Stretching Anatomy

The illustrations are outstanding and even younger students can make sense of them. It's a great addition to the ballet teacher's bookcase and is helpful when you can't quite figure out how to increase flexibility in a pupil with, for instance, limited turnout. It gives several options for stretches and shows the primary as well as the secondary muscle groups being worked on. It gives thorough information so that all the stretches are safely performed. I recommend this book for anyone currently teaching dancers/gymnasts/athletes.

As a L & NCTMB, I use this book with clients almost daily. It is clear, concise, & addressess various ability/skill levels. The muscles are easy to differentiate. Isolated muscles stretches as well as muscle group stretches are what this book is all about. Also, it has male and female bodies pictured, as well as male/female helpful hints. Clients of mine who use the stretches in this book achieve a much greater level of relaxation and well being - thus making massage therapy worth even more than they are paying!

I've been a runner and athlete for over a decade, and even having learned dozens of stretches along the way, this book was well worth the money. It's very comprehensive - contains stretches for every muscle group and even describes the supporting muscle groups you're using when doing a particular stretch. The visuals are clear and helpful as well. The explanations are very easy to follow, and I love that it gives tips within each stretch for increasing the intensity or stretching slightly different muscles with a slightly different motion.

I have used this book to not only show and teach clients and patients proper stretching techniques, I have recommended it as a tool for the Physical Therapist at my job, and used it for myself. Illustrations are detailed with specific muscles described in each stretch and are very helpful in understanding the anatomy of each stretch - great book for ANYONE, especially pre- and post-workout for athletes! I also recommend "Stretching" by Bob Anderson in conjunction with this as a teaching tool.

I have been a martial arts teacher for 42 years and have authored over 20 books on the subject. So I know a little about stretching. Stretching Anatomy is a wonderful guide that is concise, yet somehow amazingly complete. The book isn't written for one particular sport, but the savvy reader will quickly see how the many easy-to-do stretches (and a couple hard ones) will improve their performance within weeks. Each clearly demonstrated exercise includes simple how-to-do instruction, when to do it, and which primary and secondary muscles are being stretched. The book provides three levels of difficulty, including light movements to warm-up and to help you recovery quickly from an injury or post workout soreness. A real plus are the anatomy chart-like illustrations that show via colored shading which muscles are being affected by the stretch. This is an excellent book that I recommend to my students. Loren W. Christensen author of Fighter's Fact Book 2.