Recommendations & Additional Comments
Many of the other books don't have as much detail about stretching and what happens to your muscles during a particular stretch, they just present (and illustrate) a variety of different exercises. Also, most of the stretches presented in these books are to be performed alone. Sport Stretch, SynerStretch (both the videotape and the book), and Mobility Training for the Martial Arts present stretches that you can perform with the assistance of a partner.
In general, Health For Life (also known as HFL) and Human Kinetics Publishers
have a tremendously wide variety of
technical, no-nonsense, exercise related books and videotapes. I would
highly recommend contacting both organizations
and asking for their free catalogs:
Human Kinetics PublishersAdditional Comments
1607 North Market Street
P.O. Box 5076
Champaign, IL USA 61825-5076
1-800-747-4457 (US)
1-800-465-7301 (Canada)Health For Life
8033 Sunset Blvd., Suite 483
Los Angeles, CA USA 90046
1-800-874-5339
Sport Stretch
This book has a very thorough section on all the details about how
stretching works and what different stretching methods to use. It also
contains over 300 illustrated stretches as well as various stretching programs
for 26 different sports and recreational activities. Each stretching program
takes about 20 minutes and illustrates the 12 best stretches for that activity.
In my humble opinion, this is the most complete book I was able to find
on the subject of stretching (however, Science of Stretching, by the same
author, is even more comprehensive). Some of you may prefer Kurz' book
to this one, however, since it is more devoted to increasing flexibility.
Science of Stretching
This book explains the scientific basis of stretching and discusses
physiology, neurophysiology, mechanics, and psychology as they all relate
to stretching. The book makes thorough use of illustrations, charts, diagrams,
and figures, and discusses each of its topics in great detail. It then
presents guidelines for developing a flexibility program, including over
200 stretching exercises and warm-up drills. I suppose you could think
of this book as a "graduate-level version" of Sport Stretch.
Stretching Scientifically
This is an excellent book that goes into excruciating detail on just
about everything you want to know about stretching. It also contains a
variety of stretches and stretching programs and is geared towards achieving
maximal flexibility in the shortest possible amount of time. The only problem
I found in this book is that some of the discussion gets very technical
without giving the reader (in my opinion) sufficient background to fully
understand what is being said. I believe that Sport Stretch does
a better job of explaining things in a more comprehensible (easily understood)
fashion.
Facilitated Stretching
Most of the reading material that is devoted to PNF stretching is highly
technical. This book attempts to break that trend. It tries to explain
the history and principles of PNF without getting too technical, and shows
how to perform PNF techniques that are appropriate for healthy people (complete
with illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions). This book also contains
a chapter which discusses the role of PNF techniques during injury rehabilitation.
According to the publisher:
The stretches in Facilitated Stretching are known as CRAC (contract-relax,
antagonist-contract) stretches. CRAC stretches are the safest PNF stretches
because there is no passive movement -- the athlete performs all of the
stretching. Facilitated Stretching contains 29 CRAC stretches, which address
most of the major muscle groups: 18 are single-muscle stretches, and 11
use the spiral-diagonal patterns that are the heart of PNF stretching.
Once readers have learned these stretching techniques, they will be able
to design additional stretches for almost any muscle or muscle group. The
book also features many self-stretching techniques that athletes can use
to maintain their gains in range of motion.
SynerStretch
This is a "course" from HFL which claims that you can achieve "total
body flexibility in just 8 minutes a day." It explains and presents two
excellent stretching routines: one for increasing flexibility and one for
maintaining flexibility. It was the only work that I found which discusses
the importance of performing certain stretches in a particular order. It
is important to note that there is a significant difference between the
printed and videotape versions of this course (aside from price): The printed
version has a much more thorough discussion of theory, exercise selection,
and exercise order; whereas the stretching routines presented in the videotape
are better explained, and more "up to date".
Stretch and Strengthen
This is very good, but the author makes a few mistakes in some places
(in particular, she seems to equate the stretch reflex, reciprocal inhibition,
and PNF with one another). The book is devoted to static stretching and
to performing strengthening exercises of the muscles stretched. Each exercise
explains what to do, what not to do, and why. There is also a separate
section for diagnosing and correcting some problems that you may encounter
during a particular stretch.
Health & Fitness Excellence
Simply put, this is one of the best books available on overall health
and fitness. It has two chapters devoted to flexibility training that explain
and provide several static and PNF stretches (although it refers to the
PNF stretches as tighten-relax stretches). This is not a "fad" book! It
uses sound, proven, scientific principles and research (explained in simple
terms) to present programs for: reducing stress, strength and flexibility
training, nutritional wellness, body fat control, postural vitality, rejuvenation
and living environments design, and mind and life unity. I highly recommend
this book.
ExTension
This is a fantastic book of yoga exercises. Each exercise is very well
explained along with instructions on what to do if you don't seem to feel
the stretch, or think you are feeling it in the wrong place. It is chock-full
of useful information and is very well written.
Stretching Without Pain
The author, W. Paul Blakey, is a practicing Osteopath, and former international
ballet dancer. The book is very similar in format and content to this document,
only it has well over a hundred illustrations, and also covers some additional
material not found in this document (such as mental and emotional aspects
to stretching and "stretching warzones"). It is one of the best quick,
easy, and up-to-date stretching introductions that you will find. I can't
think of any other book that is under a hundred pages that covers as much
as this book does (including isometric and PNF stretches). For more information
about this book, contact Twin Eagles Educational and Healing Institute
at http://www.sunshine.net/www/0/sn0016.
You can also reach the author by e-mail at TEEHI@sunshine.net.
The Muscle Book
The author, W. Paul Blakey, is a practicing Osteopath, and former international
ballet dancer. The book is very similar in format and content to this document,
only it has well over a hundred illustrations, and also covers some additional
material not found in this document (such as mental and emotional aspects
to stretching and "stretching warzones"). It is one of the best quick,
easy, and up-to-date stretching introductions that you will find. I can't
think of any other book that is under a hundred pages that covers as much
as this book does (including isometric and PNF stretches). For more information
about this book, contact Twin Eagles Educational and Healing Institute
at http://www.sunshine.net/www/0/sn0016.
You can also reach the author by e-mail at TEEHI@sunshine.net.
Mobility Training for the Martial Arts
This book is also quite good and quite comprehensive, but not as good
(in my personal opinion) as Sport Stretch or Stretching Scientifically.
Staying Supple
This book is a little old but is wonderfully written (although it could
be organized a bit better). It contains information at just about every
level of detail about stretching, increasing and maintaining suppleness,
and preventing the loss of suppleness. There is also a glossary of terms
and concepts near the end of the book.
Stretching
A lot of people like this one. It presents a wide variety of stretches
and stretching routines and does a good job of explaining each one. It
does not go into too much detail about stretching other than just to present
the various stretches and routines.
Go to the previous chapter, next chapter.