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Introducing the
Stretch n' Crunch: The revolutionary new
portable exercise machine designed to achieve weight loss, physical fitness,
health, and well being. Never before has fitness been so easily
attainable, affordable, and fun. Unsurpassed...Stretch n' Crunch lets
you perform 13 especially designed exercises to give you a full work out for
both your body and mind, that no other exercise machine can match. |
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The Stretch n' Crunch owners guide and all important safety instructions must be read and understood prior to using this device. |
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Exercise Quick Links |
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| Mini Stretch n' Crunch | Side Leg Stretch #1 |
| Full Stretch n' Crunch | Side Leg Stretch #2 |
| Iron-Cross/Chest | Abdominal Stretch |
| Inner Thigh Stretch | Lower Abdominal Stretch |
| Hamstring, Buttocks and Ab Crunch | Overhead Upper Body Stretch |
| Hamstring and Buttocks Lift | Standing Side Stretch |
| Lunge | |
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| * Exercise Demonstration Model - Prostyle Team Member and OCB - Organized Competitive Bodybuilding Figure Competitor Katrina Roundtree | |
| * Exercise Photo Illustration by Matt Shepley | |
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Overhead Upper Body Stretch Exercise Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced |
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Beginning in a standing position, with feet
shoulder-width apart, and using the smaller Stretch n' Crunch pad,
hold each handle and raise the pad above your head. Your knees
slightly bent. Without moving the pad from its overhead position, bend
to one side and slightly forward. Bend until you feel a contraction in
your obliques (side of abdominals). Keep the movement short.
Return your body to the center and repeat on the other side. Exhale
each time you crunch down.
Muscles worked:
Shoulders, Abdominals, Obliques. |
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Standing Side Stretch Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced |
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Beginning in a standing position, with feet
shoulder-width apart, and using the smaller Stretch n' Crunch pad,
hold each handle and outstretch the pad forward, in front of your body.
Keep knees slightly bent, hips forward and maintain a slight bend in your
elbows. With the pad raised, arms parallel to the floor, move the pad
to one side, twisting your body to that same side until you feel a
connection in your obliques (side of abdominals). Slowly twist from
side to side, keeping the movement short. Exhale on each twist.
Muscles worked:
Shoulders, Abdominals, and Obliques. |
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Important Safety InstructionsBefore Starting with your Stretch n’ Crunch Congratulations on your decision to begin an exercise program. But before beginning this or any exercise program, remember to visit and consult with your physician to see if your physician recommends exercise for you, and if this or any exercise program is the right one for you.
Safety First Avoid Overstretching Joint Structures While it is important to exercise through the full range of motion, it is also crucial not to overstretch or to exercise in overextended positions. The Stretch n’ Crunch will allow a wide range of motion with all exercisers, but all first-time users should exercise conservatively at first, and should avoid stretching muscles beyond their normal ranges. This kind of overstretching can be dangerous as it may cause damage to ligaments and connective tissue. We recommend that each user warms up before every exercise session with the Stretch n’ Crunch, and that each user performs only those exercises that are appropriate for the users own personal fitness and experience level. The Stretch n’ Crunch exercise manual contains exercises that are appropriate for Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced level users. |
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Getting Started with your Stretch n’ Crunch
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Stretch n’ Crunch SpecificationsThe Stretch n’ Crunch is made of high quality durable construction offered with a Lifetime Warrantee on all movable parts to the original Purchaser with mailed in Warrantee Registration. (See warrantee for specific details.) Recommended Weight Capacity: Up to 250 pounds per pad. |
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General Exercise InformationMind/Muscle Link What is it? During exercise, concentrating on the muscles being contracted will lead to better and quicker growth and muscle development. How to achieve it? Before beginning an exercise repetition, visualize your muscles working for you. This process is similar to a rehearsal – or going through the motions in your head. You become in control of your body and its muscles instead of haphazardly performing repetitions. When performing any rep in a gym with weights or performing any Stretch n’ Crunch exercise, it is important to squeeze the worked muscles while exerting control over each part of that movement. For each Stretch n’ Crunch exercise in the program, we’ve made it easy to identify which muscles you should be paying particular attention to. After a while, you will automatically be able to perform these exercises using Mind/Muscle Link without having to refer to the instructions.
