POWERMAG.ORG
october 1, 2001
________________________________________________________________
1.....RICKEY DALE says.....
good day to all of you out there in iron land.............well we started this newsletter in september of 1998.....so we are just finishing our 3rd year................it hardly seems like it but 'tis true.........we were sending out to about 1200 subscribers...then came the virus....so after these few months we are back up over 1000 plus so......and it continues to grow......let your friends know of it and tell them to give us a shout to subscribe.....we are looking for new articles...pics and any other info you all might like......i pull no punches and all the advice and/or info i give is backed up by an unconditional guarantee or your money back (and since it is free...draw your own conclusions).....
seriously.....it is here to help you improve your speed...strength and performance in whatever sport you are in .........explosive power is the name of the game......so on to what you receive this newsletter for.......
and now to an update........On December 17, 2000, Whit Baskin was involved in a serious auto accident that left him in a coma. However, showing the same heart and determination that he is known for in competitions, Whit has been making a tremendous recovery. Whit is now back at home and doing therapy.
First, Cards and letters can
be sent to Whit at his home at:
1124 Melisa Dr.
Durant, OK 74701
whit.......you are an inspiration to us all.......you can continue to see whit on reruns of world's strongest man contests.........
2.....POWERLIFTING PARAPHERNALIA.....TRIVIA and STUPID QUESTION OF THE WEEK........
and the winning answer is paul wrenn.......................and the winners are......mike butler of longview, texas.........al siegel of clearfield, pennsylvania....and joe sheerin of harleyville, pa congrats to you guys.......come on everybody.....would like to see some new winners........
and this week's trivia question is.....?????.....WHO WAS THE YOUNGEST IPF (OPEN) WORLD CHAMPION?????
also below at the request of vince anello the 1976 U.S.A. team that went to the I.P.F. pan am games in venezuela........jason.........like the hair??????????
*********************************************
as i read the different weightlifting and training forums i
try to pick up on what the main themes are at the time that
seem to be of greatest interest to everyone.....i have
noticed an increased interest in back problems.......since i
have at times, as most athletes do, had the same problems i
thought i would re-state this article form last spring......
*********************************************
Spondylolysis and Sponylolisthesis
What is it?
The spine or vertebral column consists of a series of vertebrae held together to give support for the spinal cord and nerves arising from it. Each vertebra consists of an anterior vertebral body, and a posterior bony ring with two superior facets and two inferior facets that articulate with the neighboring vertebrae. These articulations form the posterior facet joints that provide stability to the spine. In spondylolysis, there is a defect in the pars interarticularis (which literally means the "piece between the articulations"). So spondylolysis means a defect in the thin isthmus of bone connecting the superior and inferior facets, and could be unilateral (involving one side) or bilateral (involving both sides). Although the defect can be found at any level, the commonest vertebra involved is the 5th Lumbar vertebra (or L5). In cases of bilateral spondylolysis, the posterior articulations can no longer provide the posterior stability, and anterior slipping of the L5 vertebra over the sacrum could result. This slip is called Spondylolisthesis.
Spondylolysis is the commonest cause of spondylolisthesis, and is sometimes referred to as isthmic spondylolisthesis, since the defect is in the isthmus. But there are other causes of spondylolisthesis. In children born with underdeveloped facet joints (dysplastic joints), spondylolisthesis can also result, and is sometimes referred to as dysplastic spondylolisthesis. More rarely, any infection or tumor affecting the posterior bony ring including the facet joints, can also cause instability and spondylolisthesis.
What causes it?
