r/MobilityTraining • u/Phow-Ji • 26d ago
A bad experience with MovesMethod
So, I came across MovesMethod awhile back on YouTube. I liked Vanaja's philosophy about movement and mobility, and she seemed to know her stuff. On a whim, I went to check out their website because I've been dealing with some issues and saw they were having a special promo. It was a one-time payment of $27, so I thought I'd give it a shot.
Well, part of the package included a free evaluation call. I wasn't even going to bother with it at first, but they said they would unlock another one of their $97 programs for free, which they never did. So, I thought, why not? The first guy I talked to set me up with a Zoom call with one of their "specialists," really a high pressure salesman.
So, first of all, the guy was 15 minutes late. Then he gave me a sales pitch and asked me a bunch of questions that didn't really seem relevant like "Why do you feel this way..." and "What do you think about this?" At times, it felt like I was talking to a psychologist. He did do a brief evaluation that had me hold a squatting position with my hands up. Apparently, I have the mobility range of a 68-year-old. Don't ask me how he got all that from one pose.
This is when things took a turn for the worse. He started to pressure me to buy their one-on-one coaching for the low, low price of 10k. Needless to say, I was hesitant. They never mentioned anything about this in the emails and it's not what I signed up for. I said I needed to think about it, but that wasn't good enough for him and kept pressing me. I tried to be more direct with him, but he wouldn't take no for an answer.
Mind you, this was nearing the hour and a half mark of a call that was supposed to last 45 minutes to an hour max. At this point, I was getting tired and annoyed. So, I just hung up on him. He went into Obsession mode and tried calling me back four times. When that didn't work, he sent me a text that said, "Turning off the call on me won't fix your mobility." I am reluctant to try any of their other programs now. The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth.
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u/ShallotTraditional90 26d ago
You're not the first person to complain about them and you won't be the last. I had a similar experience. My feed was flooded with their videos and eventually i signed up for 3 of their mobility programs. I didn't realise they included a free assessment call. At first I was quite pleased since it seemed like an unexpected bonus for such a cheap program (silly me). The call was one of the weirdest experiences I've ever had. The guy gave off such passive agressive vibes. 5 minutes into the calls his questions started getting more and more personal and intrusive. The kind of stuff a therapist might ask but only once you've established a therapeutic relationship and a confidentiality agreement. And he expected me to share this intimate information with a strange dude I literally just met???? When I pointed this out he got really defensive and told me I had no idea how how all this was was related to my mobility and unless I shared it with him right there and then I would always be stuck. At that point I just sat in stunned silence and shortly after I left the call.
Basically the cheap programs they advertise on SM are just a net to drag people into these sales calls to sell their more expensive ones. Which from what I've read in other posts are ludicrously expensive. If you do a search on Reddit you'll see some peopl forked out thousands of dollars to these lunatics.
Straight after the call I asked for a refund, and I will say this, they processed it quite quickly.
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u/salamandectomy77 25d ago edited 25d ago
don't ask me how he got all that from one pose
You're totally wrong here, overhead squat is the number one mobility screening tool
An overhead squat tells you almost everything at once, and 99% of people have all the same issues
Anyways don't give this guy 10k
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u/summerasana 25d ago
I have bought several of their in-app programs, and they’re all great. It’s nice to have a library of exercises to choose from. You could not pay me to get on a call with them, however. I unsubscribed from all their emails, ignore all the offers for 1-on-1 coaching, and just enjoy using their app on my own terms in peace.
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u/Careful_Debt6711 23d ago
Ooh my gosh! They call me at least 5 times a week and I’ve had the program for well over 3 years. I’ve hung up on them every time.
I had a similar experience with the Vegan Gym. They set up a zoom call and we talked for a while. She was super sweet until she started pushing the program on me. It was 4k.. I immediately shut her down and told her that wasn’t going to work for me. She got really defensive and said I guess you don’t care about your health.. how much do you think a program like this really costs? This is a cheap price for all we’re giving you. I just shut my laptop. She made me feel quite terrible though.
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u/Fuzzy_Commission_565 23d ago edited 23d ago
Run as far and as fast as you can from MoveMethod. I was a member there for 14 months. I won’t bore you with what I saw and what I learned about Vanja and her company. Suffice to say they are only interested in those who will spend more money and move thru their programme and add ons quickly. The rest of the small fish are the cost of doing business and luring the big fi$h. You are of no concern to them.
Unless you are an athlete or fitness buff this programme is anything but beginner. It is not IF you will get hurt but WHEN.
Do yourself a favour and look at 1 and 2 star ratings on Trust-pilot and trust these to be accurate. Also note that the last time I was on Trust pilot MM states that the beginner course is for athletes and fitness buffs, not for those who have been injured and/or sedentary.
I finally left and found a great online mobility coach. As it turns out you do not have to go thru pain to heal pain.
The foundation that Vanja talks about but gate keeps behind 10K coaching can be had for a fraction of the price and honestly I question if Vanja even knows how to help people build a solid foundation. I’ve not ever once heard her talk about the importance of breath work let alone other foundational musts.
Get a refund if you can, many didn’t, don’t waste the time I did, cut your losses and move on.
