Rating: 
Summary: A genuine and revolutionary book about stretching!
Review: "Beyond Stretching" is a quite revolutionary book about flexebility and stretching. Its diveded into three main chapters. First, a teoretical and initial part about flexibility and typical misconceptions. Second, a practical part that easy describes each stretching methode. Third, a picture part that shows all the different stretching exercises and tells you how to practice them.This book offer plenty of new informations about its topic. New and extremely effective techniques like Plyometric,Pneumomuscular and Shutdown Threshold stretching are clearly described. The traditional static or relaxed stretching methode is, in this book, considered as an ineffective way to stretch. The author claims that warming up is unnatural and stretching twice a week is sufficient to develop flexebility. By using the methodes that is shown in this book, you will gain astonishing results with even small amounts of stretching. That is a great benefit! Learn: How to develop optimal flexibility in a fraction of the time you spend stretching today . How to do splits and high kicks even if you are old! How to achieve great strength without bulky and big muscles. How to avoid injuries. How to stop feeling like the Tin Man when you wake up in the morning. How to increase the blood flow in the joints and keep their surfaces smooth and painfree. How to use the three new,revolutionary and effective stretching systems. I regard "Beyond Stretching" as an amazing book, with a new point of view on stretching and flexibility. I am a dancer and martial artist, so I have read plenty of books about stretching but this book was different. Becuase the text sometimes can be a bit confusing to understand; I read the book more than once. But, because this book offer so many new and useful tips and advices, it is worth every penny. Are you searching for a new and effective stretching methode? Which can be as seldom as twice a week, and done without any sweat warm up, and gives impressive flexibility and strength? If your answer is "yes" , you should purchase this "Beyond Stretching" immediately!
Rating:
Summary: A genuine and revolutionary book about stretching!
Review: "Beyond Stretching" is a quite revolutionary book about flexebility and stretching. Its diveded into three main chapters. First, a teoretical and initial part about flexibility and typical misconceptions. Second, a practical part that easy describes each stretching methode. Third, a picture part that shows all the different stretching exercises and tells you how to practice them. This book offer plenty of new informations about its topic. New and extremely effective techniques like Plyometric,Pneumomuscular and Shutdown Threshold stretching are clearly described. The traditional static or relaxed stretching methode is, in this book, considered as an ineffective way to stretch. The author claims that warming up is unnatural and stretching twice a week is sufficient to develop flexebility. By using the methodes that is shown in this book, you will gain astonishing results with even small amounts of stretching. That is a great benefit! Learn: How to develop optimal flexibility in a fraction of the time you spend stretching today . How to do splits and high kicks even if you are old! How to achieve great strength without bulky and big muscles. How to avoid injuries. How to stop feeling like the Tin Man when you wake up in the morning. How to increase the blood flow in the joints and keep their surfaces smooth and painfree. How to use the three new,revolutionary and effective stretching systems. I regard "Beyond Stretching" as an amazing book, with a new point of view on stretching and flexibility. I am a dancer and martial artist, so I have read plenty of books about stretching but this book was different. Becuase the text sometimes can be a bit confusing to understand; I read the book more than once. But, because this book offer so many new and useful tips and advices, it is worth every penny. Are you searching for a new and effective stretching methode? Which can be as seldom as twice a week, and done without any sweat warm up, and gives impressive flexibility and strength? If your answer is "yes" , you should purchase this "Beyond Stretching" immediately!
Rating:
Summary: Especially great for cops and martial artists
Review: As a police officer, don't you hate those calls when the bartender asks you to escort that obnoxious, combative drunk (OCD) out of the tavern when you are as stiff as The Tin Man from driving around for the last six hours? Don't you wish you could warm up first before you tackle the big OCD? Well, check this out. There is a quick and easy way to warm up before you get to work that will make you feel loose and energized your entire shift. There is also a routine that you can use that will increase your flexibility faster than you can imagine. Here is why flexibility is good for hard-working crime fighters. * Stretching feels good after a long shift in a car or behind a desk * Flexibility increases your range of motion * Flexibility reduces the chance of your getting hurt * Flexibility is good for your joints * Flexibility may increase your strength * Flexibility increases your speed Can't see yourself doing ballerina stretches and you're a little afraid you just might like wearing a tutu? Well, don't worry about it because here are a book and video that present a revolutionary Russian system of stretching that's easy to do and get results fast. I wrote in my review of Pavel Tsatsouline's book Power to the People! : Russian Strength Training Secrets for Every American that Pavel's methods get results while violating many of the "truths" that have been held as sacred for so long in the world of strength development. In Beyond Stretching: Russian Flexibility Breakthroughs, he again offers result-producing methods, this time for increasing flexibility, while again violating what has been held as truths ever since you were in grade school gym class. Beyond Stretching is divided into three main chapters. In Chapter one, "Nerd Stuff," he lays the foundation of his unique system. In Chapter Two, "Do It My Way," he gets into the physiology of his system as to why and how it works, and in Chapter Three, "Mobility Drills and Dynamic Stretches," he demonstrates the actual exercises. These are not the usual flexibility exercises done the usual way. Pavel's writing style is no nonsense, efficient and quite often funny. If you are looking to be coddled, you won't get it from him. He tells you when something is tough and then he tells you to do it any way. The beauty of it is when you do what he says, you will begin seeing progress in a couple of weeks. Here are some of the things you will learn in this Beyond Stretching. * How to develop optimal flexibility in weeks instead of years * How to do splits and high kicks even if you are over 40 or 50 * How to avoid injuries * How to not feel like the Tin Man in the morning * Learn how much flexibility you really need * Learn how to display maximum flexibility without a warm-up * Learn how to stretch in the morning to be loose all day Personal Note: I have been training in the martial arts for nearly 36 years and, as such, stretching exercises have been part of my regular routine. As a result, I'm more flexible than the average guy. After reading this book and viewing the video, I tried four of Pavel's exercises. Three weeks later, my flexibility had improved by about 20 percent. At this rate, I figure I'll be able to scratch my head with my big toe in a couple more months. Loren W. Christensen
Rating: 
Summary: Don`t buy
Review: As all Povel books this is as well expensive compared to the info. Also don`t forget if you are old enough and/or your ligaments not flexible enough(from born or if you did not start stretching your legs from a very young age) you never won`t be able to stretch your legs as seen on pictures in this book. But you can stretch to a degree and it is fine for you, no problem.