The commonest cause of spondylolisthesis is spondylolysis, and it is the cause of spondylolysis that is the subject of intense debate. Some people feel that it is an inherited defect of the pars interarticularis. In surveys of asymptomatic school children, spondylolysis is present in 4 to 6%. In certain racial groups like the Eskimos, the incidence is as high as 40%, suggesting a genetic factor. Spondylolysis has been reported in an infant, although it is rare before age 4. However, certain other observations point to a repetitive trauma etiology. Incidence goes up with age, and incidence is higher in children involved in certain kinds of sports like gymnastics, weight-lifting and football that put a lot of stress on the back. In gymnastics, the hyperextension position of the lumbar spine places excessive stress on the back, leading to stress fractures in the pars interarticularis. In an attempt to unify the two etiological theories, most physicians believe that most children with spondylolysis may be born with a "weak" pars interarticularis. Repeated stress with activities during the years of growth between 8 and 14 causes the "stress fracture" that leads on the spondylolysis.
What are the symptoms?
Most children with spondylolysis, and even some children with spondylolisthesis are aymptomatic, and may grow up not even aware that they have the conditioin. For those with symptoms, back pain is probably the most common symptom, and presents during the adolescent growth spurt. There is often a history of trauma at sports, usually trivial, and an X-ray reveals the "fracture". If the child continues to have good range of motion of the back, it is probably safe to say that the spondylolysis is not due to that particular injury, but a result of years of cumulative stress of the back. Sometimes the child is brought in by the parents because of poor posture or funny gait. This is usually due to spondylolisthesis, causing muscle spasm in the back that makes the back stiff, and tight hamstrings causing the child to walk with the knees bent, and a short stride. Sometimes, there is an associated scoliosis that is more obvious to the observer than the spondylolisthesis.
How do you prevent it?
There is not too much you can do about your genes, but there is certainly something you can do about your activities. Avoiding sports in the growing years is usually not an option, but you can choose your sports wisely. For your little gymnast, limiting the number of hours of practice (unless she is an aspiring Olympian), or alternating gymnastics with another sport like swimming or bicycling may be helpful. There is no place for weight-lifting in the pre-pubertal child. If your child was incidentally found to have spondylolysis with no symptoms, there is no need to restrict his or her activities. The chances of an aymptomatic spondylolysis developing a slip is not high enough to justify restriction of activities.
What does your doctor do about it?
If your child presents with any of the symptoms described earlier, you doctor will order an X-ray of the lumbo-sacral spine to rule out spondylolysis. Very often, the oblique views are best for revealing the defects in the pars interarticularis. If there is spondylolisthesis or slip, the lateral view will show it best. If your child has spondylolysis, treatment is directed towards reducing the backpain by use of anti-inflammatory medications like Ibuprofen, and stretching and strengthening exercises for the back and abdominal muscles. In more severe cases, a lumbosacral support and Physical therapy may be ordered. After 1 to 2 weeks of rest, the pain usually goes away, and the child may resume sports. In the most severe cases where there is severe trauma and muscle spasm, a nuclear bone scan may be done to check if the pars defect is indeed a fracture.
If so, it may be necessary to place the child in a rigid lumbosacral orthosis or even a body cast. Sports will be curtailed for 3 months to allow time for healing. In patients with spondylolisthesis, the treatment depends on several factors, depending on age, sex, and severity of slip. The younger child has a higher chance of further slip with growth. Girls are more prone to progressive slip than boys. Severity of slip is estimated on the lateral view on X-ray, and depends on the amount of contact left between the L5 and S1 vertebral bodies. Grade 1 indicates more than 75% of contact. Grade 2 indicates 50 to 75% of contact. Grade 3 indicates 25 to 50% of contact. Grade 4 indicates less than 25% of contact. The higher the grade of slip, the more serious the problem, and the higher the chances of further slip. A CT scan or even an MRI may sometimes be needed to further elucidate the bone and nerve problem before treatment is started. For Grades 1 and 2, conservative treatment is usually instituted. This will be similar to treatment for spondylolysis, except for use of a rigid Lumbosacral orthosis LSO or thermoplastic brace), and intensive physical therapy to strengthen the back and abdominal muscles, as well as stretching exercises for the tight hamstring muscles. X-rays (lateral views only) are done every 3 to 6 months to check on the severity of the slip. If the patient responds to conservative treatment, the pain resolves, the hamstring tightness improves, and the patient may return to limited sports. Gymnastics, weight-lifting and football should be avoided. If the pain does not improve, or if follow-up X-rays demonstrate further slip, surgery may be needed. Surgery consists of fusing the L5 to the S1 vertebrae to prevent further slipping. Depending on the degree of slip and other factors, your surgeon may fuse the vertebrae "as is", or fuse the vertebrae after attempting to reduce the slip. This latter technique entails significant risk to the spinal nerves, and will have to be taken into consideration in the pre-operative planning.
