Spondylolisthesis Symptoms To Watch Out For

Spondylolisthesis symptoms can be many and varied, but they usually affect the back and the legs. Before we look at spondylolisthesis symptoms in detail, let's be sure that we are clear about the difference between spondylolisthesis and the similar sounding spondylolysis.

Spondylolysis is a defect in the formation of the spinal column, most commonly affecting the 5th lumbar vertebra or L5. This defect appears in children from toddler to adolescent age. It may have a genetic component since it is found much more commonly in certain racial groups, in particular among the Eskimos. But it is also thought to be produced in children who are involved in certain sports that put stress on the back, such as weight lifting, football and gymnastics.

Many children and young people with spondylolysis are symptom free and are not aware that they have the problem. Others may have some back pain as growing adolescents. However, at some point either during adolescence or later in life, the defect may lead to spondylolisthesis.

Spondylolisthesis is slippage of the vertebra. It may be caused by the slipping of a vertebra that was already affected by spondylolysis, or a vertebra that slips for other reasons. The most common other cause is degeneration of the spine associated with aging.

As a person grows older, the bones, joints and ligaments all become weaker and may degenerate. When this happens around the spine, the joints and ligaments can become unable to hold the spine together properly. The result is that parts of the spine (the vertebra) can slip out of position.

Spondylolisthesis symptoms can include poor posture and a strange way of walking with the knees bent. This happens because the slipped vertebra causes muscle spasms in the back. These spasms lead to a stiff back and tight hamstrings, making it difficult to stretch the legs and take normal length strides.

At the same time there is likely to be back pain, or perhaps referred pain down the legs. In some cases spondylolisthesis symptoms can be very similar to the symptoms of a herniated disc, including a feeling like an electric shock going down the leg, leg pain, numbness and weakness. These symptoms occur because spondylolisthesis can cause pinching of the spinal cord and nerves, which is also what happens with a herniated, ruptured or bulging disc.

So how do you know if you have spondylolisthesis, a herniated disc or some other back problem? The answer is to have an x-ray. A simple x-ray of the spine will identify spondylolisthesis very easily because the radiographer can see the slipped vertebrae whether or not you have any spondylolisthesis symptoms.

No amount of information online or in books can replace having a doctor or radiographer check you out in person. So if you think you or your kids have any spondylolisthesis symptoms, please see a doctor right away.

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*Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider if you have any questions regarding a medical condition. Please see “Notice” at the sidebar!!

Dumbbells Versus Kettlebells

By Mike Westerdal

Everyone knows that dumbbells are extremely versatile, suitable for people of any age or level and great for training just about any body part. But over the past few years, kettlebells have been getting a lot of attention. Though we're just now hearing a lot about them, they're nothing new-they've been around for more than a hundred years. What is a kettlebell and where does it come from? Are kettlebells better than dumbbells? Well that's what I set out to discover.

Kettlebells are a traditional Russian cast iron weight. They basically look like a cast iron cannonball with a handle. Kettlebell exercises are a combination of strength and cardio exercise that are designed to build endurance and stamina. Proponents say that the kettlebell is simply the greatest tool for all-around athletic development.

Dumbbells are well, dumbbells. They've been around for thousands of years in one form or another. The Greeks and the Romans trained with their own versions of dumbbells. Versatility is a key advantage of dumbbells. They can be used to train nearly any part of the body and because they come in such a wide range of weights, can be used by just about anyone-regardless of skill level. They're also fairly inexpensive.

On the other hand, kettlebell exercises are primarily designed to develop functional strength. Their main focus is to work our 'non-mirror' muscles, the ones that we don't necessarily "see" in the mirror but are important nonetheless. That's not to say that kettlebells can't be used to train specific areas of the body-they can. It's just that the majority of kettlebell routines designed by the pros are more focused on movements that include cardio, strength-building and flexibility.

