I just this spring had the privilege to become one of Grandmaster John's students both in Taekwando and Kettlebells. He has incorporated the techniques in his book into his classes. As a soldier it is vital that I remain both strong and agile. I came into his teachings from a background of heavy lifting with little emphasis on mobility. I have gained inches of flexibility and retained my strength. Now I have a guide I can take anywhere I go. This book gives a detailed guide on how to revitalize your body and move with power and grace. It is easy to follow and as I can personally attest, effective. I look forward to accomplishing the splits as a 30 year old.

There are books that you read and put in your library and there are books that you read and keep referencing over and over... This is one of those books! I've had the opportunity to get to know Jon and attend his Flexible Steel Workshop, the man is brilliant! This book provides a nice progression and guide to improving your flexibility and helping you move better. From my personal experience of applying his knowledge to my own training, I can tell you a lot of my daily aches, pains and movement issues have disappeared. This resource is simply a MUST HAVE!

When Jon Engum presented this material in a workshop, I had two questions: 1) Can I get my kicks back and 2) would I be able to see the return of a split. The answer was yes and yes on both counts. The drills presented in this book will get your flexibility goals in an insanely fast period of time. With my background in Chiropractic, I have seen many different flexibility modalities and Jon has taken these principles and made them accessible for everyone. If you work on the program as laid out you will improve. PERIOD. And even better...Master Engum isn't just peddling theory..He is a living breathing example that this system works and he also has a growing list of students to prove it. Don't take my word for it however. Practice the drills and convince yourselves that Flexible Steel is a gold mine for your flexibility training.

I'm 52 years old and want to avoid injuries while lifting weights so for the past couple of years, I've really focused on joint mobility and stretching (before and after the weights). I have Pavel's books and when I got the email from Dragon Door, thought I would check out the Flexible Steel ebook (you can never get enough information). Jon Engum indicates you should have Pavel's books "Relax into Stretch" and "Super Joints" so I'm all set there. Jon demonstrates a mobility warm-up in Chapter 5 (From Tin Man to Plastic Man) which takes me about 20 minutes before the weights and I have to say, it really does help warm up the hips, spine and shoulders. I don't feel tightness after squat day! I'm now doing the Tactical Frog (chapter 6) and well, that is going to take some time to get all the way down to the mat. The Frog is completely new to me! Excellent ebook (would definitely purchase a hard copy if Dragon Door wants to publish that). A+

OK. I just read "Flexible Steel" by Jon Engum. I've been around martial arts for 40 years, but I wasn't familiar with Jon. He's paid his dues however. He's a high rank in TKD and several other Korean martial arts. If anyone should know about flexibility, it would be Korean high kickers, right? Well John has been there, done that and got the T-shirt. He admitted separating the concept of "practicing martial arts" vs treating yourself as an athlete. Then he began applying the methodology around "Relax Into Stretch" and "Super Joints" to break out of his 'morning tinman' feeling. Well it worked. Not only did it work, but Jon let his crazy, creative, mind wander, conspire and re-wire his whole method of turning the human body into flexible steel. He took the tools and organized some training patterns. These are the basics with details. Usually they are lost in translation, forgotten or ignored. Jon however covers them thoroughly and in a calm conversational writing style. He offers more than one way to approach things and highlights details while avoiding unnecessary complexity.

What I Liked:
-Well organized and easy to follow. You want to get down on the floor and do what Jon does.

- It's a complete system of opening the hips for those who are inflexible as well as those who rely on flexibility in the athletic arena.

What I Didn't Like:
-It could have use more photos. This seems to be very critical, but the more the merrier when it comes to illustrating exercise.

- Jon could have devoted time to the shoulders as well as the hips. He covers mobility for all parts however.

- The price point for an E Book is a bit high. This is around 80 pages after subtracting ad space. By comparison, Bret Contreras' Glute E Book is 675 pages and similarly priced. I feel this type of feedback is valuable for Dragondoor.

