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· 171 ratings · 8 reviews

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Gloriously illustrated, useful to find stretches for particular muscle groups, not too helpful for the regular "keyboard warrior" (the text presumes an athlete related reader and so do the suggested programs) Gloriously illustrated, useful to find stretches for particular muscle groups, not too helpful for the regular "keyboard warrior" (the text presumes an athlete related reader and so do the suggested programs) ...more

Feb 19, 2018 Missy rated it it was amazing

Good explanation of types of stretching. The book displays sketches and pictures of various moves to utilize. Also displays ways to advance each stretch.

Dec 12, 2011 Mark rated it really liked it

Recommended to Mark by: Library Thing Early Reviewers

Delavier, Frédéric, Jean-Pierre Clémenceau, and Michael Gundill. Delavier's stretching anatomy [Guide du stretching. English]. Champaign IL: Human Kinetics, 2010. Print.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book as part of the Library Thing Early Reviewer Program.

Delavier, Frédéric, Jean-Pierre Clémenceau, and Michael Gundill. Delavier's stretching anatomy [Guide du stretching. English]. Champaign IL: Human Kinetics, 2010. Print.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book as part of the Library Thing Early Reviewer Program.

Another fine book from Human Kinetics. Provides a good, but minimal, overview of stretching and then spends most of its space on describing and illustrating stretches for assorted muscle groups. Finally, it provides some stretching routines for general use (beginner, intermediate and advanced), basic athletics use, and for specific kinds of sports.

Major sections include the Introduction (Answers the "Why stretch" question), Stretching: A User's Manual, The Stretches, and Stretching Programs.

Muscle groups include: Neck, shoulders and chest, arms and forearms, lateral flexor muscles (torso), rotator muscles (torso), "relax the back", hips, buttocks, quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors, and calves.

The book is heavily illustrated and the illustrations (photos & drawings) are well done and helpful.

My only gripes, which are very small, come in two sections:

Breathing and Relaxation - The authors write " When you detach yourself from your surroundings, you open your inner spirit. This allows you to focus on a single objective: finding your inner self by gathering your vital strength" (13). This is the only place in a book somewhat heavy on anatomy and physiology where we get such talk. Breathing and relaxation are critically important, especially while stretching. But talk of "inner spirit/self" and "vital strength" add absolutely nothing in this context.

My second gripe is almost the reverse of the first and comes on the following two pages where the authors slip into clinical or biology-speak. Under Active Breathing / External Breathing / Pulmonary Breathing they use "organism" (14-15). The first use is probably fine but it sets the context and they stay with that noun throughout the discussion, which subsequently falls flat. They are clearly talking about humans here so why don't they just say so.

As I readily admit, these are extremely minor complaints. I think what really gets under my skin is their use as pretty much rhetorical polar opposites within pages of each other in the same major section. Very light editing could have easily fixed this.

All in all, this is a very good book. Its cover price seems quite fair. I recommend it to those who know they need to be stretching but aren't sure what to do or how. I definitely recommend it to those who aren't even aware they should be stretching.

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After taking over two years to finish reading The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (I checked Goodreads – it took me from September 21, 2016 to June 1, 2018), my brain needed a break.

Luckily, a dear friend bought me Delavier's Stretching Anatomy & Delavier's Women's Strength Training Anatomy Workouts for my birthday this year.

Since I'm still typing up my notes for an epic Shakespearean review (I know you're all excited for that one!), I decided to review Delavier's Stretching Anatomy first.

After taking over two years to finish reading The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (I checked Goodreads – it took me from September 21, 2016 to June 1, 2018), my brain needed a break.

Luckily, a dear friend bought me Delavier's Stretching Anatomy & Delavier's Women's Strength Training Anatomy Workouts for my birthday this year.

Since I'm still typing up my notes for an epic Shakespearean review (I know you're all excited for that one!), I decided to review Delavier's Stretching Anatomy first.

It was either that or put it off until I can put my opinions on Shakespeare into words. That might take another two years for all I know.

Enough babbling! On to the review!

SPOILER-FREE. (Kind of hard to spoil a book on how to stretch.)

Delavier's Stretching Anatomy is a short 143 pages. If you took out the color pictures & drawings, I'm pretty sure the text would take up 40 or fewer pages. Just what my fried synapses needed!

Frédéric Delavier, Jean-Pierre Clémenceau, & Michael Gundill put their skill together to craft this book. They use it to show people, of all experience levels, how to stretch their muscles.

They also explain benefits many people get from stretching:

Releases tension, which is many people have due to our sedentary & stressful lives.
Increases bodily awareness, like yoga or meditation, & improves movement control.
Helps you handle "emotional disruptions & improve your concentration." (pg. 7)
Improves confidence & comfort in your own skin.
Relaxes your muscles, improves circulation, & eases pain.

