Athletes can be divided into two categories: those who stretch, and those who don't. Usually the ones who don't stretch are more or less aware of all the benefits that stretching provides, such as injury prevention, increased flexibility, better performance, and better recovery... but somehow there's this feeling that stretching "takes too much time" or isn't a real workout. That's where Performance Stretching for Multi-Sport comes in: this fitness program offers three short stretching routines, plus an assortment of other stretches that can be used at various times, that any athlete can work into his or her workout schedule.

The main program consists of three sections: performance, supine, and recovery stretching. You can play them all together, for a total of about 40 minutes, or you can select each individual stretching program as desired. It's a good idea to go through the complete set at least once so that you know which routine is best suited to which situation.

The "performance" section focuses on pre-workout stretches to help promote (as you might guess) high performance. This program in particular could really be called "yoga for those who are self-conscious about the idea of yoga," as it incorporates a number of yoga positions in the routine. Lee Zohlman, the trainer who leads the stretching routines, dodges around calling them by their traditional yoga names (although he does sometimes) and in general tries to present them more as stretches than yoga positions. It seemed a little silly to me, since I think yoga is great for athletes, but I suppose it's a way of introducing useful postures to a somewhat resistant audience. In any case, it's a nice short warm-up that has some useful stretches in it; in particular, I noticed that the routine makes sure that you stretch your neck and arms, areas that I know I tend to neglect when stretching.

The section on "supine" stretches introduces a program of stretches that you do while lying down, and focuses mainly on the legs, though the core muscles get some work as well. I was familiar with some, but not all, of the stretches shown here, which include some excellent positions with the knee drawn up to the chest to stretch the inner thigh muscles. This program could be followed as a stretching workout, or you could adopt select stretches from this batch to use as needed.

The final section in the main program is "recovery," which works through a number of stretches and positions intended to help speed the recovery of tired muscles after a workout. This is an aspect of stretching that's often unappreciated, and it's nice to see it get some attention here. As with the previous section, this set of stretches can be usefully followed as a routine, or you could learn specific ones to do on your own.

Overall, the stretches are presented reasonably well. Zohlman and two women assistants demonstrate the stretches, and they're dressed in black clothing that contrasts well with the lighter background, so it's relatively easy to see what they're doing. The camera work isn't as good as it should be, though, often lingering on a part of the body that has nothing to do with the stretch in question.

The other main section of Performance Stretching is the "sport-specific" stretches: short clips that introduce specific stretches designed for cycling, using a fitness device, golf, running, Swiss ball exercise, partner stretching, tennis, and swimming. It's a nice idea, but the actual implementation is rather lame. First of all, the stretches are uneven in terms of how specific they are to the sport in question. Some, like the swimming stretches, seem to be stretches of muscles that are used heavily in that sport. Others are simply stretches that are possible to do while you're engaged in that activity, like on-the-bike leg stretches. It also doesn't help that the presentation is rather campy; I couldn't help but laugh at segments like the "partner stretching" in which Zohlman, grinning ear to ear, supervises two giggly women in skimpy clothes as they grab each other to stretch out. Alas for the hopeful male viewer, when you do these stretches by yourself, you'll have to make do with leaning on a wall or signpost, as no scantily clad babe will appear out of nowhere to stretch with you, as in the DVD.

All in all, I found Performance Stretching to be a solid program. I'm already sold on the whole idea of stretching, and have a pretty good repertoire of stretches to begin with, but there were a few new and useful ones in here, and the mix of yoga moves and more conventional stretches makes for a nice overall effect. Those whose idea of stretching is limited to "uh, I guess I'll touch my toes for ten seconds..." will find the program to be a major eye-opener, though, and will get a lot of use from it.

The DVD

Video

Performance Stretching for Multi-Sport is presented in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio. Overall, it looks fine, for an exercise video: it's a bit soft, but the image is clean and bright. Contrast is handled well, and overall it's perfectly satisfactory.

Audio

The sound quality here is, like the transfer quality, perfectly fine for the requirements of the program. Lee Zohlman, the trainer in the program, sounds clear and easy to understand most of the time; occasionally he sounds a bit muffled, but that's just when he's describing a stretch while in the middle of it, and perhaps not in the ideal position to address the camera.

Extras

I considered the "sport-specific stretches" to be part of the main content of the program, so the only thing that's left as a bonus feature is a one-minute interview with professional triathlete Ryan Bolton. He gives a brief motivational talk on why it's important to stretch, and has such great on-screen presence that I really wish he'd been hired to lead the main program.

Final thoughts

Performance Stretching for Multi-Sport is a useful program, filling a niche that doesn't have a lot of offerings at present. The three stretching sessions here (performance, supine, and recovery) take you through a set of stretches and yoga positions that are quite helpful. Athletes who have been avoiding the whole issue of stretching will get the most out of this program, as the short mini-programs are easy to work into even a busy schedule, and introduce a number of good stretches. Athletes who already have stretching routines won't find as much new material here, but it's still useful to work through a prepared routine rather than just stringing together whatever stretches you happen to remember at the moment. Overall, the DVD gets a solid "recommended" rating.