Communication Beat

Welcome to article number 2 in our series “Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts”. In this article we are going to talk about how bodybuilders tend to create massive muscle imbalances and what you can do to not be one of them.

If you missed the first article, you can read it by clicking on the link below.

Here’s a breakdown of the articles to look for:

1. Article:1 – Choosing The WRONG Exercises
2. Article:2 – Training Variations for Pain Relief and Maximum Results
3. Article:3 – Targeted Stretching
4. Article:4 – Targeted Exercises
5. Article:5 – Rest, Recovery, and Injury Prevention

Article:3 – Targeted Stretching

Stretching can be great, but it can also make existing injuries worse or even bring about new ones!

The key to making stretching work for you is knowing which stretches you need to be working on… and just because a muscle feels tight, that doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to be stretched.

For example, many people stretch the hamstrings because they feel tight and they think the hamstrings are limiting their flexibility…

the fact is, most of the time the hamstrings are “tight” because they are constantly being pulled / lengthened due to muscle imbalances that tip the pelvis forward.

As you can, when the pelvis tips forward the hamstrings get pulled upward and are constantly held in a stretched position…

And this is why millions of people can stretch their hamstrings every freakin day and never make any improvement in their flexibility….

Are you one of those people?

If you are, you need to stop stretching your hamstrings and find out exactly which muscles you need to be targeting by reading the rest of this article…

Not only does this forward tipping of the pelvis (which is caused by muscle imbalances) keep the hamstrings tight and make it very difficult to make improvements in the muscles flexibility, but it also leads to the following:

• increased stress / wear and tear from the ankles all the way up the spine

For example, the forward tipping of the pelvis places uneven pressure on the ankle, knee and hip joints and also many of the vertebrae in the spine.

• weakens the hamstrings, inhibits normal functioning and increases the likelihood of hamstring pulls

When the hamstrings are constantly being strained because of the muscle imbalances, the muscle is weak, not able to function as it normally would, prone to injury and without correcting the muscle imbalance recover can take up to 9 months to a year, or longer!

• creates excess curvature in the lower and middle spine

This tipping of the pelvis places excessive amounts of abnormal stress on the muscles, vertebrae and discs in the lower and mid spine and this sets you up for potential injuries to the muscles of the lower and middle back…

Plus, it also causes the discs between your vertebrae to wear down and deteriorate much faster than they normally would and this sets you up for degenerative, bulging, protruding and herniated discs along with numerous other spinal conditions like arthritis, spinal stenosis, and the oh so popular sciatica!

This hamstring example is just one of many… muscle imbalances are responsible for nearly every ache, pain, injury and condition out there!

Here are a few more examples of injuries / conditions that are caused by muscle imbalances and can easily be prevented and/or eliminated with targeted stretches and exercises:

• upper back and neck pain
• shoulder injuries (rotator cuff)
• elbow and wrist pain (carpal tunnel, tennis/golfer/baseball elbow, etc)
• knee pain (runners knee, chondromalacia, ligament tears, etc)
• hip pain (IT band syndrome, bursitis, etc)
• ankle pain (Achilles tendonitis, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, etc)

All of these conditions are caused by muscle imbalances and will NOT go away unless you work towards correcting the imbalances… and the only way to know for sure which imbalances are causing your pain or injury is to do a series of physical assessments like the ones covered in our Lose the Back Pain Video which is designed for anyone suffering from back pain or sciatica.

What the heck is a targeted stretch?

This is a question we are asked often and here’s the definition we give it:

Targeted Stretch – a stretch or stretching exercise that is chosen, based on physical assessments, to target a specific muscle or muscle group to increase the flexibility and range of motion in that area and bring the bones and or joints back towards the normal position.
When you compare a targeted stretch to general stretches like the ones found in Yoga, Pilates and the corny ones your doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist gives you, it’s no surprise they give little or no pain relief and almost always fail to get rid of the problem.

Conclusion

Remember, the key to eliminating injuries and preventing future ones is to identify what areas you need to target. In the next article we’ll be discussing in detail, how to address various injuries like back, hip, knee, and shoulder pain with targeted exercises. In the meantime, be sure to read thru all of our detailed Pain Articles and post any questions you have on our discussion fourm.

Article by Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS, CSPN and Steve Hefferon, CMT, CPRS of http://www.losethebackpain.com. If you’ve got back pain or sciatic pain, you’ve gotta check out their website!

I’ve been hearing for years that a successful business needs to have a USP (unique sales point). The problem is that most businesses find difficulty in identifying what their USP is. And even if they have a USP, eventually they find their competitors doing the same thing.

