Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 11-15 of 125
 Indispensable to fitness for all ages and sports. August 2, 2006
Mohamed F. El-Hewie (Hackensack, NJ USA)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful
In the good old days of typewriters, carbon papers, and stencil sheets, literary authorship served society at highest ethical, scientific, and artistic standards. In contrast, today's word processors and graphic software attracted to the field of book publishing plenty of con artists and commercial profiteers. This book on stretching by Anderson demonstrates the utmost dedication of its author to public welfare. Without sophisticated cameras or elegant graphing capabilities, the author was able to present all aspects of motion of human stretching by relying on hand-drawn sketches.
And what sketches? All his males wore vegetables-dried hats (trade marked Bob Anderson). Travelers wore proper attire; sun glasses and ties. Athletes from different sports wore proper costumes for weightlifting, wrestling, swimming, or figure skating. The angles, curves, and proportions of his candidates are flawless. Such dedication to presentation of artwork allows the author to engage his gifted talent in mastering his subject in believable and respectful fashion.
Then, there come the scientific contribution. The author reasonably covers the various physiological facets of stretching.
1. Stretching enhances mind over body control and tunes up performance.
2. Stretching overcomes muscular overtone and stress.
3. Stretching prevents injury and stiffness.
4. Stretching enhances awareness of body motion.
5. Stretching strengthens muscles by avoiding shortness of tendons and maintaining proper range of motion.
6. Stretching enhances physical performance as we age. All animals stretch frequently and instinctually in order to stay mobile.
Each stretching exercise entails a shadowed area where its effect is expected without arcane scientific jargon. The depth of knowledge of the author is demonstrated in the diverse combination of complex planes of motions, wide ranges of motion, and logical sequences of executing exercises. It recommends few minutes of warming up before commencing stretching.
In conclusion, you should consider this book an essential reference not only for stretching but also for strengthening and overall conditioning. It even could be used as a substitute for all other exercises if the reader is interested in healthy and fit living but dreaming to get to the Olympics.
Mohamed F. El-Hewie
Author of
Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training
A Gentle Approach to Stretching November 2, 2001
15 out of 17 found this review helpful
This is a new edition of a wonderful book that just got much better. The drawings continue to be simple and easy to follow and I think the popularity of the book over the years is that there are stretching routines, so you can do a series of stretches (while watching TV, or before taking a run for example) by looking (and maybe photocopying) just one page.It's a gentle approach, easy to follow. I notice one of the reviews refers to Pavel Tsatsouline's book Beyond Stretching. Believe me, the latter is the pedal-to-the-medal tough guy approach that's not appropriate for stretching, or the average person, and could get people injured. Keep it up, Bob Anderson, you're the people's stretching guru.
Excellent Stretching Guide! December 22, 2002
Walter Reade (Appleton, WI United States)
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
"Stretching" is a fantastic book that will meet the needs of just about everyone - from the desk worker who wants to get a bit more blood flow to the cranium, to the sports and exercise enthusiast who participates in a wide variety of activities. Perhaps the only audience the book would miss is the hard-core athlete or sports physiologist.The book begins with a down-to-earth introduction and then spends a good amount of time on dozens and dozens of different stretches. These are broken down by what part of the body is getting the benefit of the stretch, such as legs, hips, wrists, etc. These exercises are then combined into 18 various "every day" stretching routines, such as a morning or evening routine, desk stretches, stretches to help lower back tension, etc. Following this are 35 routines for various sports activities. Each stretch is clearly illustrated with an illustration, and each routine has a summary that shows miniature illustrations for the exercises in the routine. This is a great book, and will give you some good ideas for different stretches.
"Stretching by Bob Anderson is a great book!!!" March 11, 1999
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is an excellent book about stretching!! All exercises in this book are easy to perform, can be done without warm up and give great results. I have tried several different stretching methodes, but I prefer Andersons type of stretching!
Easy to use, fun, and very sensible October 2, 1998
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
This book was recommended to me in the early 80's by a yoga instructor, and over the years I've found it immensely helpful. Even today, when the benefits of moderate and regular exercise are well known, too many people still believe that you should "go for the burn" and "no pain, no gain."
Anderson isn't your high school football coach: the exercises he recommends will, if practiced regularly, increase your strength and flexibility without agony or the risk of injury. His stretches are effective on their own, or you can use them to supplement other types of exercise. And they're fun, too: a good stretch, done properly, should be pleasurable rather than painful!
The book itself is very well designed: the text provides just enough explanation, the illustrations are clear, and the large format allows you to keep the book open (and out of your way) while you do the stretches. This is a program you can follow for your whole life -- it's not just for young jocks. Highly recommended.
Showing reviews 11-15 of 125
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