|
|
FitnessProsBooks.com - The Whartons' Stretch Book
|
List Price: $15.95
Our Price: $8.91
Your Save: $ 7.04 ( 44% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: TimesBooks (Random House)
|
Average Customer Rating:  
|
|
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 613.714
EAN: 9780812926231
ISBN: 0812926234
Label: TimesBooks (Random House)
Manufacturer: TimesBooks (Random House)
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 253
Publication Date: 1996-07-09
Publisher: TimesBooks (Random House)
Release Date: 1996-07-09
Studio: TimesBooks (Random House)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: I'm a "flying-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" student!
Comment: I ordered two weeks before classes started and I received my book the following week! Thank you for your prompt, professional and perfect care of my needs! And you didn't even know my time schedule!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sound theory, dismal book
Comment: I was so excited to receive this book, hoping for a layman's guide to the Mattes stretching technique. Mattes' book (Active Isolated Stretching: The Mattes Method) is great, with lots of big photos and thorough discussion of each stretch, but I was having trouble digesting the information into a usable routine. Now, the Whartons definitely provide routines, but much of the book is cluttered with self-serving anecdotes and terribly shallow write-ups of the method's applicability to different activities.
That's nothing compared to the book's real problem: the illustrations. They are atrocious. I can only assume that one just said to the other, "hey, can you draw people?" The truthful answer would have been "no." Not only do the little caricatures stare into your soul, but it's difficult to tell what on earth is supposed to be going on. Please, for your own sake, do a "search inside this book" and hit "surprise me!" until you see some examples of what I'm talking about. The illustrations nearly render this book useless.
What's good about this book: these two clearly have experience with relieving pain. Their stretching model, nearly identical (and credited to) Mattes, gets good results. It feels better than traditional stretching methods, and it is reasonably well-explained. Some of their specific stretches are a bit worrisome (there are far better psoas and external hip rotator stretches), but overall they're pretty good.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Wharton's Stretch Book
Comment: This book was recommended to me by a professional massage therapist. I'm 65 and on statins, which have the side effect of muscle stiffness and soreness. This book provides an easy to understand and follow guideline for stretching, which although focused on athletes, works well for the average Joe or Jane. The underlying premise, that gentle, progressive stretches lasting no more than a few seconds don't activate muscle resistance, is spun out in detail for each muscle group. There are useful illustrations and clear descriptions. What's best, though, is that it works!
Customer Rating:
Summary: a must have for any level of fitness
Comment: I am a certified fitness trainer and although there is an ongoing debate about the usefulness of stretching pre-workout, I am here to tell all of you who read this that Active Isolated Stretching is the answer to warm-up stretching and the Whartons Book is very easy to read, follow, and understand. I recomend this book to anyone who has a habit of over stretching causing muscle soreness and tightness.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This book is a lifesaver
Comment: I bought this book after injuring my shoulder. My arm had locked to the point I could barely move it. Any attempt to move the arm resulted in extreme pain. I did the exercizes every day, and after a few weeks, the scar tissue began to break, motion returned and the pain eventually ceased. Other reviews say 20 minutes a day is "too much" time. Are they kidding? Twenty minutes out of 24 hours? Years later my bicycle was hit by a careless truck driver. My left shoulder, elbow, hip and hand/wrist were injured. The hand needed surgery to remove a bone. The wrist and hand developed arthritis. Because I keep doing the exercises, and have incorporated the strengthening exercises, I am not crippled. I still ride my bicycle, work in the yard, and do what I did before. If this book isn't "scientific" then why do physical therapists and doctors recommend it?
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
Whether you're a serious competitor or weekend warrior, you know that proper stretching before and after your workout can improve your performance, increase your flexibility, help prevent injury, and make you feel better. But did you know that the traditional way of stretching -- lock your knees, bounce, hold, hurt, hold longer -- actually makes muscles tighter and more prone to injury?
There's a new and better way to stretch: Active-Isolated Stretching. And with The Whartons' Stretch Book, the method used successfully by scores of professional, amateur, and Olympic athletes is now available to everyone.
This groundbreaking technique, developed by researchers, coaches, and trainers, and pioneered by Jim and Phil Wharton, is your new exercise prescription. The routine is simple: First, you prepare to stretch one isolated muscle at a time. Then you actively contract the muscle opposite the isolated muscle, which will then relax in preparation for its stretch. You stretch it gently and quickly -- for no more than two seconds -- and release it before it goes into its protective contraction. Then you repeat. Simple, but the results are outstanding. The Whartons' Stretch Book explains it all.
Part I contains the Active-Isolated Stretch Catalog, with fully illustrated, easy-to-follow stretches for each of five body zones, from neck and shoulders to trunk, arms, and legs -- over fifty stretches in all. Part II offers specific stretching prescriptions for over fifty-five sports and activities, from running, tennis, track, and aerobics to skiing, skating, and swimming. You'll also find advice on stretching for daily activities such as driving, working at a desk, lifting, and keyboarding. Part III discusses stretching for life, with specific recommendations for expectant mothers and older athletes. It also includes specific stretching exercises that could help you avoid unnecessary surgery.
Give Active-Isolated Stretching a try for three weeks. You'll never go back to your old stretching routines again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