So instead of losing sleep wondering what your USP could be, far better to think about what your ESP (emotional sales point), could be.

Your ESP is about how your customers feel when they deal with you. How they feel when they use your product or service.

A USP could be – “We have a 24 hour delivery service” The ESP would be – “You’ll be enjoying our product the day after ordering it”

A USP – “Our prices are very competitive” The ESP – “You’ll feel you’ve received value for money if you buy this”

As all good sales people know, we don’t sell a feature (USP) we sell a benefit (ESP).

Customers don’t buy Nike clothing because there made from quality materials, they buy Nike because they want to feel like Tiger Woods on the Golf course or Andre Aggasi on the tennis court.

They don’t buy Microsoft products because of all the research they’ve done, they buy them because they feel good about them.

Start to think what your ESP is. What does your product or service do that makes your customers feel secure, comfortable, acceptable to others, admired, stylish, wealthy, important, happy, relaxed or sexy.

For those of you selling engineering or technical products and think this isn’t for you – think again.

Some years ago I worked as a Sales Engineer for Loctite industrial adhesives. On several occasions I proved to engineers through numerous tests, how my product could save time and money over the assembly methods they were using.

Many engineers agreed with all the test results however they often rejected the product on the basis that it didn’t FEEL right for them. I realised then that I needed an ESP to overcome this resistance.

So there you have it – always remember that a customer will make an emotional decision before a logical one, whatever they’re buying – so what’s your ESP?

Discover how you can generate more business without having to cold call! Alan Fairweather -”The Motivation Doctor” – is the author of “How to get More Sales Without Selling” To receive your free newsletter and free ebooks, visit: www.howtogetmoresales.com

What do you do when, you want to pursue the study of the martial arts or learn real-world self-defense and there are no schools near where you live? What do you do even if there are martial arts schools or self-defense classes being offered in your local area but…

…they’re just not up to par with what you want or need.

How can you get what you know you need without compromising quality and settling for what’s available or, even worse…

…not pursuing your goal at all?

Well, you have two choices, really…

…you can accept defeat or the fact that maybe your standards are too high and settle for what’s available, or…

…you can do what scores of very skilled practitioners have done before you. You can take advantage of the benefits of seminars and camps to get the knowledge you need from the best teachers there are.

Instead of “settling” and approaching your training with what amounts to a “victim’s mentality,” you can take control of the situation. Instead of whining, complaining, and making excuses – you can take action – one of the main traits of a warrior.

With all of the power and rich information pool of the internet today, it is impossible to NOT find what you’re looking for in the way of martial arts training. There are literally hundreds of seminars, from half-day workshops to full weekend events, and from one and two-day intensives to full-blown ninja training camps; and they’re all there for the students who are willing to plan a little more, focus a little more, and be ready to travel a little farther than everyone else who HAS “settled.”

Can you really learn martial arts and self-defense from seminar training only? I know it’s worked for me and many of the most proficient experts that I’m associated with. In fact, most of my training career, at least in the early days, was during a time when I was serving with the US Army and stationed in places like Korea and, what was then, West Germany.

Were there martial arts clubs and groups close-by? Absolutely.

But, I had a desire to not only train in the martial arts but, to train with the best. And so…

…I had no choice. I HAD to travel to get what I wanted and needed in the way of quality.

What I found was that I learned more during each training event because there was MORE TO learn. That was perfect for me because it gave me more than enough to work on in-between the martial arts seminars and Ninja Camps that I WAS able to attend. And, it also caused me to focus much more than the local students who were there.

Why?

I think it was because…

…they took their training for granted. Whereas I did not. Since I went through more in the way of time, effort and money to be there, I refused to let any of it slip by. As a result, I, and many of my friends who also traveled for training, developed our self-defense abilities much more fully – learning our martial art with much greater depth than many who had access to their teacher practically everyday.

Funny, really. Because it wasn’t until I became much more interested in the lives of warriors-past, that I realized that this method of training – traveling to one’s teacher to spend short, but intense, visits to gain the lessons for mastery, is exactly the same way many of the most famous warriors in history…

…became Legends!

