The Stark Reality of Stretching: An Informed Approach for All Activities and Every Sport

by Steven D. Stark

Improper muscle preparation prior to exercise is the most common cause of acute pain, strain, and permanent damage. Many of these injuries are preventable with proper lower extremity stretching. This book addresses the need for warm-up exercises, analyzes the stretching process, and illustrates anatomy and basic biomechanics. Myths associated with stretching are dispelled. For example, many people believe that stretches and warm-up exercises are the same, when in fact, warm-up exercises should be a preparation for stretches. Applying the strategies outlined in this book will help keep an athlete healthy, build strength and power, and, most important prevent injury.

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Steven D. Stark, a former world sports columnist for the Montreal Gazette and the author of four books and one e-book, has been a commentator for CNN, National Public Radio, and the Voice of America, where his role was to try to interpret American culture to the rest of the world. He has written frequently for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic Monthly, and the Boston Globe where he was an op-ed columnist."

Reviews

[Susan Powerhouse]

I enjoyed the technical descriptions of the muscles, tendons and ligaments. I also found the information on how to gently and safely stretch good.
Unfortunately, the author relies on research from the 1960s up to the 1980s and there has been new research that disputes many of his claims.
For example, the information on eccentric heel drops is very out of date.

[Evie]

Information was helpful, but not as complete as it could be. Also, the format of the book was kind of meh.