So I'd definitely ACT now and purchase this if -
- Your hips are tight and you are feeling old.
- You are in martial arts, rock climbing or parkour.
- You are overwhelmed with too much data and want a solid routine instead of a handful of useless drills.

I look forward to more material from Jon Engum. He's got a bright future.

Lots of people have asked me about advanced flexibility training since they can do this or that & are looking for the next step in their training.

If you're looking for an easy-to-follow format that's going to get you more mobile in a manner that's still going to give you quick-twitch strength, I strongly recommend that you peep this work by my colleague, Jon Engum. Engum is a Master RKC strength training professional & a legitimate 7th degree Taekwondo black belt who can COMPLETELY walk the talk.

This book gives you the fast-track insights into the training methods that he's used to turn the below-average Joe into flexible steel.

When it comes to flexibility Jon Engum knows his stuff. I had the opportunity to learn these techniques directly at one of his flexibility workshops where the results were literally instant and dramatic. For that reason I bought this book the moment I learned about it and it was exactly what I was hoping for.

On the surface this book may seem to be about techniques and methods that can be found elsewhere, but the reader that digs further and has the courage to do more than skim and actually follow the instructions as written WILL be rewarded. As Jon states in the introduction, he is not taking credit for these ideas is he is simply showing you how to combine and apply them… and honestly, that’s where most people fail and it's exactly what I needed.

What I love about Flexible Steel is the author takes picks up where other books leave off and simply says “do this”. Jon Engum’s Flexibile Steel is the most direct approach to effective flexibility I’ve found anywhere. It’s a concise step-by-step manual that eliminates all the guess work. A structured approach to stretching that tells the reader exactly what stretches to do, in what order, and for exactly how many reps and sets. Within seconds of getting the book I was able to skim the table of contents, open up to the “Frog Stretch” routine, follow along… and start seeing the results. Thanks to doing this routine twice a week my hips have never felt better.

If you want a no-nonsense instruction manual without fluff for instant and dramatic gains in flexibility, this is it. Your body will thank you, your competition will respect you and your clients will love you.

John Scott Stevens, RKCII, CK-FMS, 5th degree black belt Taekwondo

Great information on how to balance strength and flexibility to become a better athlete and trainer. A must have book to minimize injuries! Don't wait any longer and get your copy!

Thank you for writing a book strategically designed to help me get my flexibility back in the safest manner possible. This book is easy to read, easy to follow and clearly written by someone who "knows his stuff." This is a great book for the casual everyday athlete as well as the professionals out there who want to increase their flexibililty and train more effectively. Get it--you'll be happy you did!

Check all that apply.
Are you...
[ ] a man?
[ ] a woman?
[ ] an owner of a human body?

If you answered yes to any of the above, then you need this book. In a very short list of books that should serve as EVERYBODY'S owner's manual to maintaining a healthy, supple body, this book is an indispensable inclusion. And this book seriously has everything. Do you know how to take your hip flexibility from chump to champ? Do you know how to pack on serious rotational ability in mere minutes? How do you unlock your knotted-up shoulders? And most importantly, do you know the three principles of flexibility and how to apply them to every stretch in the book to take it from mere exercise to serious power tool? This book does more than teach. It enlightens. Better still is how quick and effective it is for anyone of any age and ability level. I have seen Jon in person return high-mileage bodies to the buoyant flexibility of their youth in a matter of minutes. The powerful information in this book must be experienced to be believed.

But the best part about Flexible Steel is the programming tips. All sorts of questions I had about how much/often my clients and I should stretch were clarified and programmed simply, easily, and effectively. These are considerations many overlook in attempting to improve their flexibility, but their proper programming can make the difference between mediocre and extraordinary results.

This book has it all. It's become the go-to guide for flexibility for me, my clients, my family, and my friends.

Buy this book. You owe it to yourself, and your body will thank you.