Exercise RX: The Lifetime Prescription for Reducing Your Medical Risks and Sports Injuries [Hardcover]

Gary Yanker (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Which exercises will help your heart? Which will help you age more slowly? Lose weight faster? Are any exercises more harmful than helpful? In this hefty how-to manual, author Gary Yanker presents exercise programs that prevent and rehabilitate illnesses and conditions. You fill out profiles that evaluate your age, gender, fitness level, activity preference, family health history, medical risk factors, and physical weaknesses or disabilities. Backed by a team of medical experts, Yanker presents programs that improve heart health, psychological state, the immune system, and more. "Prevention ExRx" shows you how to delay or prevent diseases and injuries through aerobic, strengthening, stretching, and postural exercises. "Rehabilitation ExRx" helps you manage pain and restore health after injuries, with an exercise prescription of strengthening and stretching based on your injury.

The amount of information may seem overwhelming, but it is presented clearly, with jaunty chapter titles and subtitles ("Why Thicker Bones Are Better than Thinner Thighs" and "Buns of Steel, but a Heart of Mush," for example) and plenty of self-tests and line drawings. Yanker, a long-recognized authority on walking and moderate exercise, is the also the author of ExerciseWalking. --Joan Price

From Library Journal

A specialist on moderate exercise and the author of walking exercise books (Sportwalking), Yanker here aims to move exercise from the realm of competitive sports to that of preventative and rehabilitative medicine. He provides preventative and therapeutic exercise prescriptions for over 500 ailments, divided into various categories, e.g., MuSkel, Meta, Cardio, and Psyche-Immune. In the opening pages, he also provides the self-analysis tools needed to relate risk factors to the ailments he cites. Well organized and thoughtful, this book includes good common sense about making exercise a priority but lacks authoritative referencing to support some scientific claims. And it's hardly unique, since this information is available in the academic physical therapy literature. Still, the book's lay reader-friendly format recommends it to public libraries.ARebecca Cress-Ingebo, Wright State Univ Libs., Dayton, OH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha America (August 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568362471
• ISBN-13: 978-1568362472
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,633,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very thorough!!!, September 2, 2000

By 

Jen (Clinton,, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exercise RX: The Lifetime Prescription for Reducing Your Medical Risks and Sports Injuries (Hardcover)

This book is an excellent resource for those of us who have experienced some sort of medical or physical condition at some point. Yanker provides helpful exercises, of various degrees, for just about any condition you could possibly think of. Whether it be mental, physiological, physical, you name the condition, there's an "exercise" for it. Also included in the book are various charts and diagrams useful for "your" specific fitness goals.

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good!, October 26, 2008

By 

Peggy "pab920" (Norfolk, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Exercise Rx: The Lifetime Prescription for Reducing Your Medical Risks and Sports Injuries (Hardcover)

This is such an incredible bargain price and a great resource for the layperson. So why only 4 stars? Well, I'm a strong advocate of yoga and this author says to avoid certain postures. I understand his rationale but do not fully agree as I think the ability to perform each posture depends upon the individual's physical condition and judgment. Yoga has so many modifications/variations that it can be easily adapted. Otherwise this book goes into easily understood explanations for just about any muscular/skeletal condition and other important areas such as proper breathing techniques (believe it or not MOST folks do not breathe properly). I doubt anyone other than a physical therapist or physician would be disappointed in this fine, easy to read book.

5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate guide to health as related to exercise, August 14, 2008

By 

Jane V. Stephens "That older woman" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Exercise Rx: The Lifetime Prescription for Reducing Your Medical Risks and Sports Injuries (Hardcover)

We've turned to our copy again and again over the years, always finding something new and helpful. My husband went from 225 pounds and flabby to 160 pounds and a toned wonder over the course of 2 years with the help of this book. We've both recovered from slip and fall and other accidents much better than we would have without it, as its rehab sections are great. Take the test in front to find out where you need to concentrate.