If you're into mixed martial arts or just otherwise are looking to get into some serious cross-training, then kettlebells have the advantage over dumbbells. When doing cross-training exercises with dumbbells-which mostly focus on specific muscles-you're basically restricted to using lighter weights or you run the risk of injuring yourself. With kettlebells though, the exercises require multiple muscle groups to work together, meaning that you can use higher weights, with less risk of injury (assuming proper form).

If your goal is to strictly "tone up" your body rather than to focus on developing overall strength and flexibility, then dumbbells are probably right for you. Dumbbells would also most likely be the best choice if you are recovering from an injury, are just starting out or are elderly. There are an unlimited number of dumbbell exercise techniques for toning the body or aiding in injury recovery that don't require more than five or ten pounds.

I think that if you belong to one of these categories, then you'll probably have an easier time working with dumbbells. For most of the history of kettlebells, they have been primarily used by people looking for a pretty heavy duty workout. It's only been in the last few years that professional trainers have began to realize their value as an all around fitness apparatus, so you're going to find fewer routines to choose from.

On certain levels both dumbbells and kettlebells are about equal. They both can be used in the home-or just about anywhere else-and don't require any special equipment. They're both very versatile, are suitable for all around, full-body training and can be challenging, rewarding and fun. Each can be used to target specific areas of the body and neither of them requires much of a learning curve-just about anyone can learn to use them without too much difficulty. Lastly, neither of them requires a great deal of skill or knowledge to be able to use them and get results.

So what's the verdict? Which are better, dumbbells or kettlebells? My conclusion is that neither one is "better" than the other. Both have their distinct advantages and disadvantages and can help you to achieve your fitness goals, whatever they might be. My personal choice is a combination of both-kettlebells for focusing on developing core strength and flexibility and dumbbells to isolate particular muscles and body parts. Your choice though is going to depend on your fitness goals, your skill level and ultimately, level of commitment.

Mike Westerdal is the author of "Dumbbell Exercises and Lifting Routines" To Help You Gain More Muscle, Lose Weight, or Just Get Yourself in Better Physical Shape... WITHOUT the Hassles, and Expenses of Health Clubs. Increase Your Muscle Size And Improve Your Physical Fitness In 90 Days - Guaranteed.

Abs Bootcamp Workout

By Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
http://turbulencetraining.rxsportz.com

I can't walk my dog in Toronto without tripping over a bootcamp class full of women doing crunches in public parks. And that's bad news for the bootcamp classes, because my dog likes to run over and lick their faces while they do their ab exercises.

Now to be honest, that's not the only problem these women are going to have if they are relying on crunches for results. The truth is, crunches aren't effective, and they can even cause low back problems.

So in the Turbulence Training Bootcamp workouts, we just say "NO!" to crunches - and cardio, of course.

What we do instead, are workouts that look like this one (it's part  2 of my 3-part Ab Bootcamps series in my latest TT Bootcamps manual).

Abs Endurance Workout: Part 2 of the Abs Bootcamps

Warm-up (20 seconds per exercise) - 10 minutes
-        Bodyweight Squat
-        Stick-up
-        Kneeling Pushup or Pushup Plus
-        1-Leg Hip Extension (20 seconds per side)
-        Plank (40 seconds)
-        Side Plank (20 seconds per side)
-        Run in Place
-        Rest 1 minute and repeat 1 more time.

TT Strength Circuit (30 seconds per exercise) - 5 minutes
-        Bulgarian Split Squat or Forward Lunge or 1-Leg Deadlift (30 seconds per side)
-        1-Arm KB or DB Press or Elevated Pushup (30 seconds per side)
-        Optional: DB Row or Bodyweight Row
-        Rest 2 minutes before repeating 1 more time.

Water Break - 2 minutes

TT Big 7 Circuit (20 seconds per exercise) - 10 minutes
-        Jumping Jacks
-        Prisoner Squat
-        Spiderman Climb Pushup or Close-grip Pushup
-        Band Row or KB Row or Cross Crawl
-        Diagonal Lunge (20 seconds per side)
-        Inchworm
-        Rest 2 minutes before repeating 1 more time.

