As many of you know, I’m lucky enough to call elite trainer, fitness writer and Figure Competitor -Alli McKee, my girlfriend. I’m also blessed to be her Trainer.

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This past weekend was the culmination of all Alli’s hard training, strict dieting and unwavering dedication to her physique. She competed against some of the finest physiques the east coast has to offer in the Met-Rx NPC Maryland State East Coast Classic.

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Alli competed in two categories: The Maryland and the East Coast Qualifier.

On stage, Alli looked absolutely amazing! She nailed her posing routine, stayed calm on stage, made great eye contact with the judges and really stood out to the crowd!

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With Alli, I’m always a proud boyfriend. But, let me tell you how amazing it make you feel as a trainer and boyfriend, when you hear strangers in the crowd  saying things like “Wow, #18 (Alli’s #) looks incredible!” and “That girl has a great body, she’s going to win” and “Man, what a great back she has”. I only wished Alli could have been in the audience to hear all these comments. But, she was busy on stage kickin ass!

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When it was all said and done, Alli took home a trophy in both the events she competed in.

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Alli placed 2nd in the East Coast and 3rd in Maryland. With these top placings, Alli qualified to compete at nationals!

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Alli was able to accomplish this while training around two herniated discs. That’s the magic of hard work, dedication and smart workouts using Joint Friendly Strength Training!

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Here’s a Picture Recap of our Experience at the NPC Maryland East Coast Classic

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Side Pose – Gretchen showed Alli a cool trick to make her shoulders really “Pop”!

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Back Pose – Check out that Back baby!

One last adjustment before going on stage for PreJudging.

Alli's amazing back really wowed the crowd!

Alli and other competitors standing on the side while the other girls do their stage walk

The Judges place the competitors in different positions to get an accurate comparison

Alli and her fan club chilling between the prejudging and the night show!

Our training team - Me (the brains), Alli (the beauty) and Mark "Simonetti" Simon (the brawn).

View of the stage just before the night show began.

Ali on stage showing her stuff at the night show!

Alli returns with not one, but TWO Trophies!

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So there you have it – My recap of Alli’s Figure competition. You got the next best thing to being there with us!

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Please head over to Alli’s website and congratulate her on all her hard work, dedication and success!

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You can also congratulate me because I got to take home the BEST trophy that night

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Love You Alli – You made me the proudest man in the building – You always do!!!

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I’m excited to bring you today’s post on one of the ultimate glutes exercises: the Hip Thrust!

The Hip Thrust is a favorite glutes training exercise among ALL of the athletes and fitness clients here at Performance U.

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- The women love it because it helps lift and tighten their butt

- Our Bodybuilders love it because it really isolates the glutes and can be used to help develop increased glute muscle size

- Our athletes love the Hip Thrust exercise because it helps them run faster, jump higher and become generally more explosive.

- The folks suffering from ” a bad back” enjoy the hip thrust exercise because it’s very spine sparing.

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As a Coach & Trainer, I like the Hip Thrust exercise because it’s versatile, safe, easy to learn and hits the glutes in a different manner than other traditional lower-body exercise like squats, deadlifts and lunges.

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The video below shows my very good friend, fellow Fitness Professional and inventor of the Hip Thrust exercise: Bret (the Glute Guy) Contreras. If you want to learn the safest, most effective methods for applying a technique, go to the source from where the information comes from! Bret’s Hip Thrust exercise is often imitated – never duplicated!

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In the video below, Bret discusses proper Hip Thrust form and shows a multitude of Hip Thrusts variations and progressions anyone can immediately apply to enhance the effectiveness of their glute training workout.

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Bret Contreras, along with the briliant Leigh Peele, recently posted some great reviews of the new Joint Friendly Strength Training 2DVD set. Be sure to check out Bret’s JFST DVD review and Leigh’s JFST DVD review.

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Finally, if you’re not reading Bret’s Blog, you’re are absolutely missing out on some amazing training information coming from a guy who only know’s how to over-deliver!

The value of the non-biased, scientifically based and easy-to-apply concepts & techniques Bret Contreras regularly provides at his website, far exceeds the time it takes you to read his (sometimes lengthy) Blogs.

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Here’s a few of my Favorite Blog posts by Bret:

- The Hip Thrust – Spread the Word

-Gluteal Goddess Workout

- A Blog About Squat, Deadlift, and Hip Thrust Form

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Next week, on August 27 and 28th, I will be in the Tampa Bay Florida area teaching three separate CEC approved workshops.

