Reviews

I am a trainer and an RKC, currently recovering from an overuse injury in my shoulder - put simply, I set a bunch of new personal bests but didn't back off afterwards, and I've since been paying the price.

I cannot state strongly enough how valuable this DVD set has been to me. Literally every section has included something I simply didn't know before - and all these tips and tricks really work. I do the drills on the DVD, and I can move my shoulder, pain-free, in ways I couldn't just a few minutes earlier. There is nothing quite like instant results to convince you of the value of an approach to training and rehab.

Any one of the tips I learned here would have made this DVD, which costs less than a single visit to my orthopedist, a worthwhile purchase. I will be incorporating what I've learned not only in my own training, but in helping those clients who come to me with shoulder problems. I am now armed with a battery of screening procedures and curative measures that I didn't have before - again, to me, this sort of information, presented in a clear, no-nonsense manner by Grey and Brett, is priceless. If you have long-standing shoulder problems or work with those who do, you owe it to yourself to purchase "Secrets of the Shoulder."

Any collaboration between PT Gray Cook and Strength and Conditioning Specialist Brett Jones would have to be good; this one is immediately useful! From the get go this DVD explains in simple language the whys and how to do for the shoulder from a current understanding of the structure. Not just a how to build the delts and traps plus some rotator cuff band work that is so typical of current fitness journalism but an representation of the shoulder as a complex: the humerus, the shoulder girdle and the scapula. And it doesn't stop there! It flows down to the hip and out to the grip. Given my years of study and work with shoulders issues from athletes to the everyperson this work shows not just exercises but detection and progression. While I knew much of the material presented it is the application that makes this product go to work. Too often good data in fitness is akin to a list of ingredients posing as a recipe: good contents but no real direction. Secrets of the Shoulder delivers a plan to improve whether you are among the veterans of fitness or to protect your healthy shoulders if they haven't gone south...yet. For the price of a single session of Corrective Exercise you can begin to repair or protect the future of your shoulders!

A great set! I used some of the stuff on myself and improved immediately. Not only that but I was surprisingly sore the next day after doing only a few reps of a couple of exercises. This indicated that I was hitting something that I had been missing. I have been looking for good and practical information on the shoulder and there just isn't that much available. Brett and Gray present everything clearly and precisely. As an RKC I always want to make myself and my clients better. This set goes a long way towards helping me do that.

Robert Troch

This dvd set contains things that I have never thought to do to check my shoulders let alone someone else that I might be training. It is straightforward no nonsense and the fact that Brett Jones is part of it as well as Gray Cook goes to prove that it is a quality product. I would recommend this dvd to anyone who has shoulder problems themselves or has any ambitions of training others. It could save a lot of work on the front end of any training course.

Secrets of the Shoulder seriously changed the way I train my clients. The progressions to every exercise really made sense and Gray and Brett do an amazing job of making it easy to understand and implement. The techniques on breathing and the importance of grip strength to shoulder health were just 2 things I learned that were worth the price of admission. I have followed Gray Cook's work for a while but Brett Jones was new to me and he is (or was) the Best Kept Secret in Training.

Having a large spur ground out of my right shoulder I am real interested in learning how to "bulletproof" my shoulders.

Things I liked :

They really break down the movements and perform them more than once. It helps me to see the rhythm as much as the form.

Discussion surrounding the effects on the entire system, I don't hear that too frequently and I know it is true based on my experience with DNS.

Another reason to move the TGU and 1/2 TGU closer to the center of the universe.

If you have shoulders or would like to build some, worth the investment.

The DVD was recommended to me by Will Parker, RKC and I credit him with a "Direct Hit" with this recommendation.

This video dispels many myths concerning shoulder health and mechanics that are proposed by the fitness industry. I am impressed that Cook and Jones along with Pavel, in his works, discuss the one thing not discussed in strength and conditioning, Neurology.
One can have strong rotator cuff muscles and still have crappy shoulders. I know because I am a physical therapist and see this in the clinic.
I have suffered from chronic shoulder pain and applied two of the methods prescribed in the video and I am now pain free. Thank you Cook and Jones. I will buy the other videos they put out.

Brett and Gray bring a fresh perspective on shoulder health. I can't tell you how many clients I have who go to Physical Therapy for shoulder issues and do all the standard battery of "rotator cuff" exercises and see no progress at all.

I used just a few of the techniques with some of my clients and instantly was able to see them keeping a tighter more packed shoulder, (read: safer and stronger shoulder). Most of the time I have to keep reminding my clients to pack their shoulders but once you teach people how to do it instinctively with the techniques on this video they will learn it for life.

Great work guys! Some of the complaints listed prior are legitimate but also shouldn't hang anyone up on purchasing this video. Quite frankly it didn't impact my ability to use the techniques on this video, I wrote my own notes.

The price is a little steep at $70 but of course this isn't a "workout video" this is a key piece of knowledge for anyone who trains others.

