strong course (or put your name on the waitlist) go to www.bendyandstrong.com To join the book club: https://forms.gle/nPiQcE7rR12FmjBR6 Support the show

Send us Fan Mail In this podcast, I sit down with Jade Barclay and Rouha Granfar to discuss their recent publication: Fascia as a Regulatory System in Health and Disease. This paper serves as a one-stop-shop for familiarising yourself with fascia. So if someone asks you, "Is there one paper I can read that will give me the foundations on fascia?" - then THIS is the paper to give them. And in a way that's aligned with their views around decolonisation and decolonising research, the paper is open source. These researchers both have lived experience with EDS and its common comorbidities, which helps to shape their research and the way they write and communicate. Discussing this article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39188704/ [This is Part 1 - in Part 2 we will be discussing how to improve your research literacy] ------------ DISCLAIMER: this is not medical advice or a substitute for medical advice! Find a good doctor and work with them and make sure you have clearance to exercise before starting anything new. Your Host - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength ------------ To sign up for the latest round of the Bendy & Strong course (or put your name on the waitlist) go to www.bendyandstrong.com To join the book club: https://forms.gle/nPiQcE7rR12FmjBR6 Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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 flaring you up! ------------ DISCLAIMER: this is not medical advice or a substitute for medical advice! Find a good doctor and work with them and make sure you have clearance to exercise before starting anything new. Your Host - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength ------------ To sign up for the latest round of the Bendy & Strong course (or put your name on the waitlist) go to www.bendyandstrong.com Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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 video. DISCLAIMER: this is not medical advice or a substitute for medical advice! Find a good doctor and work with them and make sure you have clearance to exercise before starting anything new. If you are experiencing subluxations from training, do NOT continue to do the same thing that triggered the problem, and consult a qualified rehab specialist. Your Host - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength With guest Shant Rahman You can find Shant... On INSTAGRAM - @strength.revolution Or to BOOK IN (online consult available) - https://strengthrevolution.com.au/ (EDS/"cluster" patients can use code ANNIE100 for $100AUD off - I don't get any commission from this code) Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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 achieve. The EDS/hypermobile body is incredibly adaptable and responsive. This means we have lots of different variables we can manipulate in order to stay within this window of tolerance. This podcast discusses some of them. DISCLAIMER: this is not medical advice or a substitute for medical advice! Find a good doctor and work with them and make sure you have clearance to exercise before starting anything new. Your Host - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength To sign up for the latest round of the Bendy & Strong course (or put your name on the waitlist) go to www.bendyandstrong.com Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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 doctor and work with them (if you suspect MCAS, find a doc who specialises in that) Your Host - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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 - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength REDNOTE - @annieshort ********** Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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 EDS The hurdles we encounter & how we try to overcome them Tips 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 those with EDS & hypermobility Whether you’re a fitness professional or just want to hear from another EDS'er on how to balance life & career with this condition, this episode is for you. Listen in for an honest conversation on building resilience and making lasting change in a space that needs it. You can find Sheena HERE: https://www.instagram.com/moxie.mvmt/ Or HERE: https://sheenacucciahanger.com/ ********** 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 - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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 the side. So in other words, with EDS, we have to get good at dancing. In this episode I talk through strategies to adjust your strength training for common EDS challenges, with specific examples for how I've done this in my own training: - POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) - Joint pain (new or existing) - CCI (craniocervical instability) - Intracranial Hypertension - Fatigue - Flare ups These topics and more will be covered in my upcoming Strength Training 101 for EDS & Hypermobility. You can sign up for it at 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 - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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 more will be covered in my upcoming Strength Training 101 for EDS & Hypermobility. You can sign up for it at www.bendyandstrong.com 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) ********** **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 - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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 might be trigger exercises 2) Modifications you can make to make them easier to tolerate 3) Alternatives you can replace them with Inspired by this TikTok video: https://www.tiktok.com/@annie.short/video/7335349295299775751 0:00 Intro 3:19 Walking & Sacroiliac Joint 9:30 Lunges & Sacroiliac Joint 10:48 Walking tips 14:04 Lunges tips + training around hypermobile menstrual cycle pain 17:08 Neck pain with ab exercises + solutions (more exercises https://www.tiktok.com/@annie.short/video/7343563712135040257 ) 22:54 Upright Row + exercise substitutions 26:33 Feeling the stretch (e.g. in Romanian Deadlift) 