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If you’re located the the Tampa Florida area and would like to learn more about these workshops and/or sign up to attend, go here…

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Today’s post is for all the MMA and Muay Thai Kickboxing fighters out there. It’s also for the exercises enthusiasts who don’t fight, but maybe like to train and/or look like a fighter!

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Today’s video shows a creative exercise I designed to help the fighters from Team Ground Control MMA improve their strength in the Muay Thai clinch. The exercise is called the KettleBell Clinch Chin Up.

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Use the Performance U KettleBell Clinch Chin Up exercise to use your KB in a new way, add some variety to your training and ensure your opponent doesn’t get their head back once you’ve achieved the full Muay Thai clinch position!

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If you have some great Muay Thai Clinch specific exercises – Let’s hear about it in the comments section!

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Before I discuss today’s post, I’d like to thank everyone who purchased the new Joint Friendly Strength Training 2-DVD set during the special sale offer! I really do appreciate your constant support and customer loyalty – It means everything to me!

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I’m actually working on another awesome bonus that EVERYONE who recently purchased the JFST 2-DVD set (during the sale) will receive absolutely FREE! How’s that for over-delivering baby! That’s how we do here at Performance U. Note: I didn’t intent for that last sentence to rhyme

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Now, on to today’s Medicine Ball workout video!

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Metabolic Medicine Ball Workout

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The video below shows me “gettin after it” with a 4kg medicine ball during an outdoor metabolic workout. This medicine ball workout is fun, intense and just plain tough!

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It involves four different medicine ball throws each performed at maximal effort:

8x Vertical Push Press Throw

16x Soccer Throw (alternating legs, 8 reps per leg)

16x Side Rotary Throw (alternating sides, 8 reps per side)

8x Overhead Slams

Perform 4-5 sets with 2-3minutes rest between sets.

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Here’s the video…

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I know this workout doesn’t look all that difficult on the video. But, trust me when I say “it’s tough!”.

Remember, I’m not just throwing the ball each time – I’m throwing the ball with every ounce of power I can generate! That’s a total of 48 maximal effort reps!

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Medicine ball workouts are not about the exercises. Instead, they’re about the amount of intensity you put behind each rep. That’s why I love training with the medicine ball. It allows you to fully express your power in an athletic, task driven manor that’s fun to do!

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Give this Medicine Ball workout a try and let me know what you think – Especially all you MMA athletes out there!

As you know, I always provide the latest and greatest training concepts we use here at Performance U to get our clients and athletes in the best shape of their lives. Today’s post on the KettleBell Bottom Up Press exercise is no exception!

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Put simply, the kettlebell bottoms up press is one of the best exercises I know of for developing superior grip strength, shoulder strength and rock solid stability of the entire arm!

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The video below displays how to safely and effectively perform the kettlebell bottoms up press exercise and also provides a few valuable coaching tips.

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Before I show you the video – Here’s a few updates you want to know about:

My good friend and colleague, Mike Robertson, is holding the 2010 Midwest Performance Enhancement Seminar on Saturday, August 28th in Indianapolis Indiana. Mike has recruited a tremendous line-up of top-knotch speakers. Go here to learn more about this great event.

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Also, the special new release of the Joint Friendly Strength Training 2-DVD set sale price ends this Sunday, August 8th at 12 midnight. In just two days, the price goes up $20 and the free additional bonus video will disappear.

The new Joint Friendly Strength Training 2-DVD shows you how to injury-proof your workout and provides over 100 innovative exercises for successfully gaining strength while sparing your joints and training around bad shoulders, bad knees or a bad back. Go here to learn more about the JFST 2-DVD set and to purchase your copy at the special sale price.

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If you have a favorite kettlebell exercise or additional coaching tips for the ketllebell bottom up press – We’d love to hear about it! Post your comments below…

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Announcing the release of my newest DVD product: The Joint Friendly Strength Training 2-DVD set!

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Discover OVER 100 INNOVATIVE EXERCISES FOR BUILDING MUSCLE, SUPERIOR STRENGTH AND IMPROVED PERFORMANCE WHILE SPARING YOUR JOINTS and WORKING AROUND WOUNDED KNEES, SHELL-SHOCKED SHOULDERS, A HAND/WRIST LIMITATION OR A BAD BACK

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An injury, joint pain or limitation doesn’t have to cancel your workout. This 2-DVD set shows you how to use Joint Friendly Strength Training exercises to spare your joints, work around sensitive spots and still make gains in strength and performance! (1.5hrs in length)

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The JFST 2-DVD set will normally sell for $87

In honor of it’s release, you can buy it now for only $67

The sale price is only good until Sunday, August 8th at Midnight!

