A conditioning and fitness program based on the renowned pro–athlete training regimen that is designed to work with the body's natural movements to build maximum strength, speed, and flexibility.

ProBodX (Proper Body Exercise) was originally designed for injured professional athletes (Jason Sehorn, Steve Finley, Jason Giambi etc.) In this book, the program has been modified for the average person who wants to get in shape or stay in shape without injury. The program also includes an eating plan based on Barry Sears's Zone Diet.

ProBodX is a series of conditioning exercises that build strength, speed, and flexibility. The workout is done in a specific order, designed to engage each muscle or muscle group in preparation for the next exercise. The end result is total balanced fitness. The workout uses jump ropes, balls, slant boards, and hand weights – the very props used in most physical therapy classes.

The goal here is uniform flexibility and strength – the kind of balanced fitness that prevents and repairs injury.

Probodx

Proper Body Exercise: The Path to True FitnessBy Marinovich, Marv

HarperResource

ISBN: 0060959959

Chapter One

Evolution of ProBodX

Steve finley, pro baseball player and four-time Golden Glove winner, has much to celebrate. In addition to reaching his goals in sports and life, he is truly fit.

Ever since Steve was a kid and heard the words "Play ball," that's all he's ever wanted to do. Play and play well. He became an outstanding outfielder and powerful hitter in the majors. But it didn't come without a price: injuries.

By 1998, playing for the San Diego Padres, Steve was having an inconsistent season. He went from hitting over thirty home runs a year down to less than fifteen. Nonetheless, he and his team made it to the World Series, losing to the Yankees.

Steve dreamed of a rematch with New York where the outcome would be different. But his days with the Padres were numbered. "Everyone thought I was over the hill at age thirty-three, everyone but me. I kept thinking about what Satchel Paige used to say, 'How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?' I didn't feel thirty-three, or over the hill. And I knew I still had what it takes." The Padres management saw it differently.

Only a month after the Yanks defeated the Padres in the World Series, Steve signed as a free agent to the Arizona Diamondbacks and he never looked back. To prove that the last year wasn't the beginning of the end, Steve knew he had to do something different. That something turned out to be ProBodX.

"Doing ProBodX was like nothing I had ever done. I felt something immediately change in my body, but wondered if these changes would make a difference on the field." At spring training Steve got his answer.

"Every ballplayer is tired and sore as hell those first few days back, no matter how much you do in the off season. Not me this time. I bounced through spring training without one iota of soreness. My teammates couldn't believe it. That season I felt good for the majority of the games. Most ball players feel lucky if they feel good 10 out 162 games."

Two seasons later, by the All-Star Break, Steve had already hit twenty-five home runs and seventy RBIs and was well on his way to surpassing his all-time personal best. He felt unstoppable. Then came the game against the Houston Astros.

It was 2?1 in the bottom of the eighth with two outs and a runner on first. The batter hit a fly ball into the left center gap. Steve remembers it as if it were yesterday. "I knew if I caught the ball we could hold our lead. If I missed it, the game would be tied. I made the catch. But smashed into the wall, and damaged my back."

The Diamondbacks won the game, but off-season Steve was headed for surgery. The doctor told him it would be six weeks to two months before he could even do anything physical, let alone think about playing ball.

"Thanks to ProBodX, one week after the surgery I could exercise in the water using a modified version of ProBodX." Two weeks after, with his doctors' blessings, Steve resumed full activity. "I was doing everything, including a round of golf. The doctors were amazed by my unprecedented recovery, much of which I owe to Edythe and Marv."

By midseason Steve was back playing better than ever. The Diamondbacks went on to win the pennant. And Steve went on to have his rematch with the Yankees in the World Series.

In the fifth inning of the fifth game, Steve was at bat, one swing away from being struck out. New York fans got to their feet, jeering, screaming wildly, trying to unnerve Steve. Then came the next pitch. Steve swung. And that ball was history. The stunned crowd grew quiet. "It was amazing. As I rounded the bases and headed for home tens of thousands of New York fans, all standing, were silent. It was a moment that will stay with me for the rest of my life."

Two games later, Steve fulfilled his dream -- winning the World Series.

ProBodX didn't make Steve Finley a star. That took years of training, skill, dedication, and hard work. ProBodX did help reorient Steve's body, paving the way to true fitness, giving him the edge he needed to reach his fullest potential.

ProBodX can help you, too, reach your fullest potential. Though you may not have the desire or the skills to be an elite athlete like Steve, that doesn't mean your body can't be as fit -- truly fit -- as his. Seem far-fetched? Not when you consider that your nervous and musculoskeletal systems are basically designed to work the same as Steve's.

Survival of the "Fittest"

Steve Finley's body works like this. His nervous system -- brain, spinal cord, and network of nerves -- gathers and processes information from the outside world. It then directs, moment to moment, his musculoskeletal system -- muscles, tendon, ligaments, joints, and bones -- to coordinate each and every movement. And that's the way this neuromuscular relationship works for most humans and has been working since the beginning of time.

If we look back to Paleolithic man, our cave-dwelling ancestor, common sense tells us that he must have been truly fit to have survived. He didn't work out in health clubs. He didn't need to. Life was the workout. Barefoot, he ran, jumped, lifted, threw, crawled, pulled, climbed, doing many of these things simultaneously, often off balance, and/or under duress, which varied day to day. He had to respond well to the unexpected. Fortunately for us, nature gave humans a brain that thrills on unfamiliarity, a nervous system hard-wired to react to what's new and foreign, equipping man with powerful tools to survive, a mind and body on alert and one step ahead of predators looking for a good meal ...

The information in this book has been carefully researched and all efforts have been made to ensure accuracy. The author and the publisher assume no responsibility for any injuries suffered or damages or losses incurred during or as a result of following the exercise program in this book. All of the procedures, poses, and postures should be carefully studied and clearly understood before attempting them at home. Always consult your physician or qualified medical professional before beginning this or any exercise program.

Continues...

Excerpted from Probodxby Marinovich, Marv Excerpted by permission.
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