Water Break - 2 minutes

TT Depletion Circuit (30 seconds per exercise) - 10 minutes
-        Total Body Extension or Jump Rope
-        Cross-Body Mountain Climber
-        Reaching Lunge (30 seconds per side)
-        Squat Thrusts
-        Shuttle Run or Run in Place
-        Rest 2 minutes before repeating 1 more time.

Water Break - 2 minutes

TT Total Body Abs Circuit (30 seconds per exercise) - 5 minutes
-        Pushup Plank
-        Get-up (30 seconds per side)
-        Optional: Stability Ball Plank
-        Rest 1 minute before repeating 1 more time.

Cool-down, Stretching & Water Break - 10 minutes

Using this workout, your clients will get more fat burning results without the embarrassment of doing crunches in a public park with a crazy dog licking their face. At least, in Toronto.

For more TT Bootcamp workouts, get this Complete Trainer Success Package, featuring not only training programs, but also bootcamp marketing secrets and a blueprint for selling fitness info products on the Internet.

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5 Of The Best Natural Appetite Suppressants

By John Turner

One of the hardest thing when you are trying to lose weight
is controlling your appetite. You can control your hunger
without turning to pills or chemicals that may harm your
body. When it comes to suppressants, you have to decide what
works best for you, either taking supplements or just the
natural ways. But supplements can be expensive.

Mother nature has provided a number of natural appetite
suppressants namely water, broth, green leafy vegetables,
pickles, and apples. So with these, you do not have to take
any supplements or pills to control your hunger. You should
always keep these foods within reach because you never know
when hunger bug will strike.

Simple drinking water. Water is an amazing substance. Your
body is 55 to 60 percent water, so this is a substance that
you constantly need to renew. But, water has other effects
as well. If you get hungry and it is not meal time, you will
often find that drinking an 8 ounce glass of water takes
away hunger. Wait 10 minutes after drinking the water before
eating anything. Most of the time, you will find that you do
not need to eat.

It is unfortunate that some people do not like drinking
water because it does so many great things for your body. If
so, organic vegetable broth is a food that could fill you
up. The body treats water as a liquid, but it treats broth
as a food. This means that broth satisfies your body's need
for food. Try chicken broth and you will only take in 20
calories!

Green leafy vegetables. Green leafy vegetables are the third
of our natural appetite suppressants. They have so few
calories that you do not even have to count them! In fact,
many of these can even be considered negative calorie foods
because it takes more energy for the body to digest the
vegetables than it is calories. If you are going to use
salad dressing, find a very low calorie dressing and use it
sparingly. You should not use more than 100 calories of
dressing on a big bowl of salad greens.

===================================================

A Simple Step by Step System For Shopping, Cooking & Eating
The World's Healthiest Foods. What to Eat, When To Eat, How
Much To Eat. Visit Healthy Urban kitchen NOW

===================================================


Pickles are not just for pregnant women anymore. It is
possible to eat an entire jar of these natural pickles and
consume only about 50 calories. You want to look for the
natural organic pickles found in health food stores or in
the health food section of your favorite grocer. And you can
eat an entire jar of pickles without feeling any guilt!

Apples. Apples are great natural appetite suppressants.
Apples may be the highest calorie food on this list, but
they are packed with fiber. An apple will fill you up for a
long time. They are also sweet, so when you crave for a
cookie, grab an apple instead.

Author: John writes articles on health related topics and
medication. And among his many written articles is on
(http://www.yourbigfatloss.com) weight loss plans. Know more
about (http://www.yourbigfatloss.com) quick weight loss
diets online. Be fit, be healthy and get going!