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and master instructor of Warrior Concepts International. He specializes in teaching the ancient ways of self-protection and personal development lessons in a way that is easily understood and put to use by modern Western students and corporate clients. Through their martial arts training, his students and clients learn proven, time-tested lessons designed to help them create the life they’ve always dreamed of living, and the skills necessary for protecting that life from anything that might threaten it. To learn more about seminars and camps and other subjects related to the martial arts, self-defense, personal development & self-improvement, visit his website at http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com To subscribe to his online newsletter, go to http://www.warrior-concepts-online.com/newsletter.html

English, German, Italian – It’s All SPAM To Me

Has anyone else noticed the sudden blast of unsolicited
e-mail (spam) loaded with url’s for the unsuspecting and
curious Internet surfer to click on?

What’s even better, the bulk of this SPAM is in a foreign
language. I was at a neighborhood party this weekend and
you can’t imagine the number of people who asked me for
assistance with this. They have no idea what to do.

The sad fact is there are a lot of Stupid People who have
nothing better to do and can’t seem to find a better way
of making a buck than Annoying Me and everyone else
subject to their stupidity with spam. I guess that’s a
little harsh. Not really.

How Does The Average Person Deal With This

I wrote in a previous article how bad a feel for the average
person having to deal with such things. It is increasingly
becoming a nightmare for all to deal with. For the technical
among us, it’s not as bad given that we deal with such
things on a technical level almost everyday.

Given this current flood of SPAM I thought I would post an
article I wrote quite some time ago. It’s a short article,
and may be old news for some, but I can tell you that many
people still don’t follow the basic’s when dealing with SPAM.

How You May Be Helping Spammers

I can’t imagine that anyone with an e-mail address has not
received unsolicited e-mail or spam in one form or another.
What do you do when you receive these types of e-mails.
Do you delete them right away, respond to them informing
the sender you do not wish to receive them, or forward
them to a friend whom you think might be interested in the
information?

When the Internet as we know it was very young and most
unsolicited e-mails where either by accident or the result
of opt-in subscriptions, you could respond with the word
“unsubscribe” in the reply subject and your name was taken
off the list. That quickly changed once people found
out how powerful a marketing tool e-mail was. Now, most
of the time you respond to unsolicited e-mails you are
letting the sender know that your e-mail address is active
or alive. Instead of being taken off the list you are
targeted more aggressively. The sender of the e-mail may
also sell your e-mail address to other e-marketers,
substantially increasing the number of unsolicited e-mails
your receive.

WHow Do Spammers Get My E-mail Address

Well, there are quite a few ways, but one of the ways
spammers get hold of your e-mail address is literally by
guessing. For instance, say your e-mail address is part
of the domain “-notrealdomain-.com”, and your e-mail address
is “me@-notrealdomain-.com”, the spammers have programs that
will generate thousands of combinations of names / domains
i.e. “me@-notrealdomain-.com”, “you@-notrealdomain-.com”,
“them@-notrealdomain-.com” hoping that somewhere along the
line the target e-mail address exists. It’s really not
difficult to do, since a computer can do this over and
over again. If you receive one of these e-mails and
reply to it, you have just informed the sender that they
did indeed find a live address. It’s all downhill from
there.

Spoofing E-mail Addresses

Another interesting tactic is to send someone an e-mail and
make it appear as if it came from your address. Have you
ever received an e-mail from someone you don’t know and don’t
have in you contact list asking you to stop sending them
unsolicited e-mails? Many people experience this problem.
Basically, the spammer made the recipient of the spam think
you sent it to them. This is called e-mail spoofing and is
relatively easy to do. The spammers use mail servers that
allow something called “mail relay.” This allows them to send
e-mails from any source address (even yours) to any target
address.

Conclusion

A few things to keep in mind when dealing with unsolicited
e-mails and spam:

If you are starting to receive SPAM in alternate languages,
check your e-mail client for the ability to filter / block
SPAM by specifying language types.

If you only speak English, and don’t expect to receive
e-mail in German, then block it;

If your SPAM filter downloads data from your vendor for
known SPAM sites make sure to perform and schedule the
download to happen frequently;

If you receive e-mail or spam from someone you don’t know,
do not respond to it, just delete it;

If someone informs you that they are receiving spam from
your e-mail address, inform them that it was not sent by
you and most likely came from a spammer who spoofed your
address. Tell them to just delete it;

Never give out your e-mail address unless you are sure the
site or organization will be responsible for it’s privacy;

If you are going to sign up for something like a news
article or other information, read their privacy statement,
agreement, and disclaimer before doing so; And

Review the entire privacy statement to make sure there are
no check boxes or radio buttons on by default. You never
know what you are agreeing to.

These are just a few of the things you can do to help
prevent SPAM from becoming a huge burden. You will most
likely not be able to prevent all SPAM from getting to
your inbox, but you sure can decrease the number.

