Kit Laughlin developed the posture & strength flexibility technique and courses at the Australian National University where they have been running for more than 20 years. It is a comprehensive system that includes stretching, strengthening, re-patterning, and relaxation. The core is the Contract-Relax approach (C-R) as a core. C-R is based on the method called Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) or muscle energy techniques (MET)

The C-R approach has three stages:

• taking a limb into a stretch position and holding it there for 20 seconds or so (larger muscles are held for longer)

• gently pushing or pulling back against a suitable resistance using the muscle in which the stretch is felt

• on a deliberate breath out, re-stretching and holding that final position for 30 seconds or so (longer for larger muscles)

The C-R approach ensures that a deeper and longer-lasting stretch is attained, making P&F far more effective than simply stretching and holding a position.

DVD

  New in 2010.. Introductory price, normally $35

This new DVD has been a year in the making, containing 88 minutes of best-quality video, with voice and visual cues, this DVD has all the latest exercises; many of them new.

If you own Stretching & Flexibility Book & DVD, you need this Update!

Many of the exercises described in Stretching & Flexibility have changed, in small and large ways. This new material now available on high-resolution DVDs—this is the fastest, best value way to get essential new material to you. This DVD Update are the exercise Kit's P&F team currently teaches at the Australian National University; all are shown in practitioner and solo (do by yourself) versions.

• All-new shoulder mobility, stretching and strengthening exercises, using both short and long sticks
• All-new hamstring exercises, done from the lunge position, and old hamstring exercises revisited using the bent-to-straight-knee approach
• All-new hip flexor stretches
• Advanced tailor pose variations
• Latest versions of QL stretches
• Detailed modified front splits

Please view this program with the Stretching & Flexibility book as the reference for exercise numbers.

All new variations are included, and both sides of the body are demonstrated, so you can select your exercise, press Play and follow along.

Shot on High-Definition video (720p) and converted to NTSC, this program will play on any DVD player, world-wide.

Watch More video clips

The DVD contains 193 minutes of high-quality digital video --that is three-and-a-quarter hours of exercises!

Stretching & Flexibility is a comprehensive system that includes stretching, strengthening, re-patterning, and relaxation. Developed by Kit Laughlin, the core is the Contract-Relax approach (C-R) as a core. C-R is based on the method called Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) or muscle energy techniques (MET).

Shot on location at the Posture & Flexibility headquarters at the Australian National University Sports and Recreation Association by Kit himself (he used to be a director with ABC TV), the program features all of Kit's senior teachers, and uses their dedicated studio and equipment.

The DVD will take you through all 96 exercises from Kit Laughlin's famous book Stretching & Flexibility.

The DVD features easy search menus to help you find an exercise quickly.

The program has a comprehensive set of instructions, both by voice and innovative visual 'cues' (key phrases and symbols), that appear on-screen during the presentation.

Arrows show you how to move, how to push or pull, and the pictures and sound are as clear as only professional-level digital video can be. The DVD includes:

• beginner's to advanced stretches, with variations
• many additional warm-ups and variations
• all Contract-Relax techniques demonstrated and explained
• all the new exercises developed by the team over the last five years
• exercises for all parts of the body, including hands and feet
• solo and partner version of all exercises

Book

This is the book based on the Posture & Flexibility classes. Everyone says they need to do more stretching for all sorts of reasons, but the most important reason is too-rarely mentioned: stretching the right way simply feels great to do and leaves you feeling wonderful.

Questions remain, though, like: which stretches, done what way, and how often? In Stretching & Flexibility, you will find effective exercises for all the usual places people want to stretch: hips, hamstrings and legs-apart movements.

In addition, however, you will find hand, wrist and forearm exercises, a full range of neck and shoulder exercises (including the hard-to-stretch rotator cuff pairs) and a variety of ankle and feet exercises. There are even exercises to help you spread your toes and strengthen your arches!

As well, you will find rotation and backward-bending exercises, sideways-bending movements and a large number of unique warm-ups too. There is an exercise for every muscle of the body, and the associated tendons, ligaments and fascia.

The book is organised into 16 lessons and begins with very easy-to-do movements. Gradually, the subsequent lessons build on these basic 'functional units of flexibility', and in time you will find yourself being able to do the more difficult stretches.

The Posture & Flexibility system is a combination of three elements: the Contract-Relax (C-R) approach in a framework of partial and complete poses, many of which are partner-based. It is a rapidly evolving form being constantly tested and reassessed against two criteria: is it safe? and does it work? The book features:

• 96 stretching exercises, plus warm-up movements
• exercises presented from very easy to hard
• exercises for athletes, grouped by sport
• exercises for the whole body, including hands and feet
• exercises shown in partner and solo versions
• over 700 photographs, showing all the essential details
• full explanations, including what to do in the exercise and how to get in and out of the positions
• 20 detailed illustrations of key anatomical points

"Kit's new book Stretching & Flexibility will change your way of thinking about flexibility and will certainly improve the way you go about achieving it. Everyone will find exercises to suit his or her body type and level of flexibility."

From the foreword by Greg Chappell, arguably Australia's most elegant batsman of all time

See also

About Kit

Kit Laughlin is one of the world’s authorities on the subject of stretching.

Kit studied oriental traditional Japanese medicine during a four-year stay in Japan and was the personal Shiatsu practitioner for the Japanese Ambassador in Australia. He was also asked to treat a Japanese Prime Minister during a visit to Australia in 1988.

Formerly he had been a middle distance runner and weight lifter, becoming a student of exercise forms: he attended dance and gymnastics classes; he studied anatomy and physiology, and studied Yoga and Pilates.

He was awarded a Master of Letters by the Science Faculty of the Australian National University in Canberra (1992) and was granted an Australian Postgraduate Research Award (1993-96) for Ph.D. research, where back pain was the main case study.

Kit developed the principles of Posture & Flexibility over 24 years, and has been teaching them for 21 years at the Australian National University Sports and Recreation Association. He is assisted by 20 P&F Instructors whom he trained, who also run up to 20 in-house classes for Public Service departments in Canberra.

Kit has published two best-selling books about the principles of P&F, Overcome neck & back pain (for injury rehabilitation, now in its 4th Edition) and Stretching & Flexibility (for injury prevention and performance enhancement, now in its 5th printing) and numerous DVDs, videos and articles. Kit is the founding President of the National Association of Stretch Therapists (NAST).

Kit teaches P&F to practitioners of Chiropractic and Osteopathy, Physiotherapy, medicine, Yoga, Pilates and Massage Therapy and to people everywhere who want to rehabilitate or avoid injury, enhance performance or maximise wellbeing, in Australia and around the world.