The Ab Revolution Third Edition- No More Crunches No More Back Pain [Paperback]

Jolie Bookspan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2006

The Ab Revolution (TM) is not a bunch of exercises, but a sports medicine technique to straighten spine and pelvic angle to neutral, quickly stopping a major source of lower back pain. Part I teaches neutral spine for back pain control in every day life. Functional strengthening is built-in from the new healthier way you stand, move, and all you do. Part II includes fun and functional strengthening moves from simple to the toughest you can get because health requires movement! No forward bending that stresses discs or practices bent- forward posture. Change your knowledge of exercise, posture, back health, neutral spine, and what abdominal muscles really do. New Third Edition Expanded - 114 photos and drawings in 124 pages, gym-bag 6x9" size. Jam- packed with new and different concepts and exercises, explained step- by-step. By Jolie Bookspan, MEd, PhD, FAWM, the award winning scientist who developed this method. This revolutionary functional core re-training method is used by top spine docs, rehab centers, athletes, and military.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Dr. Bookspan, the brightest light in popular sports medicine, cuts through the myths and falsehoods about abs. -- Kelly Hill, M.D., Green Beret Lt. Colonel., SWAT Team Commander

Hoorah! We use it. (we can't tell you our names, we'd have to kill you with our bare abs -- USNavy SEALS

I've given The Ab Revolution to my physical therapists and trainers. You have condensed things to a very workable format. -- Stanley A. Herring M.D. Puget Sound Sports & Spine Physicians Former President of the North American Spine Society

You are leading the way to sensibility. -- Ed Cargile, Military Special Ops, US Marine Corp, Ret. Long Distance Cyclist

You have eliminated my longstanding back pain. Thank you for constantly discrediting the myths that are so-often forced upon us. -- Audrey Tannenbaum, M.Ed., A.T.C., C.S.C.S., Athletic Trainer and Maccabean Games Triathlon Gold Medalist

From the Publisher

Shake up your whole understanding of what abdominal muscles really do.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 136 pages
• Publisher: Neck and Back Pain Sports Medicine; 3 edition (April 4, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972121420
• ISBN-13: 978-0972121422
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #272,751 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #75 in Books > Medical Books > Pharmacology > Pain Medicine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars changed my life in a physical way, July 2, 2007

By 

thoeder sarsu "book maven" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ab Revolution Third Edition- No More Crunches No More Back Pain (Paperback)

It's not that i've never heard that you are supposed neutralise your back arch, but I had no idea why and i could never do it. I had attempted unsuccesfully to straigthen my back against the wall but quickly gave up. I was basically using my back muscles to unwind the large curve that I've had ever since i was a kid. Well, as it turns out, you are supposed to use your abs quite a bit and let some pressure off the back muscles.... I personally had no idea and the more I exercised for my back the more pain I was getting. At some point I completely gave up until I ran into an interesting article on the internet ( http://www.drbookspan.com/AbsArticle.html ). It was what my body was waiting for since I was a kid and nobody could ever helped me. Read it for yourself if you have arch related back problems (or any other posture problems).

You dont have to buy this book in order to get yourself fixed up, the website is just enough. However, out of respect for someone i consider helped me fix my posture, i bought the book. I find the book helpful although I agree with other reviewers that more detailed pictures/drawings in this book describing the exercises would be more helpful. It's hard to do an exercise without somebody supervising you. Most of the times you think you're doing the right thing when you are actually doing to yourself more damage than help.

At this point I think that pretty much anybody with a hunch back can get their posture fixed if not too late. I am 28 and it wasn't not too late for me.

Did I mention that i went to a few chiopractors who provided no real help except for uslessly cracking my back and neck?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Money well spent, refreshingly honest and no frills., October 22, 2011

By 

Strtwood - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Ab Revolution Third Edition- No More Crunches No More Back Pain (Paperback)

In this text, Dr. Bookspan primarily focuses on RETRAINING the abs to MOVE your pelvis away from injurious positions and then to transfer the information to all daily and sports activities. It is a book that is written for the general public (including children who appreciate the cartoon illustrations) as well as seasoned health professionals. As a student of Dr. Bookspan, I have explained her method to many people and a few have had similar initial responses to the folks who have written negative reviews. These responses generally hinge on the perception that this isn't new information or it's a variation of the "same ole thing". The only possible way I can see that someone would infer this or that the book teaches to "suck in", "tighten the abs", or "do crunches"), is if they hadn't actually read the book but just thought something like "Oh, neutral spine, I know this, I learned this in, (Yoga, Pilates, Physical Therapist, Fitness Class, Chiropacter etc)!", or "Good posture? everyone knows about posture" and proceed to skim the book. Trust me, having explored all the previous modalities in search of relief, this is nothing similar to the postures, exercises, and "neutral spine" you've probably been taught. This is a brand of evidence-based, lab tested, real world tested medicine that is scarcely being taught in mainstream or alternative circles. Another point of confusion for some might stem from the fact that many people lack the muscle function initially (from simple disuse) to move the spine into neutral position with the abs, so they do the only thing they can which is to suck in, or tense their abs. Then they think that's what the book must have meant. However, nowhere in any of her books/website/or in person have I heard Dr. Bookspan tell someone to suck, hold or tighten the abs. As for the illustrations in the book, they are more than enough to explain the concepts. I attended the Wilderness Medicine Conference in Snowmass CO in July of 2010 where Dr. Bookspan taught medical doctors from the same images and content as the book (and who "knows" more about anatomy than medical doctors) and they learned just as much as I did. Buy this book, read it, and think about what is written. You will be happy for it and even better, you'll avoid spending money on countless other books and devices that promise exactly what this text delivers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary, September 11, 2011

By 

Gunter Rahim (Singapore, Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ab Revolution Third Edition- No More Crunches No More Back Pain (Paperback)

I'm 49 and have lived with on-and-off lower back pain for most of my adult life. Many CT-scans, MRI's and doctors' reviews in the last couple of decades lead to a lot of advice focusing on bed-rest when the pain gets really bad. Having been an avid runner for some time now, my lower back pain caused me to not only cut back on running but nearly forced me to give it up all together. Dr. Bookspan's advice has been nothing less than a miraculous solution to a life-long problem. It is amazing to me that several highly qualified orthopods have not been able to treat (or more importantly, diagnose) me successfully while Dr. Bookspan's targeted advice on the correct pelvic posture, something so overtly simple, could almost instantly change the quality of my life. I listened carefully to her advice and can now run pain-free. Getting in and out of the car, sitting and getting up or simply just standing straight is a breeze. I am so utterly grateful to her.