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You Will Discover

-       Over 100 innovative joint sparing exercises

-       How to build stronger legs with bad knees: Use these moves if weighted squats, lunges or step-ups hurt your knees

-       The best upper-body exercises for bad shoulders: Use these moves if your shoulders are aggravated by the bench press or over-head lifts

-       How to build superior strength while “working around” a bad back: Use these exercises if back issues prevent you from doing loaded squats and deadlifts

-       The Best and Worst core exercises for a bad back!

-       How to add load and get stronger even if you can’t hold weights due to a hand/wrist limitation

-       Simple, easy-to-use training strategies to injury-proof your strength program

-       Plus much more!

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Normal price $87.

On sale now for only $67

FREE BONUS !!!

Purchase the JFST 2-DVD set before Sunday, August 8th and also…

Discover the 7 Best Joint Friendly Cardio/Conditioning workouts video.

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You’ll also receive an additional bonus video featuring my Top 7 Joint Friendly Cardio/Conditioning workout methods. Use these 7 Joint Friendly Cardio/Conditioning Workout methods to work-around Bad Knee’s and other common issues to successfully:

-Accelerate metabolism

- Burn Body Fat

- Increase endurance

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Purchase before Sunday, August 8th at Midnight!

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You’ll receive the Joint Friendly Strength Training 2-DVD set featuring over 100 innovative exercises (1.5hrs in length)

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You’ll save $20

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And, you’ll get the FREE BONUS video featuring – The 7 BEST Joint Friendly Cardio/Conditioning workouts!

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Get EVERYTHING now for only $67!

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Don’t wait! – The price goes up and free bonus video offer ends this Sunday, August 8th at 12 midnight!

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This past weekend, I had the honor of presenting at the 4th Annual Strength & Conditioning/ Athletic Development Conference at Loyola College here in Baltimore MD.

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This was an absolutely amazing event! If you weren’t there, you missed out BIG TIME!

A big thank you goes out to Robert Taylor, owner of Smarter Team Training, for having me as a presenter and for putting together such an amazing group of speakers.

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For the event, Rob Taylor brought together NFL and MLB strength coaches, Super Bowl and World Series champions, NBA strength coaches, NCAA and NIT champions, NSCA and NCAA conference professional of the year award finalists and winners, master strength and conditioning coaches, leading high school consultants, personal trainers, and coaches, as well as two of the top nutritionist in the country.

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I had the last speaking slot of the day, which I taught outside in 100+ degree heat by the way. So, I was able to catch as many workshops as I could. One of my favorite workshops I attended was given by Doctor Jose Antonio. He covered Nutrition and Supplementation for athletes. His lecture was one of the most comprehensive and informative nutritional lectures I’ve ever attended.

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If you don’t know – Dr.Antonio is one of the worlds leading nutritional researchers who’s written 12 books, published numerous articles and consulted with some of the biggest supplement companies out there. Plus, he’s an amazing speaker and one heck of great guy to talk with and simply be around.

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After his lecture, Dr. Antonio was nice enough to spend a few minutes of camera time with me to discuss his Top 5 Nutrition & Supplement Tips for Athletes. Check out the video below…

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There’s no fluff and puff in this video. It’s just easy to understand, simple to use and easy to apply advice YOU can immediately use to improve your health and performance through nutrition and supplementation.

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Lately, I’ve learned a great deal of valuable nutrition and supplement information from David Sandler, Jim Stoppani and Dr. Jose Antonio. In future posts, soon to come, I will cover a great deal of this information and expand upon the information Dr.Antonio provided you in the video above.

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Comment below and let us know if you found Dr.Antonio’s 5 tips helpful…

Talk to most health, fitness or rehabilitation professionals about the upper traps and they’re almost sure to blame the upper traps as a key cause of all sorts of postural and/or movement dysfunctions. Unfortunately, everything we “know” about the upper traps may be wrong.

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If you think you know what the Upper Trapezius muscle does and how it effects our function – You may want to think again because today’s post might just rock your world!

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The TRUTH About The Trapezius!

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Much of what I’ve been learning lately about the Upper Traps contradicts what’s said in most anatomy texts. That said, Mark Comerd B.Phty. MCSP MAPA likes to mention “most anatomy texts are at least 25yrs out of date”.

