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Amazon.com
One of the dirty secrets of the fitness world is that for all the talk about the importance of stretching, many athletes and other fit people don't bother with it. It's hard to gauge the benefits, and it seems as if the time could be better spent running, lifting weights, or perfecting sports skills. This sentiment is expressed by Dr. Bob Arnot in the foreword to "The Whartons' Stretch Book," and he says that the Whartons changed his mind. He went to them with a stiffened hip that he thought needed surgery, but after a regimen using the active-isolated stretching technique, his flexibility in that hip had increased 40 percent.

Active-isolated stretching is very different from what your high-school gym teacher made you do. Rather than holding a stretch for a half-minute, you hold it for just two seconds. This prevents the muscle from activating an instinctual braking device to keep itself from overstretching. Traditional stretching forces that braking to occur, and the Whartons think that's not only counterproductive, but dangerous. If you force too deep a stretch while the muscle is doing all it can to keep itself from being stretched, something's got to give. And a torn muscle will repair itself with scar tissue, ultimately making that muscle less flexible.

The Whartons--a father-and-son personal-training team who've worked with many pro athletes and Olympic medalists--show you how to use their stretches to prepare for dozens of sports, from aerobics to wrestling. Nonathletes get an entire section of the book, which describes stretch routines to get your body feeling better after prolonged driving, sitting, standing, and word processing. The routines are a bit on the longish side--20 minutes or more--but it doesn't seem like much time when you think of how long you have to live in your body, and how much better it will feel if you keep it supple and flexible. --Lou Schuler

From Library Journal
This humorously written, nonscientific book is directed at both amateur and professional athletes. The authors describe their "breakthrough method" of Active-Isolated Stretching. The premise is that quick contractions of the muscle opposite the desired muscle will greatly boost athletic or occupational performance. The 20-minute routine is divided into five body zones. Each stretch is held for only two seconds. A minimal time commitment is required for a large payoff in terms of greater flexibility, fewer injuries, and delayed aging. The second part of the book is indexed by sport and occupation and directs the reader to specific stretches that should be performed for each activity. There is also a section on stretching during pregnancy and stretching for seniors. Recommended for large fitness collections.?Goldman Horning, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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nonexercising hand, exercising forefoot, nonexercising leg, let your athlete, exercising foot, gentle assist, help your athlete, successive stretch, exercising arm, back with both legs, keeping your heel, lock your elbow, airborne phase, leg into position, hip rotators, nerve impingement, rotator muscles, tensor fascia latae, myotatic reflex, little pull, opposite muscle, tuck your chin, stretch rope, race walking, raise one arm Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Position Degree of Range, Yellow Range, Clock Range of Motion Red Range, Normal Green Range, Blue Range, Active-Isolated Stretching, Active-Isolated Stretches, New York, Aaron Mattes, Clock Range of Motion Red Ranqe, Valentine's Day New!
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