What can be expected after treatment?
If your child has spondylolysis discovered incidentally, and has no symptoms at all, there is no need to restrict his or her activities. As long as he or she has no symptoms, no regular follow-up is needed. If your child has spondylolysis discovered because of back pain, and he or she responds to treatment, there is no need to restrict activities as long as there is no pain. The chances of this developing into spondylolisthesis is indeed very small, with or without participation in sports. If your child has spondylolisthesis (slip), care needs to be exercised, especially in girls of young age. Up to the age of 14 or 15, the risk of further slip is the highest, and regular follow-up is needed. Sports participation is allowed, but strenuous sports like gymnastics, weight-lifting and football should be avoided. If surgery is needed, spine fusion is the procedure most often done, and results tend to be good.
NOTICE: The information presented is for your information only, and not a substitute for the medical a dvice of a qualified physician. Neither the author nor the publisher will be responsible for any harm or injury resulting from interpretations of the materials in this article.
thought you guys might like this article...it is very biased against athletes but it does have some good points.....and explains what Spondylolysis and Sponylolisthesis is..... it does seem to be one of the problems many lifters have...because of injury.....so at least it will give you ideas about it and some ideas of how to treat it????
3.....FORM.....STYLE.....TECHNIQUE.....and ROUTINES.....
again i would suggest some sensible thought provoking and meaningful common sense in preparing for your workouts.........i constantly have to reprimand the younger lifter (my son and daughter included) about not warming up properly and stretching properly before training.... even though it is needed less in your teen years it will save you that chance of a bad tear... pull or annoying problems that can periodically occur when not paying attention to properly preparing one's self for lifting or running...etc..better safe than sorry....... no cliche', just fact..........
THE RICK GAUGLER WORKOUT>>>>>
rick gaugler was a phenom and INCREDIBLE competitor in the 70's and 80's in the 148/165/181/198 lb classes...one of three 165 lb'ers to squat and deadlift 700 and still bench over 450........
his workouts consisted of 4 week mini cycles......as follows...
warmups
145 x 10
145 x 5
235 x 3
235 x 1
week 16 week 15 week 14 week
13 week 12 week 11
295 x 1 305 x 1 320 x 1 325 x 1 300 x 1 325 x 1
350 x 3 375 x 3 400 x 3 370 x 1 375 X 3 400 x 3
350 x 3 375 x 3 400 x 3 425 x 3 375 X 3 400 x 3
300 x 3-3 sec 325 x 3-3 sec 350 x 3-3 sec 425 x 3-3 sec 325
X 3-3 sec 350 x 3-3 sec
300 x 3-3 sec 325 x 3-3 sec 350 x 3-3 sec 375 x 3-3 sec 325
x 3-3 sec 350 x 3-3 sec
375 x 3-3 sec
week 10 week 9 week 8 week 7
week 6 week 5
325 x 1 325 x 1 325 x 1 325 x 1 325 x 1 325 x 1
375 x 1 390 x 1 400 x 3 425 x 3 390 x 1 400 x 1
425 x 3 450 x 3 400 x 3 425 x 3 450 x 3 475 x 3
425 x 3 450 x 3 350 x 3-3 sec 350 x 3-3 sec 450 x 3 475 x 3
375 x 3-3 sec 400 x 3-3 sec 350 x 3-3 sec 350 x 3-3 sec 400
x 3-3 sec 425 x 3-3 sec
375 X 3-3 sec 400 x 3-3 sec 400 x 3-3 sec 425 x 3-3 sec
week 4 week 3 week 2 week 1
325 x 1 325 x 1 325 x 1 325 x 1
375 x 1 390 x 1 400 x 1 415 x 1
425 x 3 450 x 3 475 x 3 500 x 3
425 x 3 450 x 3 475 x 3 500 x 3
375 x 3-3 sec 400 x 3-3 sec 425 x 3-3 sec 450 x 3-3 sec
375 x 3-3 sec 400 x 3-3 sec 425 x 3-3 sec 450 x 3-3 sec
happy lifting and recovery..........AND REMEMBER A GOOD WORKOUT IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR BAD FORM...STYLE AND TECHNIQUE
4.....NUTRITION and SUPPLEMENTS.....you are what you eat.....