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So, I’ve been compiling some notes on the literature and research to provide you here at NickTumminello.com, with a more up-to-date view of the upper traps. Then, I came across an amazing article written by Dr. Warren Hammer, MS, DC, DABCO, entitled “The Upper Trapezius DOES NOT Elevate the Shoulder”. Dr. Warren’s article sums up much of what I was preparing to write myself. So, I’ve provided you Dr. Warren’s eye-opening article below.

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I warn you, this article goes deep into the technical aspects of anatomy and physiology. You may have to read it a few times to fully understand everything. At the end of the article, I will provide some additional comments of my own to help you better understand this new view of the Trapezius muscle.

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The Upper Trapezius DOES NOT Elevate the Shoulder

By Warren Hammer, MS, DC, DABCO

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How could the claim in my title be valid? Most anatomy texts state that the upper trapezius (UT) does elevate the shoulder.^1-3 What about soft tissue techniques, such as postisometric relaxation or postfacilitation stretch? Should we now change our method of treating this muscle? Should we change the way we interpret the force coupling of the scapular? If you believe the contents of an excellent article, “Anatomy and Actions of the Trapezius Muscle,” by Johnson and Bogduk, et al.,⁴ the answer is a resounding yes! The authors state that the texts do not agree with each other and “none provides reliable data on point-to-point attachments of the trapezius at a detail suitable for biomechanical modeling.” They also maintain that little attention has been paid to the lines of actions of the trapezius fibers. (Note – Nikolai Bogduk is one of the worlds best human anatomists and researchers with over 100 published research studies and multiple books.)

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The authors of this study divided within human adult cadavers each fascicle (a bundle of muscle fibers with a distinct, identifiable attachment) of the trapezius, from the superior nuchal line to C7; and also the thoracic portion of the trapezius. They noted that there were no osseous origins between the occiput and the C7 spinous process. Instead, each fascicle originated from the ligamentum nuchae, not from bone. They traced each fascicle from its origin to insertion, laid down wires along the course of each fascicle, and took AP and lateral radiographs. They measured the volume and size of each fascicle to the nearest 0.5cm. All of the fascicles above the level of C7 inserted along the posterior border of the distal third of the clavicle. Fibers from C6 inserted into the distal corner of the clavicle as far as the acromioclavicular joint, while the fascicle from C7 attached to the scapula at the inner order of the acromion.

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The sweep of the cervical trapezius fibers passed downward and laterally, reaching the clavicle in an almost horizontal direction. The downward orientation of the fascicles, except for those from the superior nuchal line, passed in more of a transverse than vertical direction to the clavicle. Only the fibers from the superior nuchal line showed a downward orientation that resembled an action of elevation. The illustration at left depicts the fascicles from a radiograph. The size and cross-sectional area of the fibers is also expressed by the thickness of the lines. The fascicles from the lower half of the ligamentum nuchae were much larger than the upper fibers. C6 and C7 fascicles were the largest and almost completely transverse, in orientation with the scapula in the neutral position.

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It is apparent from this orientation that the nuchal portion of the trapezius is a poor elevator of the scapula, especially since “their small size limits their strength in this action”⁴ and the rest of the fibers have much more of a transverse direction. Also, the fibers insert on the clavicle, and not the scapula, and the action of the upper trapezius, based on its orientation, will draw the clavicle backward or medially – but not upward. These directions – backward and medial – would also be aided by the trapezius thoracic fibers, which have a transverse and upward direction.

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Because the C7 and T1 fibers are close to the axis of rotation of the scapula (root of the spine of the scapula) at the beginning of shoulder abduction, their short moment arm does not participate much in early upward scapular rotation, but as the upward rotation of the scapula increases, due to the serratus anterior, the UT is able to contribute more to the force couple for upward rotation or helping in resisting downward rotation. Therefore, the idea that the trapezius by itself can act as a force couple⁵ (i.e., the upper fibers pulling upward, while its lower fibers pull downward) is not correct, since the upper and lower fibers of the UT do not act in opposite directions. As the serratus anterior draws the scapula laterally around the chest, the lower fibers of the trapezius act as a stabilizer and contract isometrically, while the upper fibers of the trapezius cause an upward rotation moment. So, the actions of the UT are to draw the clavicle backward or medially (rowing or pulling) and work with the serratus anterior to rotate the scapula.

