Improve balance and strength full body flexibility with the best stretching methods such as yoga, Pilates, martial arts and sports training

preface

Stretching has come a long way since the first edition of Full-Body Flexibility. We always knew how important it was to stretch, but most of us didn’t do it as much as we should. And when we did do it we didn’t always do it in the most effective manner, often relying on a few old-fashioned stretches we learned when we were kids from our teachers or coaches.

In fact, one of the reasons I wrote the first edition of this book was to provide a simple resource that might nudge people to stretch more often and to do it a bit smarter. My goal was to highlight a common-sense approach to stretching that was easy to understand but that was also based on the most current research and expert opinions.

Although we are probably still not stretching as often as we should, the rise in popularity of activities such as yoga has brought stretching to the forefront of the fitness movement. In addition, coaches, personal trainers, and exercise experts have begun to intensify their efforts to get their athletes, clients, and students to make stretching a bigger part of their overall training routines, which often results in marked improvements in performance and injury prevention. Even better, there is growing agreement about the best time, the best methods, and the best approach to stretching. Stretching is finally on its way to becoming as significant in people’s training regimes as the other components of fitness.

With this in mind, I felt it was the perfect time to release the second edition of Full-Body Flexibility. I have many new stretches to share, and my stretch system has become more refined since the first edition. In addition, I was able to expand the page count to include more of the multiregion stretches inspired by yoga that have become so popular as well as many more of the multidimensional, dynamic stretches that are ideal for sport conditioning and training. The routines from the first edition that readers loved have been retained in this new edition, but they have been updated, expanded, and refreshed to provide even better results.

The three-step stretch system I present in chapter 2 is worth reading because it provides you with a unique but simple method for stretching that will improve your flexibility, mobility, and strength in ways you can see, feel, and truly bene-fit from.

Once you have learned the three-step system, you will find 175 individual stretches (almost double the amount in the first edition!) to help you target the areas that need stretching the most. I have divided the body into regions to make it easy to locate a muscle group or stretch and to understand the benefits. I have also included chapters on multiregion (yoga-inspired) stretches and sport mobility stretches that incorporate multiple muscle groups at once and that are generally more advanced than other stretches. With so many individual stretches to choose from, along with my three-step stretch system, you will have more information than you will ever need to stretch your body effectively and in a variety of ways.

If you want more structure, the 23 stretch routines found in part III of the book make it easy for you to stretch anywhere or anytime. The fitness routines are organized in a way that makes it quick and easy for you to get a good stretch workout. The sport routines provide you with the proper performance and recovery stretches for dozens of sports. The specialty routines allow you to focus on one area of the body or stretch with a specific goal in mind. All the routines use the stretches found in part II of the book. Each routine provides a thumbnail photo of each stretch and a page reference in case you need to look up a stretch while doing one of the routines.

I encourage you to use this book in whatever way most easily fits into your life. If you don’t have much time during your day, select a stretch per day at random from the book and just do what you can. Some stretches take only seconds but still provide you with great benefit. If you have more time, explore the routines in the back of the book designed to provide more specific results. Whether you are searching to improve your overall fitness or sport performance or just looking for a more effective way to stretch, Full-Body Flexibility gives you the right tools to reduce the tension in your muscles, increase your strength, lubricate your joints, refresh your body, make it easier to reach and bend for things, improve your posture, enhance your athleticism, and help you stand taller.

I have always enjoyed stretching, whether I am doing it to release tension, improve my flexibility, recover from a tough training session, or simply to make it easier to get through my day. When I am unable to stretch regularly, I notice it in how I feel, move, and perform. Then when I get back on my regular stretch routine, I’m freshly amazed by what a difference it makes. As I get older, I also notice how truly helpful stretching is for keeping me limber, strong, and energetic.

Full-Body Flexibility is designed to make it comfortable, quick, and easy to include stretching in your training program or sport performance regime and your day-to-day life. This second edition incorporates the best stretches and best routines into a practical system that will change your understanding of what stretching can do for you.