Dumbbell Exercises You've Never Heard Of

By Mike Westerdal

Dumbbells are about the most versatile piece of exercise equipment you'll ever use or own. You can train any body part with them, they're suitable for anyone-beginners, intermediate and pros-and can be used by people of any age to get fit. They're also the ideal regardless of your fitness goals. So whether you're just looking to trim down, maintain or even build mass, dumbbells can be the right piece of equipment you need. And, assuming that you're doing the movements properly, when you train with dumbbells you mimic the body's natural movements, considerably reducing the risk of injuring yourself.

The point today is to present a few little known, but highly effective dumbbell exercises-it's always good to do something new. When the body's muscles get too accustomed to the same routine day after day, week after week, month after month, your routine's effectiveness is diminished. That's why knowledgeable guys change things up every now and then so they can keep seeing gains and achieving the results they want.

Here are a few dumbbell training exercise that you probably haven't heard of.

Dumbbell thrusters (legs, shoulders): Works the glutes and shoulders at the same time. Place an exercise ball behind your legs. Stand straight holding two dumbbells at shoulder height with palms facing each other about even with your shoulders. Squat down until your butt touches the ball, then thrust upward raising your arms towards the ceiling, while maintaining your palms facing the same direction. Squat down again lowering the dumbbells to the starting position, then repeat.

Dumbbell hamstring curl (hamstrings): Lie face down on a flat bench with your knees hanging over about two to three inches. Have someone tuck a dumbbell vertically between your feet-if you're limber and not too clumsy, you can manage it yourself. Grasp the front two legs of the bench for stability. Then, without lifting your waist from the bench, keep your knees together tight and raise your toes (and the dumbbell) towards the ceiling until your shins are perpendicular to the floor.

Dumbbell ab crunch (abs): Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor, holding a dumbbell with both hands (one hand over each end of the dumbbell) close to your chest just below your chin. Keeping your butt and lower back on the floor, slowly roll your upper back off the floor, keeping your neck neutral. Pause and hold for a second or two and then return to the starting position and repeat.

Low dumbbell crossover (chest): This awesome move can completely isolate and pump up your pecs. It's like the Low Cable Crossover but done with dumbbells to further isolate the pectoral muscle. With one foot forward for stability, grasp the dumbbells (hands facing forward), spread your arms until they're at about a 45-degree angle and your hands are a few inches behind your hips. Lean forward slightly. Bring the dumbbells up and together, using a sweeping arc motion, stopping right in front of your lower chest. Pause for a full second, return to the starting position and repeat. Keep your arms slightly bent to be sure that you're fully isolating the pecs.

Dumbbell press and fly combo (chest): This double-duty exercise keeps the pectoral muscles under tension throughout the movement. Position yourself for a regular dumbbell chest press. When your arms are fully extended, instead of dropping them back down to your chest, then slowly arc them out in a fly movement-without changing the position of your hands-until you get a nice stretch. Pause, return to the starting position and repeat.

Zero impact dumbbell row (back): Stand with your knees somewhat bent and lean over slightly, keeping your back straight. Hold the dumbbells so they're in front of your thighs (palms facing your legs). Your elbows should be slightly bent. Bring the dumbbells out, back and up behind you in an arc, swinging your elbows back like a pendulum but maintaining control of the weight, keeping your back straight. Focus on contracting the back muscles. Return to the starting position and repeat.

Reverse incline hammer curl (biceps): Use fairly light weights for this one-it really isolates the bicep. Sit backwards on an incline bench adjusted to a 60- to 70-degree angle. With your arms hanging straight down, hold the dumbbells with your thumbs up, palms facing each other (hammer curl position). Curl the weights up until the just touch your shoulders. Squeeze, pause and repeat. If you pull your elbows back just a bit, it will put more emphasis on the long head of the biceps, which can otherwise be tough to train.

