Stretching Anatomy by Arnold G. Nelson, Jouko Kokkonen Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Stretching Anatomy
Book Review: Best illustrations
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has the best illustrations and stretches out there. This book is a great value.Book Review: Buy this one
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Book Review: Careful and pragmatic
Summary: 4 Stars
As any stretching program should be, this book takes a careful and pragmatic look at stretching. It provides no startling new information, but the images and text are concise and useful.Book Review: Discover the benefits of stretching in this dynamic guide.
Summary: 5 Stars
If you're like me, you may do a short warm-up and then get right into your workout. Then, you might do a few stretches afterwords.
But I learned from this book that I may be missing a wonderful opportunity to gain flexibility and to heal sore, painful muscles and tendons that I've overused or misused.
The benefits of stretching are many. Here's what the book tells us:
"The following are several chronic training benefits gained from using a regular stretching program:
Improved flexibility, stamina (muscular endurance), and muscular strength. The degree of benefit depends on how much stress is put on the muscle. Medium or heavy stretches are recommended. You can do this by building up to doing long stretches of high intensity (see the next section for a detailed explanation of light, medium, and heavy stretching).
Reduced muscle soreness, aches, and pains. Use only very light stretches if muscle soreness prevails.
Improved flexibility with the use of static or PNF stretches. Medium or heavy stretches are recommended.
Good muscular and joint mobility.
More efficient muscular movements and fluidity of motion.
Greater ability to exert maximum force through a wider range of motion.
Prevention of some lower back problems.
Improved appearance and self-image.
Improved body alignment and posture.
Better warm-up and cool-down in an exercise session."
As the book says, it offers a way to see what you'd see in an xray as you stretch. Moreover, you will discover the main muscles that are being worked plus other muscles that are being stretched somewhat less.
"Because of the complexity of muscle attachments, many stretching exercises simultaneously affect a variety of muscle groups in the body and stretch the muscle groups around multiple joints. Thus, a small change in body position can change the nature of a stretch on any particular muscle. To get the maximal stretching benefit in any muscle, it is helpful to know joint movements that each muscle can do. Putting the joint through the full range of each motion allows for maximal stretching."
The book provides you with actual stretching programs.
These programs
". . . can be prescribed for anyone who is interested in improving flexibility, strength, and strength endurance. To make changes to any of these areas, you need to be involved in a regular stretching program, preferably as a daily routine or as close to that as possible. Changes will not come in a day or two but rather after a dedicated effort of several weeks. You can incorporate these programs with or without any other kind of exercise routine. According to the latest research, heavy stretching, even without any other exercise activity, can bring about changes in flexibility, strength, and muscular endurance."
Isn't that exciting! I think it is. Who can't use more flexibility, strength, and muscular endurance?
Let me tell you a bit about the layout of the book because that's important. As the cover says, this is "Your illustrated guide to improving flexibility and muscular strength."
The book is divided into body parts. For example, there's a section on shoulders, back, and chest. You see a color illustration of a male or female doing the stretch. The dark red area shows the "xray" of the muscle or group getting most of the benefit of the stretch. You're given the name of each muscle. A lighter color shows you any secondary muscles that are getting some, but less, benefit.
Then you're told the correct technique for doing the stretch followed by a short commentary that gives you additional valuable information and tips. All this one one page!
Here's the contents of the book:
Chapter 1. Neck
Chapter 2. Shoulders, Upper Back, and Upper Chest
Chapter 3. Arms, Wrists, and Hands
Chapter 4. Lower Trunk
Chapter 5. Hip
Chapter 6. Knees and Thighs
Chapter 7. Calves and Feet
"Stretching Anatomy" is an excellent resource. It provides you with much-needed information about how your body works. It helps you plan a program to use in your warm-ups, cool-downs and rehab programs. After reading it and working with it, you aren't likely to ignore stretching again. I know I won't.
You can adapt the exercises in the book to your needs. To quote the authors, "You can customize the exercises in this book, which will allow for numerous stretch combinations. Also, this book illustrates only a portion of the available stretches. You are encouraged to experiment with these stretches by following the explanations provided. Information is also provided to enable you to explore a variety of positions in order to stretch the muscle by slightly altering the angles and directions of the various body positions. Thus, you can adapt the stretching exercises to fit your individual needs and desires."
If getting in shape, feeling good and getting the most from your workouts matter to you, you need this book. What's more, if you want flexibility, this book is simply golden. The exercises in it will help you become flexible. And when it comes to function, flexibility is an absolute must.
Highly recommended.
- Susanna K. Hutcheson
Book Review: Easy to follow and informative
Summary: 5 Stars
Great book for me and my massage therapy clients. Easy to follow, great photographs, informative.