Anatomy and 100 Essential Stretching Exercises

During the Covid lockdown, hunched over at my kitchen table all day, my back was in pieces. I tried to take up yoga. On the interweb. The constant looking up and down at the screen was annoying, and half the time I was being told to smooth out my chakras, when really I just wanted to smooth out my back. This book has been great, no nonsense and so useful. Each page is dedicated to a stretch with a visual image of the stretch and an animated view of the muscles being stretched along with some guidance via text as to what to do if you are lost. Even as someone who has done a lot of stretching in my life, I picked up a few new ones and tips to improve known ones. We move through almost every muscle or region in the body- neck, shoulders, arms, fingers, toes, feet, chest, back, hips and legs. There is usually 2-3 stretches per muscle group region. There are some targeted programs in the back of the book but I have found it useful to just get through around a third of this book every day or ~30 minutes. It's made a huge difference to my back and I can just flip out the book and go. No having to skip through ads on the internet or suggestions if I would like to buy some organic incense. To stay into the science, stretching has also been shown to increase adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in muscles, which after all is the engine of our existence. I have actually noticed quite a few other improvements in bodily functions as I stretch everything reguarly - better sleep (mad dreams), better breathing, better kidney function, funnily my hair is even silkier. Going a little out there, there are even some scientific studies which show that frequent stretching can reduce cancer tumour sizes. I'll stop there. I'm beginning to sound like a yogi. If nothing else, this book will help you sort out your back. Money well spent.

The quality and pictorial contents is outstanding. I have not read the text yet but if it matches the accompanying picture it would be fantastic.

Extremely beneficial. Easy to understand exercises with great pictures which support how to carry out the movement.

helpful and effective stretches

This is a beautiful book that very clearly and methodically explains all basic stretches and the anatomy behind them. Very valuable to those who have experienced physical therapy or ballet and wish to understand deeper concepts in order to maximize benefits, and continue onward. Very nicely organized and illustrated. Wonderful “user’s manual” for the body. Clear and informative and simply organized. A gem of a book.

Absolutely love this book. It's very informative because this book states what the cautions, benefits and indications (why/when to do this stretch) are for each stretch. It has a variety of ways to stretch many muscles that I wouldn't come up with and they work well. Each stretch has a textbox on the same page showing the recommended reps, sets and length for 3 different levels (beginner, intermediate, advanced). Very useful!

Nice one. Very informative

Excellent book ! No BS, just stretching exercises. Each page comes with two pictures (start and end positions), as well as a simple, clear description of the stretch. The anatomical indications are a great way to learn about your muscles. I love just opening random pages and stretching (and discovering) new parts of my body ! Definitely a recommended purchase.

A must read for overall flexibility. I did not know how flexibility improves muscle longevity! This book makes stretching purposeful by showing clear instructions and muscles involved. I never had anything like this as all stretches I have done by coaches in highschool or with my dad we’re by word of mouth. This book tells you what is exactly being stretched and this is a good thing since stretching the wrong thing can lead to injuries. It has more detail like benefits, proper form, etc. I would buy this if you are interested in gaining flexibility, better health, or healthcare/physical health studies