Brian Copeland's Core Fitness

I found this to be a great DVD.If I had it years back when I was a dumb kid doing heavy benches/presses/etc without any knowledge of proper mechanics and shoulder safety I wouldnt have some of the problems I have now. The program is very clear,concise and simple in it's approach to shoulder health.The emphasis on grip strength as an important adjunct in shoulder health is unique.If you are looking for a rehash of the typical rotator cuff exercises,you will not get any of that here.The exercises included in the DVD are all one really needs for a comprehensive strength and conditioning program.The benefits and need to occasionally lift heavy is also recommended-a refreshing change from the baby weight mindset too often advised.As a physician,I see my share of shoulder problems and related disabilities.This DVD goes a long way towards preventing such injuries,as well as making one more resilient and stronger-isnt that what we all want?

As a former Judoka, wrestler, football player and powerlifter, I have had multiple shoulder injuries to both sides, from dislocations to separartions. My first was in a Judo match at age 11. I have considerable osteoarthritis in both shoulders, but train through it. This set gave me insight into what I need to do in order to warm up and activate the proper muscle tissue before I work out, in order to avoid painful, unproductive workouts. I can't praise this enough--simple, informative and very, very helpful. Since I started making sure to start every workout with reach,roll,lifts and arm bars, it's as though my shoulders are practically new. I have rarely purchased a single instructional product that more benefitted me in my training.

If the only person that you train is you, this dvd set is valuable. If you get paid to train others, it should be required.

Here is a product, put out by two highly educated and accomplished people, that avoids "geek-speak" and provides fantastic "how and why" that can be understood and applied by anyone. Considering all of the things that I picked up that have sped up the progress of athletes who were already improving, I consider it a steal at $70.

When people diagnose shoulder problems, they go to rotator cuffs, joints, deltoids, traps, all out muscles.
Brett and Gray focus on symetry balance, breathing, hand gripping.

I've been a reader of Gray Cook's book which impressed me alot and had a pleasure of meeting and attending lecture by Brett Jones at RKC cert. These two people combined guides to a near perfect shoulder remedial drills using with and without kettlbell.

I highly recommend if you are an RKC and have clients with shoulder problems. Most of the kettlebell drills are covered at the certification.

I fear this will come off as a negative review, and I regret that, because the "Secrets of the Shoulder" DVD set contains a lot of useful, interesting material that Gray Cook & Brett Jones do a good job of presenting. I hope the ideas presented here might be viewed as an opportunity to improve future versions of this and other products.

I viewed this DVD only a week ago, but when asked to review it I was thinking I should see it again, because it just wasn't that memorable. Which brings me to a first complaint: on a product this expensive, surely the producer can include a hardcopy booklet with at least an outline of the material with a few pictures taken from the video. That would allow the user to make personal notes and quickly remind themselves of information points to review, practice and use.

In those notes they could include a table of contents more meaningful than Level One, Level Two, Level Three.

Speaking of expensive! $70 bucks (less 5 cents) for something that really isn't all that "Secret" or special? It's a two DVD set, but the material would easily fit on one disk. I would have felt it was a good value at $39.95, especially if the other suggestions here were included.

Cook and Jones are personable presenters, and the material was well organized and clearly presented. That's a good thing, because otherwise the material would be useless to a deaf or hard of hearing person, since the material isn't closed captioned -- my third complaint. And why not? Captioning is affordable and simple. For such an expensive product, a product intended for education, it shows a producer who is uninformed or doesn't care.

The DVD starts with Testing, and that seemed interesting and useful. I thought I'd want to do that.

There's no Play All option. One must tediously step through each chapter.

We didn't get a table of contents, much less a set of notes, I'll do that here. The Level One, Stick Work/T-Spine entry gives an example of what I would consider a minimum set of notes to accompany the DVD.

Introduction - Four Secrets
+ Breathing
+ Posture
+ Grip
+ Joint position (shoulder packing)

Screening

Level One
+ Stick Work / T-Spine [I don't think they ever explain "T". Thoracic?]
+ Trigger points. Hyperactive muscle doesn't respond well to stress. Using Stick by RPI. (eg., http://www.thestick.com/) Like an upper body foam roller. For myofascial release.
+ Trapezius while sitting. Lattissimus, etc. while lying on side.

+ T-spine rotation mobility as combination of flexion/extension
+ Push-pull exercise. Grab ribs and pull. Crush the ball during arm sweep. [include picture(s)]
Reference ATHLETIC BODY IN BALANCE by Gray Cook
http://www.amazon.com/Athletic-Body-Balance-Gray-Cook/dp/0736042288
[Hardcopy give an opportunity for cross-marketing!]
+ Practitioner manipulating two straight legs of athlete lying. Arms straight out to sides. Legs moved by practitioner to the side. Athlete supports body using arm with palm face down on that side, face up on opposite side. Repeat to other side, switching palms up/down. [include picture(s)]

+ Shoulder Packing
+ Reach Roll & Lift
+ Arm Bar - useful as preparation for the Get Up
+ Half Get Up
+ More on the Grip

Level Two
+ Deadlift variations
+ Kettle bell swing
+ Push up / Row

Level Three
+ Military press
+ Turkish get up
+ Pull up

Shoulder Wrap Up

Bonus Material - Brett Jones "juggling" (tossing and flipping) a kettlebell.