Wrong way tricep pullover (triceps): Lie sideways (perpendicular) with your upper back on a flat bench as though you were going to do a dumbbell pullover for your chest. Grasping one dumbbell with both hands, bring your arms up and behind your head-again, as though you are going to do a dumbbell pullover. But instead of trying to keep your arms straight, stretch your arms back, maintain the upper arms in a fixed position and bend your elbows down, lowering the dumbbell and stretching the triceps. Pause, squeeze, return to the starting position and repeat.

Mike Westerdal is the author of "Dumbbell Exercises and Lifting Routines" To Help You Gain More Muscle, Lose Weight, or Just Get Yourself in Better Physical Shape... WITHOUT the Hassles, and Expenses of Health Clubs. Increase Your Muscle Size And Improve Your Physical Fitness In 90 Days - Guaranteed.

 

What Is The Master Cleanse?

There's a lot of buzz surrounding the Master Cleanse. Lately it seems like every Hollywood actress or actor who needs to get in shape is turning to this decades old health system that involves drinking a mixture of lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper.

With all the diets out there to choose from why would anyone bother with the Master Cleanse?

There's two main reasons people like the Master Cleanse. The first (and most obvious) is that it works. The results people are getting with the Master Cleanse border on miraculous, and they are backed by thousands of devoted users who are living testimonials to the effectiveness of the Master Cleanse.

The second reason people choose the Master Cleanse over other diets and wellness programs is that it's fast. The typical person only spends 10 days on the Master Cleanse, compared to other diets that can last months or even years you can see why they choose the Master Cleanse.

Another interesting thing about the Master Cleanse lasting just 10 days is that you only need a short term burst of will power to get through it. Having to sacrifice for months is what makes other diets so hard to stay on, but most people can will their way through 10 days.

What can you expect from 10 days on the Master Cleanse?

Even though most people are going on the Master Cleanse to lose weight quickly, there's many other health benefits to be gained by doing the Master Cleanse. Flushing out your system is what the Master Cleanse is really designed to do. Even back 60 years ago when the Master Cleanse was first invented people had health problems as a result of waste building up inside of them. Today with processed foods, pollution, and all around poor diets our bodies desperately need to be flushed out every once in a while.

When you flush out your body with the Master Cleanse the waste you eliminate will be abnormal. The smell, color, and texture of the waste that comes out of your body shocks some people, so you should be prepared.

If you want to try the Master Cleanse there's more you need to know then just drinking the lemonade mixture for 10 days. In fact most people who try the Master Cleanse without knowing all the steps fail. If you think the Master Cleanse is something you would like to try there's a good book at http://bit.ly/bS54eg that you should read before starting the Master Cleanse because it covers the common problems people face, and how to avoid them.

 

[Notice: Nothing stated or presented here is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider if you have any questions regarding a medical condition, your diet, nutritional supplements, an exercise regimen, or any other matter related to your health and well-being.]

Maximize Muscle Mass Gains with This Diet Secret

By Doberman Dan

How many times have you heard this?:

"You need to eat some protein at least every three hours to keep your body in a positive nitrogen balance to support muscle growth."

Or how about this:

"You need to eat 6 to 7 meals a day spaced 2 to 3 hours apart and each meal needs to include some high quality protein foods."

OK, we've all probably heard that or read that a million times but how many are actually doing it consistently. I not only read that "eat protein every three hours" from various experts a bunch of times over the past 10 years...but I actually wrote it in two of my books. And guess what? I wasn't following my own advice. OK, OK, I know you think I'm a hypocrite. I've got numerous excuses for it but I won't try to justify my actions. I decided to stop making excuses and start following my own advice.