What I liked best about Delavier's Stretching Anatomy were the anatomical pictures. The drawings highlighted which muscles & tendons each stretch works. This lets us see how they affect the surrounding area – very important to someone with all-over aches & pains like myself!

However, the authors focused a lot of attention on stretching's benefit for athletes. Even though they gave advice to novices, like myself, I still felt somewhat alienated.

The authors also claimed that stretching was good for fitness, toning, & weight loss. Don't get me wrong – I know that stretching is key to a healthy lifestyle. But, I don't think it's enough, by itself, as a fitness regimen.

I think holding stretching up as an exercise program in & of itself is, pardon the pun, a stretch.

Overall, the book was a great break from thought-inducing reading material. A relaxing read, but the authors played up the benefits of stretching a little too much.

Final Score:

2.5 out of 5 stars – it was OK. Nothing about which to write home.

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Jan 15, 2013 Lee Broderick rated it it was amazing

Frédéric Delavier put a lot of thought into this book, beginning with an introduction which clearly explains the benefits, types and approaches to stretching for athletes and couch-potatoes alike. Most of the book, following that introduction, is made up of detailed examples of stretching exercises which are described with clarity and accompanied by photographs and/or illustrations which clearly show which muscles are being worked. This is not a comprehensive guide (some, for example, which are Frédéric Delavier put a lot of thought into this book, beginning with an introduction which clearly explains the benefits, types and approaches to stretching for athletes and couch-potatoes alike. Most of the book, following that introduction, is made up of detailed examples of stretching exercises which are described with clarity and accompanied by photographs and/or illustrations which clearly show which muscles are being worked. This is not a comprehensive guide (some, for example, which are given in Royal Marines Fitness: Physical Training Manual are not given here) but does offer several different exercises for each muscle group and variations of those exercises to allow for different levels of experience or the targeting of specific muscles. My one criticism of the book is that this section begins with exercises for stretching the neck when I had always been led to believe that you start at the bottom of the body and worked up: something Delavier acknowledges in the final section on calves, when he says "no matter what sport you play, your workouts should always begin with calf stretches." (P.121)

The final section of the book contains some suggested stretching programs for specific sports such as running, throwing, golf and horse riding.

All in all, this is a stellar companion volume to Strength Training Anatomy but it also offers a good deal to anyone who has not read that book or who has no interest in reading that book - in fact to anyone who is thinking that maybe they could do with getting some exercise, to anyone who does exercise and to anyone who should exercise. Pretty much everyone.

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This book has been one of my best health book finds of the year. With over 130 different stretchs for agility and toning, you can take your pick which area you want to focus on or follow one of the prescribed routines listed at the back of the book. This book has great diagrams of all the muscles stretched with lots of instructions for beginners, intermediate and advanced poses. I also appreciated the way this book is divided into sections so you can easily look up stretched for the neck, the sh This book has been one of my best health book finds of the year. With over 130 different stretchs for agility and toning, you can take your pick which area you want to focus on or follow one of the prescribed routines listed at the back of the book. This book has great diagrams of all the muscles stretched with lots of instructions for beginners, intermediate and advanced poses. I also appreciated the way this book is divided into sections so you can easily look up stretched for the neck, the shoulders, chest and so on. A mirror would be great to have when using this book to check your form, but if you're looking for a great stretching program and don't want to shell out the money for trainers or take yoga classes, this book is a great investment. ...more

Dec 18, 2011 AJ rated it really liked it

Disclaimer: I won a copy of this book from LibraryThing's early reviewers program.

Human Kinetics press has once again succeeded in publishing a fantastic reference book for stretching. This book covers the fundamentals of stretches for all muscle groups, with details of the targeted muscles. I love the section in the back of the book that has recommended stretching routines for various sports, very helpful for people who read this book but wonder "but what the heck should _I_ stretch?"

Disclaimer: I won a copy of this book from LibraryThing's early reviewers program.

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Frédéric Delavier is a gifted artist with an exceptional knowledge of human anatomy. He studied morphology and anatomy for five years at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and studied dissection for three years at the Paris Faculté de Médecine.

The former editor in chief of the French magazine PowerMag, Delavier is currently a journalist for the French magazine Le Monde du Muscle and a c

The former editor in chief of the French magazine PowerMag, Delavier is currently a journalist for the French magazine Le Monde du Muscle and a contributor to several other muscle publications, including Men's Health Germany. He is the author of the best-selling Strength Training Anatomy and Women's Strength Training Anatomy.

Delavier won the French powerlifting title in 1988 and makes annual presentations on the sport applications of biomechanics at conferences in Switzerland. His teaching efforts have earned him the Grand Prix de Techniques et de Pédagogie Sportive. Delavier lives in Paris, France.

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