Athletes of every sport know the importance of warming up before competing, but Bob Cooley knows exactly how to stretch them to success.

Cooley is the man behind the secret of 41-year-old Olympic swimmer Dara Torres’ gold medals. He developed a warm-up routine called “resistance stretching” that is as unusual as it is useful.

Resistance stretching first saw light a few months before the 2000 Olympic trials when GB’s own Marc Middleton shot a video of Dara’s unique stretching techniques. But although it helped a legendary swimmer, the stretching didn’t catch on.

While world-class athletes use trainers to get the most out of their resistance stretching, Cooley says there are ways for normal, middle-aged people can see results.

He talks with Growing Bolder about the major benefits from the technique.

To see Bob Cooley working on Dara Torres, click here.