Get an inside view of the muscles in action during every stretch you perform!
Delavier’s Stretching Anatomy is your guide for increasing flexibility, improving range of motion, toning muscles, and relieving pain and discomfort. The very best stretches for shoulders, chest, arms, torso, back, hips, and legs are all here, and all in the stunning detail that only Frédéric Delavier can provide.
With over 550 full-color photos and illustrations, you’ll go inside more than 130 exercises to see how muscles interact with surrounding joints and skeletal structures and learn how variations, progressions, and sequencing can affect muscle recruitment, the underlying structures, and ultimately the results.
Delavier’s Stretching Anatomy includes 13 proven programs for increasing muscle tone, releasing tension and stress, and optimizing training and performance in 13 sports, including running, cycling, basketball, soccer, golf, and track and field.The former editor in chief of PowerMag in France, author and illustrator Frédéric Delavier is a journalist for Le Monde duMuscle and a contributor to Men’s Health Germany and several other strength publications. His previous publications, Strength Training Anatomy and Women’s Strength Training Anatomy, have sold more than 2 million copies.
Table of Contents
Exercises That Reconnect You With Your Body
STRETCHING: A USER’S MANUAL
A Natural Method Based On How Your Body Feels, Not How Hard You Push
Benefits of Stretching
Stretching: A Gentle Form of Exercise
Types of Stretching
Structuring a Stretching Program
Learn How to Breathe!
For Effective Breathing.
Inhaling and Exhaling
Breathe Deeply, but Find a Natural Rhythm
Why Athletes Should Stretch
Stretching Has Five Benefits for Athletes
Too Much Flexibility Can Diminish Performance
Athletes Have Four Opportunities to Stretch.
How an Athlete Should Stretch
Breathing During Stretching .
Stretching to Prevent Problems Associated With Sports
Stretches for the Shoulders and Chest Muscles
To Prevent Shoulder Pain, Stretch the Infraspinatus
Preventing Shoulder Pain in Athletes
How to Protect the Infraspinatus
Stretches for the Arms and Forearms
Stretches for the Lateral Flexor Muscles in the Torso
Stretches for the Rotator Muscles in the Torso
Stretches to Relax the Back.
Preventing Lower Back Pain
Relaxing the Spinal Column
Stretching the Hips
Importance of Hip Flexibility
Stretching the Buttocks
Stretching the Quadriceps
Preventing Hamstring Tears
Stretching Programs for Better Muscle Tone and Well-Being
Stretching Programs for Athletes
Guidelines on Programs
Basic Athletic Program
Program for Golf and Sports Involving Torso Rotation
Program for Running Sports, Soccer, and Skating
Program for Combat Sports
Program for Throwing Sports (Shot Put, Basketball, and Handball)
Horseback Riding Program
ExcerptsAthletic Stretching Involves Two Primary Techniques
Stretching Is Beneficial For Athletes
There Are Three Main Stretching Methods