Introducing Active-Isolated Stretching, the revolutionary yet remarkably simple flexibility program—featuring 59 stretches for over 55 different sports and everyday activities! Whether you’re a serious competitor or weekend warrior, you know that proper stretching before and after your workout can improve your performance, increase your flexibility, help prevent injury, and make you feel better. But did you know that the traditional way of stretching—lock your knees, bounce, hold, hurt, hold longer—actually makes muscles tighter and more prone to injury? There’s a new and better way to stretch: Active-Isolated Stretching. And with The Whartons’ Stretch Book, the method used successfully by scores of professional, amateur, and Olympic athletes is now available to everyone. This groundbreaking technique, developed by researchers, coaches, and trainers, and pioneered by Jim and Phil Wharton, is your new exercise prescription. The routine is simple: First, you prepare to stretch one isolated muscle at a time. Then you actively contract the muscle opposite the isolated muscle, which will then relax in preparation for its stretch. You stretch it gently and quickly—for no more than two seconds—and release it before it goes into its protective contraction. Then you repeat. Simple, but the results are outstanding. The Whartons’ Stretch Book explains it all. Part I contains the Active-Isolated Stretch Catalog, with fully illustrated, easy-to-follow stretches for each of five body zones, from neck and shoulders to trunk, arms, and legs—over fifty stretches in all. Part II offers specific stretching prescriptions for over fifty-five sports and activities, from running, tennis, track, and aerobics to skiing, skating, and swimming. You’ll also find advice on stretching for daily activities such as driving, working at a desk, lifting, and keyboarding. Part III discusses stretching for life, with specific recommendations for expectant mothers and older athletes. It also includes specific stretching exercises that could help you avoid unnecessary surgery. Give Active-Isolated Stretching a try for three weeks. You’ll never go back to your old stretching routines again.

Describes a method of reducing pain and back injury that has been used by celebrities, Olympic medalists, and other sport figures.

Train Your Heart for a Brand-New Start Professional athletes and weekend warriors alike have long looked to the father-son team of Jim and Phil Wharton for the cutting-edge advice on fitness. Now, following on the success of the bestselling The Whartons' Stretch Book and The Whartons' Strength Book, they present The Whartons' Cardio-Fitness Book, the ultimate guide to building endurance and heart health through cardiovascular training. Give them thirty minutes three times a week, and the Whartons will give you a better body, more energy, and a stronger heart. By becoming heart-fit, you'll not only lose extra pounds and decrease stress, but also help ward off heart disease, develop stronger bones, and build a healthier future. Special features of this book include: ¸ The seven myths about endurance training and your heart ¸ An owner's manual to your heart ¸ Setting goals for fitness and weight loss--and finding the time to work out ¸ Customizing a workout for ten different cardiovascular activities--walking, racewalking, running, jumping rope, aerobic dancing, swimming, in-line skating, cross-country skiing, cycling, and rowing--with detailed six-week training schedules for beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels ¸ Flip art to illustrate proper techniques ¸ Taking your workout to the gym ¸ Fueling your training with the right foods ¸ Special tips for children and older athletes

"What Can I Do to Maximize My Performance?" Active-Isolated Strength Training is a remarkably easy and effective way to tone up, lose weight, rehabilitate from an injury, reshape a sagging waistline, regain lost vitality, or build muscles. Using the Active-Isolated technique, introduced in The Whartons' Stretch Book ("Athletes rave about the program by this father-son team"--USA Today), you'll learn how to create a personal training program backed by sound scientific principles and specifically tailored to your specific fitness goals and favorite sports. You'll discover: Step-by-step instructions and clear illustrations for thirty-five simple exercises tailored to work specific muscle groups The seven myths of strength training (forget going for the burn!) How to make your own no-cost/low-cost home gym Workout prescriptions for more than fifty sports and activities, from running, swimming, and cycling to keyboarding and heavy lifting And much, much more!

This haunting anthology is an enthralling collection of chilling tales infused with Edith Wharton's masterful exploration of human psychology and the hidden recesses of the human heart. As a keen observer of human nature, Wharton weaves her ghostly tales with remarkable subtlety and psychological depth. Her ghosts are not mere apparitions but poignant manifestations of guilt, regret, and unrequited desires. Through her elegant prose and sharp wit, Wharton delves into the darkest corners of the human psyche, exploring themes of forbidden passions, societal constraints, and the persistent power of the past. Each setting serves as the backdrop for chilling encounters with the spectral realm. The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton is a testament to Wharton's versatility as a writer. The first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, she imbues her tales with atmospheric tension, challenging the reader to question what lies beyond our mortal existence.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • From authors of Lean In and Originals: a powerful, inspiring, and practical book about building resilience and moving forward after life’s inevitable setbacks After the sudden death of her husband, Sheryl Sandberg felt certain that she and her children would never feel pure joy again. “I was in ‘the void,’” she writes, “a vast emptiness that fills your heart and lungs and restricts your ability to think or even breathe.” Her friend Adam Grant, a psychologist at Wharton, told her there are concrete steps people can take to recover and rebound from life-shattering experiences. We are not born with a fixed amount of resilience. It is a muscle that everyone can build. Option B combines Sheryl’s personal insights with Adam’s eye-opening research on finding strength in the face of adversity. Beginning with the gut-wrenching moment when she finds her husband, Dave Goldberg, collapsed on a gym floor, Sheryl opens up her heart—and her journal—to describe the acute grief and isolation she felt in the wake of his death. But Option B goes beyond Sheryl’s loss to explore how a broad range of people have overcome hardships including illness, job loss, sexual assault, natural disasters, and the violence of war. Their stories reveal the capacity of the human spirit to persevere . . . and to rediscover joy. Resilience comes from deep within us and from support outside us. Even after the most devastating events, it is possible to grow by finding deeper meaning and gaining greater appreciation in our lives. Option B illuminates how to help others in crisis, develop compassion for ourselves, raise strong children, and create resilient families, communities, and workplaces. Many of these lessons can be applied to everyday struggles, allowing us to brave whatever lies ahead. Two weeks after losing her husband, Sheryl was preparing for a father-child activity. “I want Dave,” she cried. Her friend replied, “Option A is not available,” and then promised to help her make the most of Option B. We all live some form of Option B. This book will help us all make the most of it.