Rating:
Summary: This guy is so right!
Review: As an athlete, a coach, and a strength trainer who has personally done it all in the sports world from martial arts to the NFL, I have always experimented on me first when I read something as radical as Beyond Streching. When I went into my first, full to the floor splits in 10 years after just 3 weeks I realized why this Russian was so cocky. It's because he is so damned right. Carter Stamm
Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected.
Review: Basically, the book takes old information and puts in SOME new info and charges $34.95 for it! The book gives no programs or routines to follow, it just displays the exercises and doesn't give good or complete descriptions on most of the exercises shown in the book. This book is not for the experienced or for the beginner for that matter. There are better books out there that discuss flexibility in greater detail like Kurz's book's and Marco Lala's tapes. Now there are some good points of this book: It doesn't use heavy scientific jargon, like Kurz's book does. Instead, it uses modern, easy to understand language which I appreciate and also makes it very refreshing. This book also gives SOME new info that are not in the older books on stretching (such as STI's). Overall, this book has information that has been covered in other book's and at a much cheaper price. But it does give some new stretching idea's, if your looking for new ones.
Rating:
Summary: Pavel's da man
Review: First off IF YOU'RE STILL DOING STATIC STRETCHING STOP IN YOUR TRACKS. Then buy beyond stretching. Finally, come back and read the rest of this article while you wait for it to be shipped. If you've been listening to what most sport coaches, fitness books, and aerobics instructors have to say about stretching youve been had. Static stretching is a lousy way to become flexible. I've been following Pavel's program for about 3 months and Ive dropped my front and side splits by over a foot each. I didn't get results like that in all my years of static stretching. And thats only half of it. Static stretching is bad for you period. It hampers your performance and sets you up for injury. The "stretches" in Pavel's book(you don't actually stretch anything you you reducate your nervous system) make you more injury resistant, and increase strength, performance and joint health. As far as Thomas Kurz, he has a good book(it focuses more on the scientific proof behind things) but he compromises with static stretching and his book leaves out STI, one of the most effective ways of increasing flexibiilty. Sure this book isn't cheap, but compared to what? Would you rather jepordize your joints because you couldn't save an extra 20 bucks? Ignore the whiners this stuff works. Oh and in the mean time do your self a favor and stop stretching....until you find out how to do it right.
Rating:
Summary: The comprehensive re-education text for gaining flexibility
Review: First the bad news. This is not Pavel's best book. It could be better illustrated, and a little clearer in presentation. Then why the five stars you might ask? Nobody else does it better.
For those of you who don't know by now, Pavel Tsatsouline is probably the best authority on physical training in the English speaking world. He has taken his training and education from the Soviet Union as a University student and member/trainer of the Red Army's Special Forces and parlayed that into a career as an author, military advisor (now for the U.S.), and trainer for various law enforcement and government security agencies.
In all of his books, Pavel shatters the western myths about various forms of exercise, and imparts us with the knowledge and techniques developed in the formerly communist countries of Eastern Europe (Ironically, many of these techniques originated in the West but were forgotten or ignored over here).
In this book, Pavel teaches us the true nature of flexibility, and how to gain it. It is not, as most people assume, a book on how to "stretch" one's muscles. It does, however, teach us how to re-gain full joint mobility through simple exercises, and increase muscle flexibility by strengthening our muscles in their extreme range. Want to perform full splits in 3 to 6 months? This book will show you how, and help you become more injury resistant in the process.
Pavel has since divided the material in this book into two books, "Super Joints" and "Relax into Stretch", and has expanded the material in each and made them more "user-friendly" with new illustrations and explanations. However, I like this book because it explains ALL of the different types of flexibility and the methods for gaining it. You can always get one of the new books if you want more information on one area.
I know of no other English language source for the useful information that Pavel provides in his books. Beyond Stretching, although imperfect, is the definitive text for flexibility training.
ADDENDUM JULY 3RD 2002. I have continuously used the material in Beyond Stretching since I bought it two years ago, and I will always use this useful material. I had forgotten how I had to read and re-read some of the material on various isometric streches and muscle and tendon structure to understand it, but that may be due to my limited intellect. Regardless, I ultimately understood and put to use this material, and I have yet to find another source for either the information or the methods. This is still the best book on flexibility.
Rating:
Summary: good
Review: Heres what Bob Anderson Author of the bestseller stretching had to say about the book.
"Are you ready for pavel? This is a tough, strenous, take no prisoners approach to flexibility and strength. He describes some pretty radical russian techniques for flexibility,strength, circilation and healthy joints. Not for wimps; expensive for a paperback."
Rating:
Summary: good
Review: Heres what Bob Anderson Author of the bestseller stretching had to say about the book.
"Are you ready for pavel? This is a tough, strenous, take no prisoners approach to flexibility and strength. He describes some pretty radical russian techniques for flexibility,strength, circilation and healthy joints. Not for wimps; expensive for a paperback."
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