You may reprint or publish this article free of charge as
long as the bylines are included.

Original URL (The Web version of the article)

What SPAM Means: “Stupid People Annoying Me”

About The Author
Darren Miller is an Information Security Consultant with
over sixteen years experience. He has written many
technology & security articles, some of which have been
published in nationally circulated magazines & periodicals.
Darren is a staff writer for http://www.defendingthenet.com and
several other e-zines. If you would like to contact Darren
you can e-mail him at Darren.Miller@ParaLogic.Net

IT ALL STARTED ON A TYPICAL NOVEMBER MORNING back in nineteen eighty seven.
Life was changing for me quickly; I just didn’t realize it at the time. I had been successful in some bodybuilding contests as a teenager, but that was really as far as I wanted to go in the sport. I worked at a local construction company as an architect. Each day in the office started out the same; grab a cup of coffee and sit down at my desk. Being a designer, you either had a mouse, pencil or cup of coffee in your hand.

It all began that morning when I looked over at a sheet of paper that lay next to my
computer with these words that read; I AM MR. MICHIGAN 1988. At the time I
thought it was funny and threw it away. Two weeks later, I realized I had written it
again. Only this time the words were written more than once. I threw it away and
forgot about it,again. A few days later, I caught myself doing it, again. I stopped and
just shook my head and said, “Could I? No, I’m not doing it again.” I thought, “I have
accomplished all I wanted to. But, what if I could win? Are you kidding? Stop kidding
yourself Greg!”

This conversation went on in my head for days. I found myself over the next three
weeks writing the same thing, I AM MR. MICHIGAN 1988. Could I? Well, if I do I have
to make a decision by January 1, 1988, due to the contest date in April.This would
give me four months to prepare. What I am saying? I thought I was finished. I kept
writing and writing and writing every day through the month of December. Then I
just decided, Ok, one more time, I’ll do it.

I don’t know when it happened, but it did. You see in the sport of bodybuilding
there are many variables involved. You can not predict what will happen. Contest
preparation is mostly the science of nutrition and mental preparation. And of course
doing your time in the gym.

However, even if you do all the hard work, when you’re dealing with the human
body and are judged on your looks, anything can play a part in what the final
product will look like. Changes can come at the last minute due to nerves, water
retention, sickness, over-training, presentation flaws or in a lot of cases, mental
fatigue. But this time, something began to happen with my body along the way.

I continued to write that simple statement over and over again. Day after day, after
day, and with that what started out as a denial now became a dream. So I wrote and
wrote and worked hard and ate right.

It was now the beginning of March and I had three weeks left. At this point, my
mental training had kicked in. Time and time again, I saw athletes fall to the
demons in their heads. The self sabotaging thoughts of food depervation, self
esteem issues, only to crack at the very end. I was no exception. I had many bad
days. Some days were per hell. I didn’t want to get out of bed at times. I just didn’t
have the energy. But I found a way. I kept writing, and writing until my hand could
write no more, I AM MR. MICHIGAN 1988.

The days continued to pass, getting closer and closer to the contest day. I have to
admit, by two weeks from the contest I just wanted it to end. But, I could not quit. I
had made a promise to myself never to quiet. Goals change decisions do not. The
contest was on Saturday, so by Monday training wise I had done all I could do. Now I
prepared for the day, keeping my nutrition finely tuned and absolutely did not break
down mentally. I stayed focused on the bigger picture. Due to my fatigue level, my
training partner and his wife drove me up to Detroit on Friday so we could spend
the night and get a good night’s sleep.

I never said bodybuilding was not an extreme sport. Part of the goal to achieve
success was through training and human physiology manipulation. I needed to get
rid of as much fat and water as I possible could and still stay functional. The fat
came off through diet and training over the past four months and if all was fine in
my body, the water would go in the last few days. Now let me tell you, through all of
this I kept writing, and writing and writing.

Friday evening I went to bed about three pounds over what I thought I should be on
competition day. My weight class was 154 to 176 pounds, Friday evening I weighed
174 cool, but not good lean enough to win. You see, it was not good enough for the
judge’s criteria just to be lean; you had to resemble a medical anatomy chart. This
required, on a temporary basis, for you to lose as much water around your muscles
as possible. This was science, luck, and faith at its best.

I awoke early around five. My friends were still sleeping in the same room. I didn’t
feel any different as I went into the bathroom to weigh myself. What I saw on the
scale didn’t seem possible. I stepped off and back on at least a half a dozen times. It
just could not be. My contest check in time was five hours away, but it was time for
my roommates to get up, so I yelled. Still not believing the scales I dropped all my
clothes and at the same time dropped my jaw. It just was not possible. Without
going to the bathroom for eight hours, it was not possible to lose four pounds of
water. The water in my body, under the skin, covering the fine tuned muscle fibers
had out of thin air disappeared.

