There’s the issue of…
...Not being able to sense where your body is or feel your muscles are engaging.
...Increased fatigue, soreness, and poor recovery.
...Fear of injury and pain flares.
...Staying consistent with a program when you have bad body days or chronic fatigue
We get it. Navigating exercise with hypermobility can feel intimidating or even a little scary. You might have even tried different exercise programs before, but got hurt. This is why we created this program.
After a collective 38 years in the fitness industry, we realized that the majority of workout programs and fitness advice didn’t meet the needs of hypermobile people.
Nikki experienced this first hand, because she is hypermobile and found herself chronically injured and in pain when all of her colleagues seemed fine doing the exact same exercises.
Meanwhile, the advice that she received about how to manage her hypermobility and avoid injury was vastly unhelpful and could be summed up as, “If it hurts, just don’t do it.” Ultimately, this approach left her weak, afraid to move, and in even more pain.
After 15 years of chronic pain, she found an approach to weight training that left her strong enough that her hypermobility no longer felt like a liability. She no longer had chronic pain and was able to do the things she enjoyed without constant injuries.
Be it yoga, Pilates, hiking, running, or just daily life everything felt easier. Nikki noticed that this approach didn’t seem to exist in the “mainstream” exercise or strength world - and yet, it helped many of her hypermobile clients thrive.
Meanwhile, Jenn isn’t hypermobile, but she has an extensive background in pain science, psychology, injury prevention, and brain science. As a result, she found herself specializing in helping private clients who struggled with conventional fitness programs that often left them feeling frustrated, excessively sore, and not seeing the results they wanted. Many of her clients were hypermobile, so she developed an approach to reduce the roadblocks, improve their body awareness, and help them get stronger.
Jenn and Nikki found that they had similar approaches with unique perspectives so they collaborated to create Strength for Hypermobility to better meet the needs of the people who they felt were failed by more mainstream exercise programs.
Strength for Hypermobility has modifications and progressions specifically designed to account for hypermobility. Each of the workouts gives you the minimal “dosage” of strength to see results while minimizing soreness and making recovery easier.
8 weeks of beginner strength programming with thoughtful progressions and exercises to specifically help with hypermobility
...The beginner program includes 2 full body strength workouts a week that will take 30 to 50 minutes depending on your pacing.
...It includes a 3rd day that emphasizes stability of the hands and feet, because these are foundational joints for feeling where your body is in space and will help you connect to the right muscles and troubleshoot wrist or ankle issues, which are common if you’re hypermobile.
8 weeks of bonus intermediate programming to help you expand your physical capacity after you’ve built your strength foundation.
...The intermediate program starts where the beginner program left off with more robust, yet smart strength progressions. It includes 3 strength workouts a week with novel and dynamic ways to strengthen all your major muscle groups, including the upper body, lower body, and core.
An educational video series to help you navigate and troubleshoot strength when you’re hypermobile, including videos on pain science, grip strength, weight selection, understanding soreness and recovery…and more!
May 20, 2023 | 1:00 to 3:00 pm PST / 4:00 to 6:00 pm EST
Replay Available
In this master class, you’ll learn:
*Note this is not medical advice and if you have specific medical related questions, you should consult a medical provider.
This master class is valued at $99, but you get it at no additional cost with the program!
Want the master class without the strength program? CLICK HERE to purchase just the master class.
Strength for hypermobility requires equipment that can be found in most commercial gyms, but can also be done at home assuming you have the following equipment:
Click here to download our equipment guide with purchase links!
Building strength using bands and dumbbells helps improve your body awareness and posture. With hypermobile joints, you can’t always sense what position the joint is in and it’s hard to feel where “neutral” is and working thoughtfully with an appropriate weight relative to your current level of strength can help!
Weights can provide feedback and information to the joint so you can better sense where your body is. They can also improve joint stability and strength.
This depends on your level of pain or the nature of your injury.
This program is NOT for you if you are:
This program may be appropriate for you if:
If you’re unsure about if this program is a good fit, please email us at hello@naablevy.com and we’ll help you make an informed decision about if it’s right for you.
Strength for hypermobility requires equipment that can be found in most commercial gyms, but can also be done at home assuming you have the following equipment:
For most people, here are the ranges of dumbbells that you might want to start with:
For a lighter set of dumbbells: 5 lbs, 8 lbs, or 10 lbs per dumbbell
For a heavier set of dumbbells: 10 lbs, 12 lbs, 15 lbs, or 20 lbs per dumbbell
Click here to download our equipment guide with purchase links!
Yes! Assuming that you have the right equipment, you absolutely can do this program at home.