Breathing Remember: Never hold your breath. Holding your breath can cause fainting, burst blood vessels and cramping, especially while doing crunches. While it would seem like common sense to breath naturally while working out, this is often an area of grave error for exercisers of all levels. And while it may seem ironic, that you need to practice proper breathing as you exercise, doing so will allow you to obtain increased supplies of energy, which in turn allows you to train for long durations and with increased intensity before fatigue sets in. Be sure to avoid shallow and short breaths. Panting is your body’s way of telling you that you’ve had enough. Instead, practice Diaphragmatic Breathing by taking long, deep breaths from your diaphragm and not from your chest. As you inhale and exhale, your abdominals should expand and contract. For resistance training and Stretch n’ Crunch: Practice exhaling as you perform your lift (or the most strenuous part of the crunch). Since is important to supply your muscles with as much oxygen as possible, inhale as you return to your start position. Never hold your breath. For Aerobic training: When fatigue sets in and shallow breathing is becoming apparent and you are feeling out of control, regroup and start to breathe deeply. This will allow you to maintain or regain control of your breathing. For Anaerobic training: Since anaerobic training involves short bursts of energy and performing when out of breath, it is important that you take your anaerobic training as serious as aerobic training. The more proficient you become with your training, the less likely you will hit oxygen debt as quickly, whereby your body is unable to provide enough oxygen and your muscles can’t get the much-needed energy from glycogen (stored fuel). Proper breathing during anaerobic training helps you to remove lactic acid from your muscles, thus increasing the effectiveness of your anaerobic training sessions. Warm upBefore beginning any exercise program, including one that uses the Stretch n’ Crunch, get in the habit of always warming up for five to fifteen minutes. A good warm up will gradually increase the demands of the body by elevating the muscle temperature and increasing blood flow to those muscles and joints about to be worked out, and it will help prevent injury caused by sudden exertion. As you stretch, relax. Each time you exhale feel and visualize your muscles getting longer and more relaxed. Avoid ballistic movements (bouncing) or hyper-extending your joints. Hold your stretches for a moment and release the pressure slowly. Circuit Training Performing all of the Stretch n’ Crunch exercises in succession will allow you to get a complete body workout. This kind of training -- known as Circuit Training -- a great way to reach your goals of losing weight and inches. The goal of circuit training is to gain both an aerobic and anaerobic workout during the same exercise session. What is anaerobic training?Anaerobic training is exercise done for shorter durations (movements that require very little oxygen. These are quick explosive actions); less than two minutes. Unlike aerobic exercises, oxygen is not the limiting factor during the exercise, since energy is pulled from other sources in your body -- phosphagen and lactic acid. This acid allows you to perform short, yet near maximal muscular activities. Then Stretch n’ Crunch exercises are good examples of this. What are the benefits of anaerobic training?Anaerobic training improves the efficiency of the body’s anaerobic energy-producing systems by increasing muscular strength and lactic acid tolerance during short high-intensity movements. The health benefits of anaerobic training include: Improved athletic endurance Strengthened heart muscles Improved ability to take in oxygen (improved lung capacity) Stronger and larger skeletal muscles What is aerobic training?Doing sustained exercise for more than two minutes involving large muscle groups performs aerobic training, also known as cardiovascular training. Unlike anaerobic exercise, oxygen does become the limiting factor during aerobic exercise. Emphasis is placed on duration and intensity of the exercise and safely raising the heart rate. What are the benefits of aerobic training? Generally the minimum amount of aerobic training needed for significant improvements in aerobic fitness is 20-30 minutes of sustained exercise 3-4 times a week. As you become more proficient at aerobic training, you may increase the amount of aerobic training. The health benefits of aerobic training include: -Improved cardiovascular system -Increased blood oxygen levels -Strengthened heart -Improved fat burning efficiency -Reduced stress levels -Decreased blood pressure -Raised basal metabolic rate -Reduces LDL (bad) blood cholesterol level -Toned and firmed muscles -Improved