28:08 Reduced proprioceptive feedback with hypermobility (and how to work around) 32:40 Squats 37:30 Pushups & Planks (wrist & shoulders) 42:35 Yoga 47:51 Swimming 50:04 Clamshells + rehab exercises that HURT (specific video for clamshells https://www.tiktok.com/@annie.short/video/7343532814727466241 ) 52:32 Changing your rehab exercises regularly Featuring Gues Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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) ********** **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 - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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. In 2018, with unbearable neuropathic pain, Marie started bodybuilding as a way to empower herself over the situation - "the gym pain is one that I choose". She started competing in 2019, and is currently prepping to compete at the Amateur Arnold competition on 29th February 2024. Provided her body allows it, her flights are already booked to compete at the Olympia in October 2024! Nothing about what Marie does is easy. Over the years she has had to make adaptations to her training and nutrition as both of her conditions progress. Because of paralysis in her digestive system, right now she has to water fast (under medical supervision) and her only way to train for the Arnolds is using a mind-muscle connection method without any external load. In this podcast we talk about some of the ways Marie has adapted the training to her changing symptoms, the obstacles she's currently facing, how she finds her limits with MS and hEDS, her thoughts around finding/redefining your identity with chronic illness, and her mentality when it comes to navigating these two conditions. I want to thank Marie for sharing her story so openly, as well as sharing her infectious smile and energy. 00:00 Intro 01:53 Welcome Marie 04:30 Getting Into Bodybuilding 09:50 Challenges In Bodybuilding 14:45 Gastroparesis Testing 15:53 Adapting Strength Training for EDS & MS 24:11 Emotional Flexibility 31:24 Training Helps EDS 38:55 Having Fun With Training 42:07 Letting Go Of Control 47:23 Denial Isn't The Answer 01:01:53 Redefining Yourself After Diagnosis 01:08:16 Supporting Marie's Journey 01:09:48 Final Words 01:11:02 Outro IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT MARIE TO REACH THE ARNOLD STAGE, HERE IS THE LINK TO THE GOFUNDME: https://gofund.me/3b40e290 As Marie is currently funding her prep with disability income, any donations - big or small - are appreciated. Or if you want to follow Marie on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariepontini/ CONTENT WARNING: This podcast discusses heavy topics including medical assistance in dying (MAID) ---------- **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 - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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 reconstruct the area and fuse the lower part of her spine, so she spent the rest of high school using a wheelchair and walker. Three years after the surgery, Abbey started weights training and found that it completely transformed her life and significantly improved her EDS symptoms. TOPICS COVERED: - Building muscle with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome - Abbey's Classical EDS symptoms and how they affect training - How Abbey's mental & physical approach changed over the years between her "wheelchair phase" and when she started taking training seriously - Victim mentality when you have EDS (but not in the way you think) - Setting training goals beyond just getting healthy for people with Ehlers-Danlos - Owning and celebrating your EDS while striving for more - How we approach the first few months of lifting for clients who have EDS Thanks so much for coming on Abbey! I loved the conversation and I know the listeners will too. Find Abbey on INSTAGRAM: @abbeyphillipson ---------- **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 - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me for more EDS + training content: INSTAGRAM - @annieshortstrength TIKTOK - @annie.short YOUTUBE - @annieshortstrength Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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 prep, and training through many flare ups - and this is exactly what we are discussing in this podcast taken from a recent Instagram Live we did together. Over the years I’ve also sent him plenty of EDS clients and I’m stoked with the results I’ve seen them get. In this live we discuss: Why the SIJ is such a problem for people with hypermobility Why it’s such a poorly understood & misdiagnosed area How hypermobile people need a different/ongoing approach to rehab Common symptoms of SIJ dysfunction Suggested approaches for SIJ rehab in hypermobile individuals ---------- **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 - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Guest - Shant Rahman: Rehab Genius, Exercise Scientist, Strength Coach, and Athlete Don't forget to follow me on Instagram for more EDS + training content - @annieshortstrength Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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 this information applies to the hypermobile population. ---------- **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 - Annie Short: Strength Coach, Exercise Scientist, Powerlifter, Bodybuilder, and Ehlers-Danlos'er Don't forget to follow me on Instagram for more EDS + training content - @annieshortstrength Support the show

Send us Fan Mail 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 Fan Mail "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 your body. But at the same time, strength training with hypermobility or EDS can be really tough. Very few people understand how to adapt training for this body type. If you want to get the most out of your training, you need to know your body, and if you have hypermobility there are actually some things you can do to maximise your results and feel stronger in your body. Here are 9 of the most important considerations that I have learnt over the past 15+ years of strength training with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. **DISCLAIMER: I'm not a doctor, and this is not medical advice. I'm sharing my own personal experiences for entertainment purposes only.** Support the show