My training partner, his wife and I walked into the theater in preparation to the
check in. As we entered my friends wife stopped leaned over and said to the both of
us, “Can you feel that?” I looked at the both of them and said, “Feel what?” That
thick ego filled air. Honestly, I turned to her and said, “I matters not what I receive
today in trophies or recognition. I have already won.

No one can take away what I have received over the last few years.” I thought of
Pumping Iron and Arnold it was then I realized what he new before the show. It just
didn’t matter what place I recieved, there was no pressure. As I checked in, it was
interesting and comical to see affects of transferring internal pressure to your fellow
competitors. They looked at you like little boys who lost there best friend.

It was night time now, I final time out on stage in front of thousands. Yes, this was
it. My career was ending no matter what the results would be. My journey was now
complete.

As I heard my name called as the winner of not only my weight class, but the overall
winner it was announced you are MR. MICHIGAN 1988. It was at that moment I
realized the Power behind the Pen. What started out as a slip of the ink, four months
later had transformed my mind and now my body into the very words that had been
written so many times before. I can not explain it, but to this very day I know in the
bottom of my heart, if it was not for power behind the pen, and that deep desire to
win I would not have accomplished so much in so little time.

I don’t care what it is in life, if you want it, write it down. Everyday, all the time.
Sooner of later your mind will help you achieve it. Never, ever underestimate the
power behind the pen.

Greg Ryan is a high profile fitness expert and former employee of Kathy Smiths. Body building champion, public speaker CEO. He is a best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE OUT through real behavior change, smart eating and effective exercising. For FREE MINI COURES click here http://www.resolutions.bz

Factors to consider if you install a generator for your home

Submitted by: Michael Del Greco, New Jersey Home Inspector Lic GI 0121, President of Accurate Inspections, Inc, a New Jersey home inspection company

Use of Portable Generators
Some people use emergency generators to provide back-up power. While generators can be used in a safe manner, improper use of a generator can pose significant hazards to you and your family. Hazards include electric shock, carbon monoxide poisoning, explosion and fire.

Prevention of Electrical Shock

It is extremely important to insure that your generator does not feed electricity back into the power distribution system. You should consult with a qualified electrician to insure that your generator installation is safe.
Since the generator must be operated outside your home, it is important for it to be equipped with a ground fault interrupter.
Only use grounded type extension cords that have the rated capacity to handle the given electrical load.
Inspect all extension cords prior to use and never use a damaged cord.
Do not run extension cords through water or across wet surfaces.
Prevention of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

You cannot see, smell or taste carbon monoxide (CO), but at high levels it can kill a person within minutes. Carbon monoxide is produced whenever any fuel such as gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal is burned. Know the symptoms of CO poisoning. At moderate levels you or your family can get severe headaches, become dizzy, mentally confused, nauseated, or faint. Low levels can cause shortness of breath, mild nausea, and mild headaches. Since many of these symptoms are similar to those of the flu, food poisoning, or other illnesses, you may not think that CO poisoning could be the cause. Never operate a generator in an enclosed place including your garage or near an open door or window.

Gasoline safety tips

Always store gasoline in containers approved for the storage of gasoline.
Never store gasoline in your home. Keep it in a detached garage or tool shed.
Never fill your generator when it is running or when it is hot. Wait until it is cool before filling.
Always refuel your generator outside away from any source of ignition.
When refilling gasoline cans, always place the cans on the ground. Never fill a can that is in the bed of a truck or in a vehicle.
Never transport gasoline in the trunk of your car.
Only store a reasonable amount of gasoline. The maximum quantity of gasoline stored should not exceed (10) gallons.
Hazards of Gasoline

Gasoline vapors burn not the liquid.
Gasoline will produce sufficient vapors to burn at any temperature above 44o Fahrenheit.
The vapors are heavier than air and can travel a considerable distance before finding an ignition source.
Static electricity will ignite gasoline vapors.
Gasoline is lighter than water. Using water on a gasoline fire will spread the fire.
Gasoline is poisonous and can be fatal if swallowed


Buying a home in New Jersey? www.NewJerseyHomeInspection.com has a listing of home inspectors in all counties of new Jersey. New Jersey Home Inspections are performed by the author of this artical Michael Del Greco in Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic Counties.