We go over more of these concerns within the program, but simply put, we think most of the reasons why people aren’t getting better is because of the LACK of progressive loading in their rehab program.

We will guide you in this program to recognize how much pain is normal and acceptable to get better (hint: some is OK; a lot is not; but the app helps you track your symptoms). We start this program in Phase 1 with much-needed mobility standards to check off which are important before continuing to Phase 2.

Everything you need, and where to find each thing, can be found HERE.

Yes! With our new “flex programming” option – just send us a message as soon as you purchase the program, and we can change your program to allow you to complete it as slow or fast as you like, instead of the original layout of 3 strength days (Monday/Wednesday/Friday) and one mobility day (Saturday) each week.

Anyone who has shoulders that move can benefit from this program. You don’t have to be an elite athlete, a thrower, or do any specific sport to be on this program! We are of the belief that even when structural limitations in joints are present, we can still benefit from strengthening the bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles that help support joint and whole-body health.

Aside from the testing days at the start of each Phase of 3 (and one testing day at the end) the 12-week program has 3 strength & mobility days, and one mobility/breathing/recovery day each week. When first learning a new phase of the program, you can expect to spend a little more time watching the videos for each exercise and learning the cues. After that initial learning period, and depending on the person, the strength days usually take 40-60 minutes and the mobility day around 20-40 minutes.

While this isn’t an individualized program, we’re here to support and offer suggestions for modifications, how to cut down or ramp up the volume, and/or how to modify different exercises. Though, some of these things can be better assessed in person, with an individualized strength plan, or in-person with a manual therapist.

If you have a newly acquired injury or are unsure of whether or not it is appropriate to begin or resume exercise, I strongly suggest being assessed by an appropriate medical professional to prevent anything from worsening. These professionals include (but are not limited to) physiotherapists, chiropractors, physicians or athletic therapists.

A big red flag for any exercise is uncontrolled pain when considering certain injuries. Essentially, we want to get people moving as much as we possibly can, but if your overall pain is not controlled or getting worse with continuation of a given exercise, it might be an indicator that it is not appropriate at that time.

This program is NOT:

• Replacement for physiotherapy
• Replacement for individualized assessment
• Replacement of surgical protocols
• It is NOT for Nerve palsy
• It is NOT for those with Spinal/nerve involvement
• It is not for any condition with nerve/neurological origin
• It is NOT good for early stages of Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)

If you try adjusting an exercise, or stop and start again and the pain continues to progress, we would suggest being assessed by a medical professional prior to continuation. This ensures you don’t have a particular injury or condition that could possibly get worse with exercise.

The structured program is 12 weeks long, but if you would like to extend your program by a few weeks and repeat some of the earlier progressions, we are happy to extend App Access for $20 per month.

We created our Shoulder Foundations program because often we spend many days, weeks, and sometimes months, teaching new clients the “meat and potatoes” of what we think are the foundations of shouder mobility, strength, and control, before we build off of those. We wanted to make the basics more accessible to more people so that we could continue to have an impact at every level.

Yes! Phase 1 includes pre-and-post-testing with visual scales for subjects to rate themselves. We suggest a “don’t-pass-go” approach to Phase 1 until you meet these testing requirements for entry into Phase 2. We’re happy to adjust your program if you are not yet ready to enter Phase 2 and need some more time working on shoulder mobility before we layer strength on top of that.

Yes! Although this program does not involve any in-person or phone aid, we can chat directly to our Shoulder Foundations clients through the app and answer any questions you might have there. If you need help integrating this around your current programming – just reach out!

Carla Robbins, a certified exercise physiologist, Nicholas Simpson, a certified strength and conditioning coach, and Cassandra Downe, a physiotherapist with a specialty in the shoulder (and who has rehabbed her own shoulder many times!), all collaborated to create this program. We saw a gap in the typical way of managing shoulder injuries, and created Shoulder Foundations as a result.

While this program is new as of 2024, you can find any testimonials that trickle in on our Instagram page or on our Google Reviews. We’ve also showcased a few below in the green section!