A very well written book. If you are looking for a good exercise book, this book is for you. Very easy to follow and easy to learn exercises for you.

I received an Advanced Review Copy of this book through Librarything. I may never do cross training, but i am over 50 and the purpose of the book is to prevent injuries. The book covers quite a few different stretches and warm up exercises based on the type of workout you are doing. Most of them are yoga type exercises so I can't say there is a lot of new information in here, but if you are beginning an exercise program it is a good book to start with. ( )

Great exercises for overall health

I wish I had this book decades ago.
Such a great reference for how to strengthen the muscles that keep us moving, which really matters as we age.
Also like the inclusion of foam roller exercises as those are helpful to overall health. ( )

The author provides a series of exercises with pictures and descriptions to enable correct performance. The exercises focus on different muscle groups. These exercises are typically part of a yoga exercise program. They are also commonly used by physical therapists for rehabilitation. It is a nice reference book for cross training exercises. ( )

Over 50 Exercises That Support Cross Training: A Revolutionary Guide To Prevent Injury by Kalina Keilah requires the reader to have acknowledge of exercises and poses regularly practiced in such disciplines as pilates (superman, isometric core situp, dead bug, pelvic tilt), yoga (cat/cow, plank, bridge, trunk rotations, pigeon, child's pose, thread the needle, figure four, lizard pose, butterfly stretch, frog, hip roll, forward bend, and breathing techniques), and callistatics (clam shell, squats, lunges, hamstring stretch, quad stretch, side bends).

The book offers an abridged version of the exercises that prepare the body for the rigorous body building practice of cross training. The author expects the reader to know what it means to hold the body in a straight line - shoulders over pelvis, legs hip width apart, feet straight, knees over ankles. Oftentimes, students don't recognize that one foot is positioned slightly crooked or a knee is slightly past the ankle. Athletics, even professional ones, fall into bad habits. The book is a written remainder about how to hold the body when performing these exercises to avoid falling into postures and habits that negatively impact the body.

The author, Kalina Keilah, starts off the book informing readers what the purpose of the selection of exercises she chose to outline for the book achieve. Namely, preventing injury as one ages, gain stability for the rotator cuff and shoulder region, strengthen the abdominal muscles and stabilize your spine, support a neutral pelvis, hamstrings, calves, and hip flexors, aid mobility, and warm up exercises before cross training.

She does not reinforce that the long term effects of these benefits is to prevent osteoporosis, scoliosis and stenosis of the spine, and tears in the meniscus and Achilles tendon to name a few, which keep one out of pain with age. At the close of the book, Keilah does outline that some benefits of the exercises she focuses on include: increased blood flow, range of motion, deduce pain and risk of injury, and assist with elimination of lactic acid. The benefits are much more but only an individual educated in fitness would know and recognize them.

Keilah provides diagrams that show how to use weights, resistance bands, foam rollers, stability ball, massage ball, stepper, and one's own body weight. Accompanied by descriptions about how to perform the exercises, though she does not inform readers where they should feel the exercise working.

Keilah expects the reader to have knowledge about disciplines like pilates, yoga, and callistatics, along with experience about how to perform the exercises correctly and where to feel the exercises working on the body. But then again, the book is geared towards individuals who are enthusiasts about crossing training, and would likely have this knowledge and experience. It is certainly a good companion for athletics and cross training enthusiasts, who need that daily remainder about how to hold their postures correctly and avoid negatively impacting their muscles. ( )