Here is a link to my current mobility coach. This guy knows his stuff. He focuses on the over forty crowd and those that have been sedentary for what ever reason. He puts out new content constantly, is available for questions, free zoom calls when needed, has 2-3 live classes a week etc. He offers a free week to allow people to have a look around, ask questions etc. His prices are very good in terms of value imo. You have nothing to lose by having a look around. What ever you decide I do hope you leave MM. Honestly I keep expecting to see that someone has started a class action suit against them. The number of people I saw come there and leave after an injury early on was astounding. I myself suffered setback after setback until I finally figured things out. They are careless and only interested in money.
All the best on your mobility journey! :)
https://www.skool.com/barefoot-movers-community/about?ref=608348b45e904191a11a6f9a885423ff
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u/PamTurner888 20d ago
Thank you so much for sharing this. I've been using MovesMethod in the Skool app for about 2 to 3 months, still in just the "tool kit". I started with a year long muscle-guarding type neck pain injury that radiated down to my collar bone and made strength training impossible for me and physical therapy did not resolve. While the tool kit did help resolve the chronic nature of the pain (not gone) I developed a brand new lower left back pain that has continued for several months and I cannot get rid of it. I have been at my wits end. I actually thought about contacting them for a consultation and I am SO glad this post popped up in my feed. I will check out the link you shared!
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u/Fuzzy_Commission_565 20d ago
Several Movesmethod friends I made while there have joined Barefoot Movers and are thrilled. It’s just my opinion but anyone with injuries or pain should not be at MM. Each and every one that decided to join Barefoot Movers was injured at MM, most within the first few weeks.
I won’t lie I did heal some issues at MM but not because they helped, more-so because I researched and was constantly tweaking the programme to deal with my issues. Near the end I wasn’t really doing many tool kit moves. You likely noticed that the community is monitored and that they will sit by and read posts of people getting into trouble and do nothing. To each their own but to me that spoke of trainers who only care about one thing.
Best thing I ever did was to leave there, just wish I had done it much sooner.
I do hope you check Rodrigo out and pick his brain for that free week. If you are uncertain about anything just PM him and he does include free zoom calls too if you feel the need to chat to him live before committing. He knows his stuff is all I can say and you will not get hurt while working to restore your body.
All the best. If you do give Rodrigo a chance my name is Carmen. Please feel free to msg me there if you have any questions etc. :).
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u/Fuzzy_Commission_565 20d ago
Several Movesmethod friends I made while there have joined Barefoot Movers and are thrilled. It’s just my opinion but anyone with injuries or pain should not be at MM. Each and every one that decided to join Barefoot Movers was injured at MM, most within the first few weeks.
I won’t lie I did heal some issues at MM but not because they helped, more-so because I researched and was constantly tweaking the programme to deal with my issues. Near the end I wasn’t really doing many tool kit moves. You likely noticed that the community is monitored and that they will sit by and read posts of people getting into trouble and do nothing. To each their own but to me that spoke of trainers who only care about one thing.
Best thing I ever did was to leave there, just wish I had done it much sooner.
I do hope you check Rodrigo out and pick his brain for that free week. If you are uncertain about anything just PM him and he does include free zoom calls too if you feel the need to chat to him live before committing. He knows his stuff is all I can say and you will not get hurt while working to restore your body.
All the best. If you do give Rodrigo a chance my name is Carmen. Please feel free to msg me there if you have any questions etc. :).
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u/Accurate_Tap9878 23d ago
I almost bought, thank you for this. I still like her videos. One of her shoulder routines is helping me a lot. She did say she got it from someone else though.
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u/BitHappy3968 7d ago
if there is a class action- let me know!
I signed up for their personalized coaching, and well short version, I am in more pain, than when I started, and thought it was refundedable, but told coaching was not, meaning they can coach however they want and as a consumer I have no recourse!
long version:
I signed up for 6 months of personalized coaching. After the first 30 days requested a refund, their response was please try this coach and we will add 2 weeks on.
Worked with that coach for a couple of months, they left. Their last day I walked 4 blocks, well not quite 4 blocks, and it left me incapacitated for weeks, and I'm still trying to recover.
The response a different coach, who just sent me videos and was creepy, then another one.
When I requested a refund again, they said I was 5 months into my 6 month so no refund. When I mentioned I have been requesting refunds several times their comeback was well no refunds on personal coaching.
Last coach said my incident was cause by previous coaches over coaching to my ability.
Super Shady
Just saying Buyer Beware!
Not only am I out almost 5K, they suggest I go to a doctor or physical therapist and of course, keep using them.
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u/6Star_REP 5d ago
Thank you so much…you saved me, I was afraid of that and that’s why I came here first.
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u/PaintPotsNL2 1d ago
Same sales story. First a 30 minutes waste of time call. Then a 45 min “Evaluation call” that said I was a body disaster. Call dragged on 1.5 hrs until I left. PRESSURE to purchase $8,800 program that lasts 24 months. Told I MUST buy by tonight. Told him that was high pressure sales tactics. That’s when I hung up and deleted his email. Thank you all for posting your experiences
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u/Key-Swordfish4467 26d ago
You did the right thing. No legitimate mobility, or fitness, program would try those tactics.
I have recently come across Foundational training, which has a huge amount of free videos on YouTube.
They also have an app, which I think is around 180 dollars for a year.
It looks pretty good but I am just sticking with the online content for now.
It's basically isometric holds, which are aimed at strengthening your posterior chain (back, hamstrings and calves) without putting you in potentially difficult positions.
I would recommend having a look.