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These Value Packs are PDF excerpts from Stretching & Flexibility (S&F) mostly, with one exercise from Overcome neck & back pain (ONBP). These are exactly what we teach in our classes at the ANU.
The Value Packs also contain the Table of Contents, the essential front matter from Stretching & Flexibility, the description of how to perform the Contract–Relax (C–R) technique to increase your flexibility, the full versions of the selected exercises, the Visual Index showing a thumbnail of all exercises, and more.
The Value Packs contain the 8 to 10 essential exercises recommended and assembled by activity or interest.
The Value Packs may be printed from the PDFs if you wish, or read on screen.
We have three GENERAL Value Packs
We have seven SPORTS Value Packs
The Martial Arts and Gymnastics Value Pack
GENERAL Value Packs
This contains an easily learned selection of the spinal exercises from Stretching & Flexibility.
There are three spinal stability exercises, a very effective hip flexor stretch, as well as a great hamstring stretch from Overcome neck & back pain.
All together, these exercise will only take moments to do, and will ensure spinal health. These are not to be used if you have back or neck pain. Overcome neck & back pain (ONBP) instead.
This contains an easily learned selection of the spinal exercises from Stretching & Flexibility, and adds the three exercises that emphasise the neck and upper back.
The Neck Value Pack also includes a floor rotation stretching and strengthening exercise.
These exercises will only take moments to do, and well help to ensure graceful neck function for years to come. These are not to be used if you have neck pain. See Overcome neck & back pain (ONBP) instead.
Speaking as an "over 50s" person myself, I can tell you that age is no barrier to elegant, powerful movement. You just need to know what to do to get this. The Over 50s Value Pack contains the following:
The Daily Five essential spinal movements, two additional neck movements, a hip (piriformis) exercise, and the hamstring exercise from Overcome neck & back pain.
All together, these will form an effective basic for your maintenance program, and are a great way into understanding the Posture & Flexibility method as it is taught at the Australian National University.
SPORTS Value Packs
If only the Australian Cricket Team had this Pack... It begins with the Foreword, by Greg Chappell, entitled A New Direction. As I was the Stretching and Strengthening coach for the Southern Redbacks for two years under Greg, I can tell you from personal experience that this Value Pack is the essential distillation of those ideas. These comprise the minimum set of stretching exercises for any budding, or experienced, cricketer. The Cricket Value Pack contains:
A standing spine and hamstring warmup, the best hamstring stretch we have found, so far, a standing hip flexor stretch, an abdominal stretch/strengthening exercise done over a curved support, an upper back backward bend (essential for fast bowlers), a spinal rotation movement, solo and partner version of biceps and pectoralis stretches, a floor back bend, and a forward spinal stretch.
No cricketer can afford to be without his or her own Cricket Value Pack.
Essential for all court sports, this exercises in this Pack emphasise the physical attributes needed by the high-performing court athlete: spinal extension combined with shoulder flexion for those crushing spikes, two whole spine strength movements, a hamstring stretch combined with spinal rotation, a number of upper back backward bends, a standing hip flexor stretch, the best seated adductor stretch, a floor adductor stretch, the most effective wall calf stretch, and the best floor hamstring stretch.
Suitable for all codes, the AFL player may want to combine additional elements from the Court Sports Value Pack, too, due to the intensely aerial nature of that game. The Football Value Pack contains:
The best buttock and hip flexor combination exercise, a really effective standing quadriceps stretch (if you follow the directions, you will get the best quad stretch of your life!); this one can be done on the paddock; a standing calf stretch that does not need a wall or stair to do, three abdominal and spine strengthening movements, including rotation, a standing alternate leg warmup that can be done on the field, a really innovative standing bent-leg hamstring stretch---far better than the straight-leg ones that everyone attempts, the best floor hamstring stretch (this is also a hamstring strengthening movement, too), and finally a lying hamstring stretch that emphasises biceps femoris---the one that is most often pulled in football. This is a strengthening exercise, too.
The Martial Arts and Gymnastics Value Pack
This pack assumes that the practitioner is already quite flexible and, accordingly, offers advanced exercises from the last chapters of Stretching & Flexibility. The text explains how to use the Contract–Relax method to improve all these positions for yourself.
The Pack begins with a standing warm-up, and a standing side bend. The best floor hamstring stretch is next, followed by two versions of the standing 'Y' pose (a great stability and strength exercise as well as an excellent hamstring and adductor stretch). The partner floor legs apart exercise is next: this is the foundation of the 'straddle' or 'side' splits position, fundamental to side kicks, and a mandatory pose in men's gymnastics.
