cover image Rejuvenation Strategy

Rejuvenation Strategy

Rene Cailliet. Doubleday Books, $16.95 (287pp) ISBN 978-0-385-19714-4

Cailliet, director of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Santa Monica Medical Center, and Gross, coauthor of Total Fitness, have tailored a fitness program to the special needs of the over-35 recreational athlete because, they assert, there's a point in life when heavy workouts become counterproductive, when jogging, weight lifting and aerobics can cause more injuries than health benefits. Designed to counteract the effects of aging by maximizing strength and agility, their conservative five-point strategy targets the qualities that deteriorate most noticeably as we age: flexibility, posture, muscle fiber, range of motion and upper body strength. What's even more useful than the simple, familiar trunk twists, hip and lower-back stretches, and neck holds they diagram are their descriptions of what actually happens to the body as it ages, determining the need for these specific exercises. While good form cannot always guarantee good function, readers will find this rejuvenation strategy a worthy investment in their futures. (January 2)