balance and posture -Improved flexibility By using the Stretch n’ Crunch program, you are assured that benefits are attained from the continuous performance of the exercises. Each muscle group is hit when you proceed through the Stretch n’ Crunch training program. Resistance Training For functional training, the Stretch n’ Crunch is a wonderful exerciser. It is a known fact that resistance training helps strengthen muscles. Usually this is accomplished by use of dumb-bells, bar-bells or weight-bearing machines, but people tend to forget that training with your own bodyweight is also important and can provide a great functional training foundation. The Stretch n’ Crunch allows you to perform effective resistance using your own body weight. When you are working with the Stretch n’ Crunch, remember not to short-change yourself by performing only partial repetitions of each exercise. For all Stretch n’ Crunch exercises, be sure to stretch out and pull in tightly in a steady and controlled manner so that you will reap the maximum training benefits of the exercise. Core Body Training Without a doubt, Core Training is one of the best methods of training the body’s stabilization muscles located deep in the abdominals: the Tranversus Abdominis. It has been proven that well-trained core stabilization muscles result not only in a strong flat stomach, but also in improved posture and strength in the lower back region. The Stretch n’ Crunch is one of the best exercisers for performing an effective Core Training workout. By incorporating Core Training with the Stretch n’ Crunch, you will be assured of postural and lumber spine improvements that will lead to improvements in other daily and sporting activities and will reduce the potential for injuries and lower back pain. Glossary/TerminologyAbductor Muscles: Muscle used to pull away from the center of the body. Commonly used in reference to the muscles located on the outside of the thigh. Adductor Muscles: Muscle used to pull towards the center of the body. Commonly used in reference to the muscles located on the inner thigh. Aerobic Training: Training for more than two minutes, which requires plenty of oxygen. Anaerobic Training: Training for less than two minutes, requiring little oxygen. Circuit Training: A circuit of exercises (any number of exercises may be included especially the Stretch n’ Crunch series). Glutes (abbreviation for gluteas maximus): large muscles that form each of the buttocks. Hamstrings: A group of 3 muscles located on the back of the thigh. Lactic Acid: A liquid waste by-product -- a chemical reaction -- resulting from muscle contractions during anaerobic exercise lasting less than two minutes. Lactic Acid Buildup: Occurs as a result of too much lactic acid being produced by muscles as a result of anaerobic training. Too much lactic acid slows down the body. Lats (abbreviation for Latissimus dorsi): Large muscles located in the upper back. They assist with the movement of the arms. Oblique Muscles: Muscles located on each side the abdominals. They assist with the rotation and flexing of the torso. Pecs (abbreviation for Pectoral): This muscle group ties in across your chest starting at your arm pit, allowing you to push your arms forward. Phosphagen Acid: A waste by-product -- a chemical reaction – resulting from muscle contractions during anaerobic exercise lasting less than 30 seconds. Quads (abbreviation for quadriceps): A set of 4 muscles located at the front top part of the legs. Repetition: The number of times an exercise movement pattern is repeated. Set: Consists of a group of properly executed repetitions performed continually. Tranversus Abdominis: A set of muscles often neglected by regular workout methods. Stretch n’ Crunch ContactDear Customer, Congratulations on your purchase of the Stretch n’ Crunch Full Body Exercise Machine. Just from purchasing the Stretch n’ Crunch, we know you are serious about either starting to improve your whole quality of life or continuing to find improved methods to enhance your fitness lifestyle. We know you’ll be completely satisfied with your Stretch n’ Crunch purchase, and so we’d like to invite you to send your success stories and comments to our Customer Service department to the contact information listed below. Sincerely Jack LaRue
Prostyle Corporation
Phone: 734.261.9206 (24 Hour Customer
Support) Worldwide Distribution Opportunities Available: Contact our customer service department for further details. Stretch n’ Crunch SpecificationsThe Stretch n’ Crunch is made of high quality durable construction offered with a Lifetime Warrantee on all movable parts to the original Purchaser with mailed in Warrantee Registration. (See warrantee for specific details.) Recommended Weight Capacity: Up to 250 pounds per pad.
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