The partner full front splits---with perfect hip alignment (square) and the entire back leg on the floor is demonstrated by a senior student---who is 60 years young. Another senior student, a gymnastics judge with 20 year's of international experience, told me that she had never given full marks for front splits in women's gymnastics (the hips are always out of alignment, but that she would have awarded the one demonstrated in the book 10/10!
The following exercise is the full side splits ("Chinese" or "straddle" splits are other names for this position), demonstrated by male and female senior students from P&F. Olivia, an ex-gymnast, is demonstrating the position on a beam that is 75mm wide, and a metre and a half off the floor; I am demonstrating the same position off two wooden blocks, to show a position just past the full 180 degrees.
The full bridge (advanced floor back bend) is explained and demonstrated next, followed by a partner lying rotation to finish.
The Golf Value Pack is mandatory for anyone who wants to improve their drives or putts---and isn't that everyone? This Golf Value Pack is an excellent way to begin.
The swing is a combination movement: full spinal rotation combined with mid- and upper-thoracic extension. Tiger Woods demonstrates this action perfectly, and all commentators note his suppleness. Why, then, aren't the most effective stretching exercises for these movements a basic part of all golfer's training programs? Add to this the very one-sided nature of the golf swing, and you can understand why back problems are so common in golf, too. So, in addition to improving your swing, the Golf Value Pack exercises will help to counterbalance this tendency, helping you to play better and longer.
Two whole-spine lying rotations begin the program: one allows you to improve flexibility, and the other will add strength and power to your swing, by strengthening all the trunk muscles used in spinal rotation. Two back bends come next: one done from the floor (emphasising lumbar extension), and one emphasising the essential thoracic, or mid- and upper-back flexibility.
Another trunk strengthening movement follows---but this is done backwards over a curved surface. This is critical, because standard "sit-ups" do not strengthen you in the range of movement needed by the golf swing. Next is the standing hip flexor stretch. This is essential to avoid over-extending the lumbar spine during the swing. When the hip flexors are looser, your spinal alignment is improved, and a better swing is the result. The best floor hamstring stretch follows, and we finish with a very nice floor upper back stretch, to pull out the kinks between the shoulder blades. Sound good?
This is the essential set of exercises anyone who plays tennis, squash or badminton needs. Court movements are becoming ever more dynamic---even if you don't want to use the Gael Monfils signature move (sliding side splits, while running at full speed) on the court!
The set begins with a large variety of mid- and upper-back backward bends, to improve whole-spine suppleness in this fundamental movement, and follows with an efficient floor back bend, with a recovery position added. Next are a variety of passive back bends over a support; the most comfortable way to improve this range of movement. Next is a standing forward bend plus spine rotation movement, sure to improve your agility in this compound movement.
And because the calf muscles work so hard in these sports, we have included an excellent wall calf stretch; this will stretch the outer calf properly (most calf stretches miss this part). Next is the best floor hamstring stretch we have found, so far and, uniquely, achieves its stretch from a bent knee start position. This does not feel like any hamstring stretch you have ever done, and it is amazingly effective.
A standing quadriceps stretch is offered, and will be much stronger than the one you use now. A floor bent-leg forward bend finishes the session.
If you feel that your style on the court can benefit from more side-splits/adductor flexibility, you may care to add the Martial Arts and Gymnastics Value Pack to your arsenal.
The hips are the driving force in most styles of swimming, and the hips need to be strong and supple. The Swimming Value Pack starts the session with a standing alternate leg forward bend that gently loosens the hamstrings and lower back, and moves to a standing hip flexor stretch. This is followed by a floor hamstring stretch, using our unique bent-knee approach.
An abdominal strength exercise is explained next---abdominal muscle strength is also essential in all strokes. The exercise we use is done over a curved surface to strengthen the muscles in the needed range of movement that is not touched by traditional floor abdominal exercises. And because a flexible middle and upper back is crucial to a high arm action, we have included the extremely effective wall upper back bend, showing a few variations to suit your training space.
Have you ever wondered how swimmers get those fantastically loose shoulders? The next exercises are a great start: the partner front arm stretch works the biceps muscle of the arm, the pectoral muscle of the chest, and the anterior deltoid. Your arms will move more freely through the water and be closer to a technically perfect stroke when these muscles are supple.
A partner rotation and a floor back bend follow, and the session finishes with a floor and a seated forward bend to stretch the neck and upper and middle back muscles---a great way to end.
TESTIMONIAL
“The strength, flexibility and balance that I have now compared to 3 years ago has more than doubled and I know that it will continue to increase. This type of exercise is for everyone, not just for people with injuries.' Full quote
Cindy Lim PhD, Forensic Scientist, Canberra, Australia