Get Bent - Circus Style Flexibility Training with Kristina Nekyia DVD

Before I get into the review, I think it's important to recognize who writes these reviews as we all stretch for different reasons and come from different backgrounds. I am a 9-5 office worker who, for the first 23 years of my life, never did anything active - I was in a sitting position for about 70% of a typical day. This of course has caused me to become extremely inflexible, particularly in the hips and shoulders. Working on a laptop at a desk for so many years had really taken a toll on my body. I started working out 2 years ago and while I've gotten a lot stronger, my flexibility was awful, and I realized that my workouts would go a lot better if I started flexibility training.I started seriously stretching as a 24 year old and have been working on my front splits for one and a half years. I never did ballet, gymnastics, heck I was never really an active kid before I was 23 when I started to exercise seriously. When I started stretching I quickly made progress for about 8 months, then plateaued. I was still 3-5 inches off my splits on both sides and stayed there for months, becoming increasingly frustrated, so I started looking online for something that could help me get past it. DVD's seem to be pretty effective, as I don't have to think about my routine as much as focusing on the moves.Yes, the design of the cover seems like it was made with 90's soft and the video isn't exactly HD quality, but the stretches are very simple to follow (some stretching videos have the instructor talking incessantly about what to do in each move).Part 1: Warmup - This warmup is not meant to get your heart rate up but to take your joints through their full range of moments. It will not necessarily get your muscles as warm as you normally would with workout warmups, but after doing the DVD a few times, I found that my muscles were in a more relaxed state than normal and it was no longer necessary for me to do a 10 minute run or cardio session.Part 2: Splits prep. I LOVE this section - mainly because Kristina doesn't just make you hold a pose for a really long time, but tells you to make certain contractions/movements that allow your muscles to relax - this is the essence of PNF stretching which is what I was missing in my old routine.Part 3: Splits - Honestly, this DVD is great for front splits, but I find that stretches for middle splits were a bit lacking. If you already know how to do middle splits, this section may help you as she dabbles in a tiny bit in oversplits.Part 4: Shoulders - This section is pretty short but is great for people who need to correct their posture. There is a gradual progression here which is great.Part 5: Backbends - After this section I realized quickly that my current backbending routine was completely wrong. She really emphasizes engaging your abs to support your spine - instead, I was hurting my lower back by compressing it in my backbends instead of lifting my torso out of my hips. This section is probably my second favorite because it has really helped me with my lower back pain.Part 6: Cooldown - I won't spoil anything here, but it's a very appropriate ending to the DVD.Kristina's narration is excellent - she does make cues and they might be a bit subtle, but if you do this DVD enough times you'll practically memorize them. Her voice is always very relaxed and she speaks slowly which I really appreciated in a stretching video.I'm doing this DVD every day, sometimes twice so if it works as I think it will I'll come back to update this review. After 2 weeks I'm already noticing a huge difference - ALL my aches/pains and soreness from my static stretching routine are completely gone. I realize this is anecdotal evidence, but I think this can benefit anyone, though I think this DVD would be more appropriate for someone who has some experience with yoga or stretching, as some of the moves are quite advanced.

There are a lot of good points to this DVD, Kristina definitely knows how to get into a good stretch, and I really like that she has incorporated strength into the stretching, because I feel that flexibility without strength is not good for the body. I have been using this dvd for a week after about a year of not stretching regularly and I've noticed that I am gaining flexibility at a faster pace than I normally would. So the techniques used in this program are very effective, at least for my body.The explanations of the stretches are pretty good, and the camera is focused where it should be, so you can always see what you're supposed to be doing. The lighting is great, and the background and Kristina's outfit make a nice contrast so that everything is very visible and easy to understand.Other reviewers have given a breakdown of the segments of the dvd so I won't take up time with that.There are some issues with this DVD. First off, I am beyond tired of instructors who cannot mirror you. This thing is done in a VOICEOVER, and she says to "bring your right leg out", but to the viewer it's on the LEFT side. Come ON people, reviewers of dance and other exercise instructional DVDs have been complaining since the days of VHS about how it's much harder to learn when what they see on the screen and what their bodies are supposed to be doing. And with a voiceover, this should NOT be happening.I was also disappointed at the lack of modifiers for some of these stretches. There are times when she says if you can't do a move, you can modify in one way or another, but there are some positions she doesn't give a modifier for at all, and some that she doesn't give a pointer until she is deep into the stretch (like doing a center split, she's all the way down, my knees were screaming before she says "oh yeah, if this hurts your knees you can do it while laying on your back"....Um, thanks for telling me that AFTER I hurt myself (yeah, I shouldn't have gone down so far, but I was comfortable to a certain point and then when I got to where I was having pain, I couldn't control the split enough to get out of it easily) She does seem to be more careful about the backbends,(although she offers NO tips for those of us who can't push themselves into a bridge, such as using an exercise ball to start). I am surprised that no one has sued the company for injuries to knees, back, ankles, etc. She almost seems to assume that anyone using this DVD is nearly as flexible as she is. If you have any flexibility issues, knee issues, back issues, I suggest you either have a professional show you alternatives to some of these movements because you may find yourself stuck in a pose and damaging yourself before you can get out of the pose. Or you may want to find an easier program and master that before trying this one.

This program is SUPER awesome. Not only is she is super easy going, down to earth and kinda quirky, I'm already pretty flexible and I've only been doing it for two weeks! Granted, I've always been fairly flexible i.e yoga, stretching for general dance work... but I've never been able to do back bends or kick really high. I know every body is different, but I'm seeing fast progress, and am amazed with the results. Unfortunately, I got into a car accident a year ago, someone rear-ended me while I was stopped. I was out for 3 weeks. Since then, my back hasn't been the same and this video seems to trigger upper back pain and headaches. However, I'm recently getting to a chiropractor to adjust me, and hopefully that will help get me 100% again. I also found out I have slight scoliosis- who knew? I definitely recommend going to a chiropractor prior to doing these exercises, especially if you've had any kind of trauma to your neck or spine. But if you can't wait- like I couldn't- definitely check in with yourself and listen to how your body feels and handles it, if you start to get any type of pain, its probably a spinal issue and going to a chiropractor could help.P.SYou will definitely sweat, shake or both with this DVD. It can be intense and your muscles/body will tell you! So pace yourself at what you can handle, and do not overstretch your boundaries ;)

I love Kristina's exercises! I feel quite rusty after not practicing too much lately, but thanks to her at least I got bendy again ;-)

This DVD is amazing. I've only done it for two days so too early to comment on results- I will update after one month, three months, six months etc. But from what I've seen so far, it is a fantastic and original effective workout

Ver nice! learning to do the splits now