What do you think?
Rate this book
Biotonics: Stamina through six-second exercises that really work
163 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1977
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 18, 2013
This book, published in 1977, may be a good starting-place for those "couch-potatoes" who are told they need to exercise, but don't know how to start. Dr. Rex Wiedenranders and his co-author, Edmond G. Addeo, provide motive, method and opportunity, with this course in "Biotonics". In these pages, Dr. Wiedenranders outlines the 3 pillars of fitness... Range of Motion, Muscle Strength/Stamina and Cardiovascular Endurance.
The first half of the book discusses basic anatomy and the causes of good health and the lack thereof. There are also chapters on Nutrition, Breathing and the Pyschology of Exercise.
The second half of the book offers 67 exercises in 2 sections; one section for Range of Motion (the "Most Holy Doctrine" of fitness) and one for Strength and Stamina, with none of them involving any equipment other than a stool or a tennis ball. However, the author does say that lifting weights is also good for you and if, you are interested, he recommends starting with a small set of weights.
The purpose of these exercises (and the author's "pep-talks") is to get the reader off the couch and into a regular exercise program which will allow her/him to live a fuller and more active life. It's fine, the authors say, to play sports and games on the weekends. But, the mistake many people make is that they think playing sports will get them in shape when, in fact, sports may have the opposite effect. The author has seen this happen, time and again, among many of his own patients. The key, he says, is to get in shape first, then take up sports, not the other way around. Before you start swinging a golf club or slamming away at a tennis ball, you should develop supple joints, toned (or at least not flabby) muscles and a reasonable degree of cardiovascular enduarace. If you haven't done this, then you may be setting yourself for unnecessary aches and pains, as well as injuries. Given the "extreme" nature of many current workout regimens, I can't help but wonder what condition the folks practicing such methods will be in, say 20 years from now, assuming they are still willing or able to continue such methods.
The first half of the book discusses basic anatomy and the causes of good health and the lack thereof. There are also chapters on Nutrition, Breathing and the Pyschology of Exercise.
The second half of the book offers 67 exercises in 2 sections; one section for Range of Motion (the "Most Holy Doctrine" of fitness) and one for Strength and Stamina, with none of them involving any equipment other than a stool or a tennis ball. However, the author does say that lifting weights is also good for you and if, you are interested, he recommends starting with a small set of weights.
The purpose of these exercises (and the author's "pep-talks") is to get the reader off the couch and into a regular exercise program which will allow her/him to live a fuller and more active life. It's fine, the authors say, to play sports and games on the weekends. But, the mistake many people make is that they think playing sports will get them in shape when, in fact, sports may have the opposite effect. The author has seen this happen, time and again, among many of his own patients. The key, he says, is to get in shape first, then take up sports, not the other way around. Before you start swinging a golf club or slamming away at a tennis ball, you should develop supple joints, toned (or at least not flabby) muscles and a reasonable degree of cardiovascular enduarace. If you haven't done this, then you may be setting yourself for unnecessary aches and pains, as well as injuries. Given the "extreme" nature of many current workout regimens, I can't help but wonder what condition the folks practicing such methods will be in, say 20 years from now, assuming they are still willing or able to continue such methods.
June 15, 2024
The isometric and the range of motion exercises in here are really good. I recommend this book for anyone getting older and starting to slow down a bit. This will help with strength and stamina. Just don't push too hard. You don't want to pull or dislocate anything. Start out slowly and work up to more.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews