The Anatomy of Stretching, Second Edition: Your Illustrated Guide to Flexibility and Injury Rehabilitation Paperback – 4 Oct. 2011

I am an experienced therapeutic masseur improving my techniques by taking a level 3 sports massage course. I only know a little about sports as I am just 'your average gym member' trying to be a bit fitter. For my course this book, I feel, will be of great benefit now and as I get more knowledgeable. I can relate the stretches to the lessons of 'moves' the lecturer gave for finding out which muscles are affected and need working on during the massage. It would be ideal for 'beginner' sports people (like me) who want to improve their flexibility, warm up/cool down, or for general pre/post activity aches & pains.The majority of the book shows in clear illustrations the stretching technique, how to do it, the muscles being stretched (and the bones and where the muscles join them), the sports its good for, which sports injury it will help, hints for performing correctly, and a complementary stretch. The stretches are grouped in body areas e.g. arms & chest, hips & buttocks, etc.. All are numbered and there is quick reference sections at the back for best stretches for a list of injuries and different sports. The front section gives comprehensive, but simply explained, information on flexibility, anatomy and physiology, mechanics of movement, principles & benefits of stretching, types of stretch, rules for safe stretching, when and how to stretch.Re the Free DVD which a lot of people say they did not receive .... reading the information in the book it is not a DVD sent out with the book but 'bonus' information online as an eBook and MP3 download. I have not explored this yet.

Amazing guide for stretches. I'm looking to increase my flexibility and this hit the note perfectly. It has all stretches sectioned out, for example - 'stretches for adductors, 'stretches for arms' 'stretches for head and neck' so you know what to look for. It also shows you what exact muscles you will be stretching and what sports or injuries would benefit from what stretch. It also has a section on each page that shows what other stretches would compliment that particular stretch. I find it easy to use 2-3 pages from each section to give myself a full body routine and I feel sooo much better afterwards! It doesn't miss anything in my opinion, and there are hints and tips throughout to prevent injury etc. at the back of the book it also shows diagrams of which stretches to use for a particular sport e.g baseball (it will then give you a list and pictures of the top 5 stretches to prepare for this sport. Also, for injuries, it will list off stretches that will help rehabilitate you after suffering with an injury, such as tennis elbow. Really great book, already thumbed through it numerous times and will be buying another if/when I wear it out...

I am looking for books with information to help improve my fitness to include stretching.It contains good information on areas of the body, yet not the specific area I am seeking informationIt had been returned

This is the first book I have found that cuts all the nonsense and chit chat about what the author thinks about stretching, (using a perfectly shaped model for their demonstrations) and covers the entire topic of stretching from start to finish.It’s easy to navigate straight to the answers you need for the stretches you currently do to make sure you’re engaging the right areas.The examples and demonstrations in this book are exactly what I wanted to see and the commentary for each stretch is kept to the specifics and warnings.A really good book that I am going to use to relieve my hip and shoulder pain.

I bought that book on recommendation from a client who had a bad back and was using it to help for recovery. Being myself a marathon runner, I thought that, perhaps, I could use this book to remind me the right way to do again a proper streching and try to relieve me from different pains and injuries due to intense training. I was well inspire to follow the advise of that person.This book is brilliant.It does explain very well all the right mouvements and positions to strech the appropriate muscles for the appropriate sport in a simple and effective way. I have allready got so much benefit by using the proper strechings, even just after the short time I have been following the book's instructions.I am certain that it's avoiding me a lot of my passed injury problems. I would recommend this book to everyone who wants to get fitter or having avoidable pains and injuries.A "Must have" book for anyone involved in any kind of sport or not. Simply brilliant!Best money spend lately!

I cannot recommend this book enough if you would like to know more about stretching for exercise or rehabilitation.This book provides details on the types of stretching and how they should be used, and the make up and actions of muscles at the beginning of the book. Then the book is broken down into to exercises for the different parts of the body. Each individual exercise has at least one, but sometimes a number of really clear diagrams showing the stretch and the muscles being used. Then their are sections on the technique that should be used for the stretch, sports that would benefit from the stretch, sports injuries where the stretch may be useful, additional information for performing the stretch correctly, and details of other stretches that would complement the stretch.This is one of the best books I have found on stretching exercises, and I use it all the time for reference for myself and for teaching points for the sports participants I coach.

Well worth it whether you are a therapist or sports person. Very informative good clear diagrams