The World’s Best Way to Stretch

“If I don’t stretch, I pull a muscle when I run.”

“I hate it that my body is always stiff.”

“I hate exercising! But stretching might be okay.”

“My usual stretch routine doesn’t seem to be doing anything.”

“I don’t know how to stretch properly.”
 
There are a lot of good reasons to get interested in stretching. This book touches on all of them and provides the best ways to stay limber and feel great.
 

Author Nakano James Shuichi is the physical trainer for the Aoyama Gakuin University long-distance running team, which has won the Hakone long-distance relay race multiple times. He is also the bestselling author of Today’s Stretch, which sold over 100,000 copies. For more than 25 years he has trained top athletes, celebrities and other men and women of all ages. Working with many different body types, he found the stretch positions that work the best, even for those who are stiff and suffer from body pain. All of his most recommended stretch positions are introduced in this book.

Also included are stretches that can be done while lying down, sitting down, standing or with a partner. Some of these, of course, will depend on how much space is available to you. There are also plenty of stretch positions that simply feel great.

This book concentrates on stretching methods that are not only easy to follow but also easy on the body. All of these methods are definitely worth a try.

Chapter 1      Limber and stiff body types

Chapter 2           The rules and techniques behind the best stretches
Chapter 3            The neck, back, shoulders and arms
Chapter 4            The chest, stomach and lower back
Chapter 5            The rear and hips
Chapter 6            The thighs
Chapter 7            The calves, shins and soles
Chapter 8            Kinetic stretching

Chapter 9            Stress-reducing stretches
Appendix            Index of other kinds of stretches

Most people only do the type of stretching that they learned in school. I was the same way. I always thought the most important thing was simply to stretch, regardless of how it’s done. However, once I tried the stretching techniques in this book, parts of my body that had never been properly stretched became limber. There are certain movements and positions I didn’t realize were so important, and I now understand where my body’s weaknesses were. Parts of my body that I’d been stretching regularly began to be more limber than ever before. It’d be great if the stretches in this book could become the new standard.