well...we have two new products.........not really new but an old product in a convenient form.......
CREATINE POWER TABS-112 COUNT-(28 SERVINGS).......REGULAR 29.95 INTRODUCTORY OFFER 12.50 each serving is 5mg...take right before your workout.......just chew them up like a sweet tart.....very convenient......
CREATINE GUM-56 PIECES-(28 SERVINGS)......REGULAR 43.95 INTRODUCTORY OFFER 22.00.....just chew them up...right before the workout.......
it seems lifters in general are coming back to their senses a bit and have quit running off to the nearest gnc or other health food store and spending ridiculous amounts of money on products they do not need........or that do not work............at least if you are bent on spending the money...buy some products that will work....ones that have stood the test of time.....
remember........the very first thing to spend your hard earned cash on is a high potency vitamin and mineral supplement........ and some extra vitamin c............
next is the extra protein source........high calorie...medium protein for the skinny high school kid.........high protein and low carb/low fat for most and the ones who want to gain......and if you want no weight gain or to actually cut weight or just want to get more solid (and stronger).....go the amino acid route..(like me)....
this is a rehash of previous posts...but needs to be gone over again every few months for the new readers and the stubborn ones who refuse to follow sound nutritional advice.....
STILL RUNNING A SPECIAL ON OAT BARS AT 1.00 EACH.........5 FLAVORS.......COME AND GET THEM.....
.....and check out the
incredible supplement specials at
www.crainsmuscleworld.com/supplements.asp
5.....PARTING THOUGHTS.....
many..many meets are on the horizon...........if you are not lifting at one...go to one and help out...the meet promoter......a lifter....or just spectate and yell for everyone....a quick sidenote....many people say powerlifting meets are too long........i personally enjoy them.......i had a phone call from someone whose daughter is a gymnast........ and one of her comments was gymnastic meets are too long and too boring.......after relaying that this was the same message we here powerlifting, we talked how golf and bowling was even longer and more boring......work your sport to improve it.....each sport should not cater to any other group of people.....it is your sport with it's own idiosyncracies (sp?)....forget the criticism and go judge or help out...that will do more good than anything else i know ......and if you choose not to do any of these things you absolutely have no right to gripe or criticize....................
BACK TO THE GRINDSTONE.....see you all next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IN HIS NAME
Rickey Dale Crain
5 time world champion
2000 powerlifting hall of fame inductee
CRAIN'S MUSCLE WORLD, LIMITED
www.crainsmuscleworld.com
www.powermag.org
www.appletreeministry.com
www.crain.ws
3803 north bryan road
shawnee, oklahoma 74804-2314 usa
800-272-0051
405-275-3689
405-275-3739 fax
405-627-0134 cell
rcrain@charter.net
celebrating our 24th year in serving you
try "THE POWER FORUM" at http://members.boardhost.com/powerforum/
talk to others......
type REMOVE in subject to remove