Full-Body Flexibility

Stretching before you exercise or engage in sports can actually cause fatigue and damage to your body by putting undue stress on soft tissue, maintains Blahnik. Yet""a good warm up,"" he argues,""can in fact reduce the risk of injury prior to a workout if the warm-up is designed appropriately for the workout that follows."" In this stretching guidebook, the fitness consultant, whom Shape magazine named one of the country's top five exercise instructors, emphasizes the importance of variety, strength and balance for increased flexibility, performance, and comfort in the workplace, home, or on the football field. Following an introduction that clarifies essential terms and concepts for the beginner, the book provides an assortment of stretching exercises, complete with explanations and illustrations, for all parts of the body. Chapter six presents challenging workouts based on yoga poses, which require strength and superior flexibility, and later sections specify the best exercises for different sports. For those who have a limited amount of time to devote to fitness routines, Blahnik organizes 10-, 20-, and 40- minute workouts as well as morning and evening stretch routines. Though perhaps a bit rudimentary, this volume should help novices reach their physical health goals.