Recommended equipment for this program includes:
For most people, here are the ranges of dumbbells that you might want to start with:
For a lighter set of dumbbells: 5 lbs, 8 lbs, or 10 lbs per dumbbell
For a heavier set of dumbbells: 10 lbs, 12 lbs, 15 lbs, or 20 lbs per dumbbell
Click here to download our equipment guide with purchase links!
For most people, here are the ranges of dumbbells that you might want to start with:
For a lighter set of dumbbells: 5 lbs, 8 lbs, or 10 lbs per dumbbell
For a heavier set of dumbbells: 10 lbs, 12 lbs, 15 lbs, or 20 lbs per dumbbell
We also recommend investing in a 1 light jumpstretch band, 1 medium jumpstretch band
Click here to download our equipment guide with purchase links!
If you are unsure of which weight to pick, sometimes it is beneficial to go to a gym and try picking it up and performing an exercise, such as a squat or overhead press to see how it feels.
If you are able to do 10 repetitions of an exercise and it feels easy, then the weight is too light. If you are only able to do 2 repetitions, then the weight is too heavy. By your third repetition, you should feel the target muscle engage. By your sixth repetition, you should start to feel tired.
It is okay if you don’t have the perfect weight for every exercise. You can sometimes adjust for this by doing fewer or more repetitions or moving at a slower pace.
Yes and no. While you can use kettlebells as a substitute for many of the movements, there are times when the kettlebell will not be an intuitive option for the exercise. Additionally, there are times when you will need 2 dumbbells, so if you are using kettlebells, you may need 2 that are the same size. However, kettlebells may give you additional weight options to supplement the dumbbells!
If you have been cleared by your doctor or medical professional to exercise, then yes, you can do this program along with your physical therapy exercises. If you are unsure whether or not you are cleared for exercise, consult your doctor or physical therapist.
We are not pelvic floor or pelvic health specialists. While we will do our best to offer options, this is not a pelvic health or post-rehab course and modifications specific to pelvic health are beyond the scope of this course.
We will be teaching the foundational strength exercises, which means that you will be squatting and hinging – among other exercises.
You are welcome to do as little or as much of the program as you like, but please get clearance from your doctor before joining or trying these exercises. As this is a direct download program and we are not medical providers, we are unable to provide modifications for individual pelvic health related issues.
Yes, you can do this program if you aren’t hypermobile. You will still gain total body strength and stability, even if you do not have hypermobile joints.
We understand that you may be unsure if the program is right for you, which is why we have a 14 day money back guarantee after you’ve purchased the program. This means that you will have two weeks to try the program and if you realize that it is not a good fit, then you can get a full refund. No questions asked!
The program is PDF based, so once you purchase and download it, it is yours to keep forever!
If you don’t feel safe doing exercise unsupervised or cannot safely get up and down from the floor, then this program is not for you. In this case, you may benefit from working privately with a fitness professional who understands hypermobility.
If you feel ready to try something new on your own and are just nervous about the idea of weight training, remember that you get to choose your weight and it can be as light as you need to feel safe. Additionally, you can always opt out of certain exercises or choose a modification.
Ultimately though, the decision is up to you. If you are still unsure, you can email hello@naablevy.com and we will be happy to help you make an informed decision.
This program is right for you if:
This program is NOT for you if you are:
The various forms of EDS and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD) exist on a spectrum. This means that severity of symptoms will vary.
As a result, we cannot make a general statement about if this program is right for you. However, here are some considerations to help you decide.
This program is right for you if:
This program is NOT for you if you are:
Still unsure? Email us at hello@naablevy.com and we will be happy to help you make an informed decision.
Jenn Pilotti holds a B.S. in exercise science (physiology emphasis) from University of California at Davis and an M.S. in Human Movement from A.T. Still University. She has completed numerous post graduate courses in psychology, stress, pain science, journalism, and neuromuscular techniques.
She has been training clients full time, in a one on one setting since 2002, opened her first studio in 2013, and regularly teaches workshops for movement professionals on a variety of topics. She remains curious and committed to providing an enriched learning experience to both clients and professionals. In her spare time, she writes books on movement, lifts weights, runs, and pole dances.
Nikki Naab-Levy is a strength and nutrition coach with 17 years of experience helping people realize their physical capabilities and move beyond injury.
She holds a B.S. in Exercise Science and B.S. Journalism from Ohio University. Her fitness wisdom has been featured in SELF magazine, Women’s Health, and Girls Gone Strong. When she’s working with clients, you can find her lifting, podcasting, and drinking all the coffee.
Refund Policy
Refund Policy: We understand that you may be unsure if the program is right for you, which is why we have a 14 day money back guarantee after you’ve purchased the program. This means that you will have two weeks to try the program and if you realize that it is not a good fit, then you can get a full refund. No questions asked!