I recommend, for any person who wants to correct a shoulder problem, or any athlete that wants to prevent shoulder problems, to use the book 7 MINUTE ROTATOR CUFF SOLUTION by Jerry Robinson. It's a classic.

Despite all the foregoing, I decided to keep the DVD in my library. Cook and Jones present an interesting take on the exercises they include. I haven't seen the testing information presented elsewhere. Their presentation of other exercises, although covered in various other materials, gives a different perspective and better understanding.

May be ok for layman, but if you're an active physician, pt, dc, or even a trainer, this video lacks info on post surgical rehab/strength treatments and training.

I will continue to keep learning with this dvd.

The information conveyed in the video was most enlightening, but I think text and photos would have done and equivelent job of presentation at less the cost. I have found your text products to be excellent.

I had kind of long time problem with my left shoulder/subacromial impingement/ which wasn't cured even after 5 months physio . My last chance was subacromial decompression scheduled for January. I decided to give a try this DVD. I felt great improvement after 2 weeks basic stuff from stage 1. Shoulder got more stable and with combination ART better mobility. I have no pain after 1 month of basic stuff and now I can do most of exercises pain free.
Imho 70$ isn't so bad when I compare it with E50 for 1 physio visit...

For a couple of years now I've been cruising along getting steadily stronger, but then a series of nagging injuries kept me from further progress. I was still able to train, but when I built up to where I was ready to top my personal best, things would suddenly go downhill. I was doing everything right, but something was still wrong. Eventually, the nagging injuries became a serious injury and I was out of the game for a while. I got two cortizone shots, did a ton of physical therapy, considered surgery... I was really getting bummed. Then I ordered Secrets of the Shoulder. Had I known what it was all about, I would have bought it right along side my kettlebells!! I was pretty sure it would help and all, but I had no idea how much and how fast! I went through the video in painstaking detail and quickly found the root problem that had been holding me back for so long. It was a glaring asymmetry that I had no idea existed. The appropriate corrective exercises fixed that root problem INSTANTLY! I stood up and it felt like my shoulder had been "unlocked." I couldn't believe it! It only takes five minutes now to do some of the exercises and prepare my shoulder for training. I suspect that pretty soon even that won't be necessary, because Secrets of the Shoulder showed me how to re-engineer the way my shoulder moves. Not only am I going to be more "injury proof," but I'm defanitely going to blow my personal records out of the water! Also worth mentioning is the fact that Brett Jones, who is one busy fella (and that's an understatement), took the time to answer all my questions and give me the feedback I needed to make sure I was on the right track. What a professional! My sincerest advice: Don't wait to order this video. It's the real deal!!

I thought that the CD was very useful. I liked that focus on the screening, rehab and functionality of the shoulder in the beginning of part 1. This is nice to review. I love technical talk.

I come from a pilates Background so I find it interesting to hear about the way people from different backgrounds (martial arts, kettle bells, club bells and medical etc) present information and the varied exercises that they do. I think that you have put forward a good balance.

I felt that the CD was generous with information also, which makes me more likely to buy another one from you. I have bought CDs in the past from other people when they have a stretched a small amount of information out over the whole CD and that really annoys me when that happens and I don't buy from them again. It is good not to underestimate the viewers.

There is a good focus on regressions and progressions of different exercises also.

Overall I was pleased with my purchase.

So Thanks

As a older competitive athlete I recently developed some shoulder issues. If they continued I felt I would have to stop competeting. The instructions for proper strengthening and shoulder engagement added to the trigger point therapy had me back training in a week. Marvelous!

There were a few things that were real eye openers on how the shoulder really works and made me understand just how I had been abusing my shoulders due to ignorance on my part...What I thought were the standard way I saw all athlete do things were dead wrong.

The information was given in a clear understandable manor that the lay person like myself could understand and put into practice immediately.

Gray and Brett did a great job.

Art
Nashville TN

I have been cursed with shoulder probelems. I have had surgery and of course I still have chronic shoulder dislocations. I wanted real help and not another useless surgery. I saw Gray Cook speak at a confrence about Shoulder Secrets, I was so impressed with what he had to say that I bought the DVD and performed the outlined shoulder program. I have never felt better or stronger my shoulder feels stable and solid. If you have shoulder problems you must have this DVD. I am going to the RKC in September and I am confident that my shoulder will be able to take whatever Pavel throws at it.

Was a good dvd, got some good info from it. Other parts were very basic. Getting the impression that he is going over board with this secrets series and getting into a money making scam as opposed to producing the best quality dvds possible!

Would love to buy one big series at a reasonable price!

Otherwise very content!

Keep it that way! Get 'Secrets' before you need it, then you will be miles ahead! PREVENTION works better than CURE, it's up to you.

I had to CURE, I wish I would have had this DVD a lot sooner. I'm a 50 year old guy and need all the help I can get, especially when it comes to prevention.

The CURE was quick however, these two fellows know their topic really well!

Bought this CD in my quest to heal my badly hurting shoulder (benching). But about the first words out of Cook's mouth are, "If there's pain, just refer.(to a physician)" In other words, "Nothing on this CD deals with your problem, Fella". Turned CD off.