A groundbreaking exercise program for mind and body
FOUR WAY BURN
The All-in-One Workout for: Stronger Muscles More Flexibility
Improved Posture and Balance
Increased Energy and Power
By Ralf Hennig, CPT, CCS, CCES
Foreword by Bill Clinton
Imagine a workout that will improve your strength, flexibility, aerobic fitness, and mental focus—all at the same time. Imagine that this workout requires no warmup or cooldown and nothing more than a weighted ball, and that it can be done in the comfort of your home in three 20-minute sessions each week. Finally, imagine that you will be working out under the guidance of the personal trainer to former president Bill Clinton! Sounds almost too good to be true, right? The culmination of Ralf Hennig’s 25-year career as a medical exercise specialist and personal trainer, FOUR WAY BURN (Rodale / May 2007 / $19.95) is a groundbreaking conditioning program that integrates his own time-tested techniques with essential aspects of anatomy, physical therapy, and cardio and strength training to provide a workout with proven results.
Having worked over the years with thousands of clients of vastly differing physical abilities and needs, from performance athletes to people with spinal cord injuries to some of Wall Street’s top movers and shakers, Ralf Hennig has applied his hands-on experience to create a program that presents readers with an accessible and comprehensive plan to achieve total fitness. For those who want to lose weight, this workout will help tremendously, although it’s not a weight-loss program per se. For those who want to get moving again after years of little or no physical activity, this book will be a life changer. And for those who experience various aches and pains due to improper exercising, FOUR WAY BURN will help eradicate that pain while showing them how a complete workout can be pain-free and highly effective.
Comprised of 40 movements using a weighted ball, Hennig’s all-in-one workout improves strength, flexibility, agility, and hand-eye coordination, and can easily be tailored to couch potatoes and dedicated exercisers alike. The program involves four one-month cycles, each of which consists of 10 techniques to be performed, optimally, three sessions per week. Once readers complete the questionnaire that tells them their ideal starting point, Ralf walks readers through each exercise session, ensuring they complete each technique properly to achieve maximum benefit and with minimum stress to the body. Detailed photographs demonstrate the appropriate form and execution for each movement.
The use of the weighted ball not only creates a workout that is fun but that engages the brain as well as the body, for a complete body-mind workout. As Ralf observes, “being physically fit requires more than just the body. In reality, performing well requires an interaction between the mind and the body, because without the mind guiding our movements, our bodies will not move.” The movements he has developed require hand-eye coordination and cannot be executed while the exerciser is on “automotive pilot,” thus ensuring that his program works both mind and body together. For those readers who regularly play tennis or golf, or who run or cycle, special sections in the book demonstrate how specific techniques can boost their performance, while an appendix pinpoints techniques from FOUR WAY BURN that will especially benefit readers who participate in various sports and recreational activities, from archery to windsurfing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Acclaimed medical exercise specialist Ralf Hennig, CPT, CCS, CCES, gold-certified by the American Council on Exercise and designated a master trainer by IDEA, has been trainer to former president Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, in addition to a large roster of other notable clients. He is the founder of Dynamic Fitness in Bedford, New York.
FOUR WAY BURN The All-in-One Workout for Tones Muscles ▪ Increased Flexibility ▪ Stronger Core ▪ Improved Cardio Function By Ralf Hennig, CPT, CCS, CCES; Foreword by Bill Clinton Puplisher: Rodale Press
Dear Colleague,
“When it comes to fitness, America has become a land of extremes. At one extreme, you’ll find millions of Americans who don’t want to be physically active. On the other end are the many Americans who enjoy staying active—but who put a lot of wear and tear on their bodies due to the way they move.” So writes Ralf Hennig, one of the foremost lifestyle strength and conditioning coaches in America, and personal trainer to the 42nd President, Bill Clinton. In his new book, FOUR WAY BURN (Rodale / May 2007 / $19.95), Hennig explains how each extreme does us harm, and presents a pioneering approach to exercising that can be tailored to people on each end of the spectrum.
For those people who work at a desk job and lead fairly sedentary lives, FOUR WAY BURN will help ease them back into physical activity, re-conditioning the muscles that have begun to atrophy through lack of use, and strengthening their heart and lungs. For those who try to stay fit through running, biking, weight training, and cardio exercise, this program will remedy the harm they have done to their bodies through repetitive motion and overtraining, re-establishing a healthy balance in body and mind. Unlike other programs that focus single-mindedly on weight loss, weight training, speed, or endurance, FOUR WAY BURN takes an integrated approach to working out, presenting a comprehensive and complete workout in a single session. By following the carefully formulated exercise plans in the book, readers will approach fitness at a steady rate that is right for them; enhancing their physical fitness and helping them avoid injury.
At a time when America’s overall health is in crisis, Ralf Hennig’s program comes to the rescue. I hope you will schedule an appearance with Ralf in which he can share with your audience the tips he has used with his vast roster of clients, including Senator Hillary Clinton, Citigroup chairman emeritus Sanford Weill, wheelchair-bound patients, and above all—everyday people. Here is a sampling of the topics he can address:
•Most trainers advocate separate sessions for cardio and strength training. How can a single exercise session help us improve our strength, flexibility, agility, and coordination?
• Ralf emphasizes the importance of getting the brain involved in our workouts to attain long and lasting fitness. How does FOUR WAY BURN get the mind and body to work together?
• The only piece of equipment required for this conditioning program is a weighted ball. Why a weighted ball? Why not the inflatable Swiss balls that have become so popular, or rubber tubing, for example?
• Many of us have avoided exercising due to back pain. How can this program be tailored to those of us with back pain and other physical handicaps?
• How does this program help those of us with specific goals such as weight loss and learning to integrate a workout into our travel plans, or those of us who want to boost our performance while biking, running, golfing, or playing tennis?
I look forward to speaking with you soon about an interview with me.