I knew that following this nutrition program would be easy if I just took a little time to plan my meals. I figured out what time I normally ate breakfast and scheduled a meal every 3 hours until bed-time. I never went more than 3 hours without some high quality protein going into my mouth. My lunch and dinner were usually eaten at home (although some times I ate out when other people were paying) and I usually packed enough food in my Lil Playmate cooler for my between meal feedings. The food for my between meal feedings was things like IronMan or MetRx bars, whey protein mixed with water or milk, cheese and crackers, cold chicken, dried beef, cottage cheese, yogurt...foods that were high in complete protein but easily transportable and could be eaten on the run. It really didn't take much time to get this food together and pack in the cooler. I usually did this before bed or I got up 15 minutes earlier than usual and did it before I left the house. I don't really like to cook (I'm a true bachelor!) so I selected foods that were ready-to-eat.

Was it worth it? I gained 4 pounds within a 3 week period even though I had been stuck at my same bodyweight for almost a year! My energy level was much more consistent throughout the day and I didn't run out of gas in the middle of my workouts like before. I believe this was because that eating protein foods every 3 hours was keeping my blood sugar levels much more consistent.

My strength levels in most of my major exercises starting going up and I had also been at a plateau in my strength levels for quite some time, too. The biggest compliment came when one of the guys at my gym (who uses steroids) said, "Man, you are really pumping up lately!" That confirmed that I wasn't just thinking that I was looking bigger, but I actually was looking bigger.

I thought back to when I made the best gains of my life and remembered that I was doing the same thing...eating a meal with high quality protein every 3 hours. That was when I first discovered the training and diet secrets that I wrote about in my "How A Genetically Average Joe Can Gain 25 Pounds Of Muscle In 8 Weeks" package. At first it was pretty inconvenient to drag around a big thermos and a Lil Playmate cooler, but by following that training and diet program I gained almost 25 pounds of solid bodyweight in 8 weeks.

Since following my own advice again and seeing the benefits, I wondered why I ever got away from it. The only conclusion I came to was...

LACK OF DISCIPLINE

For some of you who are training the CORRECT way for a natural or hard gaining bodybuilder, (that's the subject of another newsletter...actually many other newsletters) the only thing keeping you from making muscle gains is...

ABOUT 15 MINUTES OF PREPARATION!

Look, if I packed all the food and supplements you need to take with you throughout the day so that you could eat every 3 hours, it would be pretty easy for you to just do the eating, right? And I'm not talking about gorging yourself on huge amounts either. Just small, enjoyable meals...foods you like, that don't leave you feeling stuffed and bloated, just consistently satisfied. You could do that, right? Especially if you knew that it was going to get you sprouting muscles!

It only takes a few minutes of planning a day to do this. And you also have to make a list of the things you need and do your grocery shopping once a week. So that takes a little preparation and time, too...but not very much.

Trust me on this. The gains you make will FAR outweigh the extremely minor inconvenience of following this nutritional program.

I've had a lot of people tell me that they can't afford to stock up on IronMan or MetRx bars...or any of the other brands since they cost $1.50 to $2.50 per bar. I know that adds up when you are eating several of those throughout the day. But they are so convenient to take with you. I usually eat one of those bars with milk or whey protein mixed with water or milk for several of my meals. But I do admit, it can get expensive buying several dozen of those bars every week.

In the next issue, I'm going to share a secret recipe for making these bars at home that should save you a lot of money. For those of you who can't wait, this recipe and several others are contained in "The Bodybuilders Cookbook" at: http://members.tripod.com/~griffin1/STORE.HTM

Thank you for joining me in this first issue of the Genetically Average Joe Bodybuilding Newsletter. I know that this will be a learning experience for both you and I and I hope that you will learn some things to help you advance in your bodybuilding efforts.

I can't guarantee that these techniques and strategies will always work, but I can tell you that they won't ever work if you don't implement them. To succeed in any endeavor, a great modern day philosopher once said...

JUST DO IT!

Build Muscle Mass With The "Hyper Growth Muscle Mass System" by Daniel Gallapoo known in bodybuilding circles as Doberman Dan. A step-by-step guide that teaches you the secrets, tips, and techniques you need to know to build a chiseled, muscular, ripped, head-turning physique...FAST! Visit http://bit.ly/cQcRo5