Customer Reviews

The Ab Revolution Third Edition- No More Crunches No More Back Pain

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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?

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.

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.

Having purchased the 1st edition of this book years ago, I've found it to continue to be a primary reference point when I give myself a 'reality check' as to my daily functions and exercises. When I first began utilizing the principles and exercises, I found immediate relief to my lower back pain issues. Along with the other books by Dr. Bookspan, it uses common-sense plain English to help both trained athletes and weekend warriors - OK, and perhaps the occasional couch-potato - to make permanent, lasting changes in their daily lives, whether it's an athletic endeavor or simply sitting, standing, lifting, and turning. While nothing beats working with Dr Bookspan in one of her seminars - where I've seen her effect amazing results in just minutes with hundreds of attendees -the Ab Revolution, along with her other books, provides clear and insightful guidance to adopting best practices in our daily activities that can ensure a healthy lifestyle while reducing or eliminating pain. I would definitely encourage others to read this book and commit themselves to employing the wisdom contained therein.

I've purchased and regularly share Dr. Bookspan's revolutionary resources with family, friends, and patients and read it for myself. Having had the privilege of learning from Dr. Bookspan in person at a session of the Wilderness Medical Society, I have applied and shared this knowledge daily. As a father of two growing boys, Scout leader, and one who wants to keep running, bicycling, climbing, mountaineering, diving, and backpacking and having other adventures well into the future, I would urge anyone with back pain or fitness goals to make use of her carefully presented approach. My wife teaches fitness classes, ad I've worked with some excellent trainers, and am also well- aware of how many ideas, books, and products are out there which may not only be poorly thought-through, or narrowly applicable, but potentially harmful.

Many of us are looking for the right ideas to put into practice, and I've consistently found Dr. Bookspan's conclusions and advice to be effective. The diagrams and simplifications of complex anatomic relationships are the result of enormous insight and hard work, and deserve more than a superficial glance.

At 42, I'm trying new physical challenges more than ever, and carefully avoiding pain and injury. I ran my first marathon after nearly being derailed by back pain, because I followed the advice in this book. I have effective strategies which work for my prenatal patients with back pain. Buy this book, keep it by your bedside, and read it again and again and you'll be glad you reminded yourself how during the course of your day's complex and sometimes hazardous activities, you can take charge and fix your pain.

Want to know what your instructor in the gym is doing wrong? Want to know what you are doing wrong in your daily life? Want to know why your back, shoulder, hips, knees hurt? Want to know how to prevent pain before it starts? Read Dr Jolie's books - she knows what she is talking about and can prove it.

i just got this book first of its already falling apart page fell out poorly put together. the lay out DREADFUL.CONFUSING. it appears this writer main purpose was to come up with a lot of verbiage to fill up 118 pages.ok i got it i have bad posture .the exercise are in description form? you have to try to figure out what she is trying to say .when you do get a picture or drawing their is no follow thru before and after.. may be she is a better teach than writer a multi chapter dvd would have been a better ideal K.I.S.S if it didnt cost so much to send back i would .save your money go els wear .

This book could have been a five page free download from the Drs website(the website is actually much better than this book)
No more back pain-well, not from reading this book as I learned absolutely nothing new. Yes, bad posture makes for a painful back, but is that considered revolutionary thinking? The "exercises" are not explained well at all and the pictures do not help. Also, cartoon characters showing an exercise when I have paid almost $15.00 really is very annoying. This book needs a video to go with it and the Dr needs to understand the people who have purchased this book do so because they are in pain. Telling you not to arch your back and to hold your abdominals in when you perfom daily tasks is a bit condensending and self serving.
The reason I gave it two stars is because if you have absolutely no knowledge of anatomy or the link between back pain and your core, you may benefit.

Just use the website to get the basics of what she is talking about, which is quite simple, repeated 10x times. The book is a hodge-podge of terrible illustrations and photos, and repeats "neutral spine" advice everywhere. I got one good exercise out of it, lying on my back with weights in hands and doing mini-crunches. Any decent physical therapist can teach you more in 5 sessions than the entire book. Too self-serving and promoting. Cheesy cover.

I had great hopes for this book. Sadly, some of the ideas in this book only injured my back further.

But I can also say the same for dozens of "back books" which I have read over forty years - decades. Whether the subject is Tai Chi, Yoga, or Pilates, I always find that some exercises seem to help, but there are also always a few exercises that do further injury. And there is the rub.


Thankfully, I eventually found right here - at Amazon - some back books and DVD's which have given me relief from back pain for the first time in 40 years - as well as a new found ability to run and ice skate again.

Admittedly, my search was a long journey, but I found the best self help yet in the books and DVD's of Peter Egoscue. Book by book, I became so impressed with the results, that I eventually bought every book and DVD Peter has written or produced.


My back problems are largely confined to the lower lumbar area, due to injuries sustained in Vietnam in 1970.

Ironically, Peter Egoscue is also a Vietnam veterean who sustained injuries while on duty. Peter embarked on his own search to heal himself.

What a marvelous and simple approach he has pioneered.

Good luck with your own search for back health.