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Study authors Johnson, et al., account for increased EMG activity of the UT during elevation of the scapula by the UT fibers, drawing the lateral end of the clavicle medially and upward, and at the same time, causing compression load at the sternoclavicular joint. Therefore, the trapezius creates elevation by exerting an upward moment on the clavicle at the cost of compression loads at the sternoclavicular joint. The authors state that because of this mechanism, “the weight of the upper limb and any weight it carries are not borne by the cervical trapezius.” The transverse UT fibers balance the movement caused by the vertical load on the shoulder, which is transferred to the sternoclavicular joint.

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So, the trapezius resists lateral, instead of downward load, which is why the trapezius (C2-C6) only has to be anchored to the ligamentum nuchae, instead of the cervical spine. Since the strongest fascicles of the UT arise from C6 and C7, and the direction is almost totally transverse, the UT does not create compressive force on the cervical spine. The weight of the upper limb and the loads it carries is transferred to the sternoclavicular joint by the upper trapezius. The upper trapezius, therefore, is not an elevator of the scapula, but uses the sternoclavicular joint to sustain downward loads applied to the upper limb.

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This concept of UT function may diminish its importance as a factor in the cause of cervical pain. I have noticed that the levator scapulae muscle is much more often involved than the upper trapezius, especially at its attachment to the superior medial border of the scapula.

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References

1. Williams PL, Warwick R. Gray’s Anatomy, 36th ed., Philadelphia, WB Saunders Co. 1980:p. 566.
2. Moore KL. Clinically Oriented Anatomy. Baltimore, Md., Williams & Wilkins; 1983:P.713.
3. Hollinshead WH. Anatomy for Surgeons, Vol 3 – The Back and Limbs, 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Harper & Rowe, 1982:pp319-322.
4. Johnson G, Bogduk N, Nowitzke A, House D. Anatomy and actions of the trapezius muscle. Clin Biomech 1994:44-50.
5. Perry J. Muscle control of the shoulder. In: Rowe CR, ed. The Shoulder. New York, Churchill Livingstone; 1988:17-34.

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The New Definition of Trapezius Muscle Function (Upper and Mid fibers)

(Taken from – Anatomy and actions of trapezius muscle, Johnson et al. 1994 and Diagnosis, Classification and Neuro-Musculo-Skeletal Management of Shoulder Impingements and Instabilities, Mark Comerford. 2009)

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Anatomy -

The occipital, nuchai and mid fibers pass downwards but mainly transversely to insert into the lateral 1/3 of the clavicle. The middle fibers run horizontally to attach to the inner border of the acromion & along the length of the crest of the scapula.

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Muscle Action -

The upper fibers do not elevate because their fiber direction is predominantly transverse. Along with the middle fibers, the upper fibers draw the scapula & clavicle backwards, raising the scapula  by rotating the clavicle about the sterno-clavicular joint. This action lifts the lateral end of the scapula (acromion) and allows upward rotation of the glenoid. (Note: the glenoid is really the most functional part of the scapula – The rest of it is just muscle attachments.)

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Stability Function -

The fibers from c7 & T1 are volumetrically (most of the fibers) the largest, During upward of the scapula, these fibers do not significantly change in length but maintain the horizontal and vertical equilibrium of the scapula rather than producing movement.

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More to come…

So there you have it – according to the sources above, the Upper Traps are more of a stabilizer muscle – not a mobilizer. With this new understanding of this muscle’s function, of course comes new training training applications. I’ve got more great research on the Traps coming to you soon in another upcoming post. I’ve also got some killer training info coming to you specifically about the Lower Traps. So, keep checking back because you don’t want to miss a single word of my TRUTH about the Traps series!

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As always, lets here your feedback on today’s post…

After attending David Sandler’s lecture titled “The Art of Looking Great” at the KettleBell Concepts Galvanize convention, it hit me how much EVERYONE really cares about one thing: Looking Great!

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As David Sandler mentions- “If you didn’t care about how you looked, you wouldn’t own a mirror”. Even if you’re more of a performance (lift more weight, run faster, jump higher,etc:) minded athlete, you still would like to have a six-pack. That means, you don’t just care about performing your best – you also want to look great!

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When I say “look great”, I’m talking about having a lean (low body fat) and muscular physique. One of the best methods I’ve found to help my athletes and clients lose the fat and keep the muscle, is to use metabolic strength training.

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Metabolic strength training is a method of using strength based exercises protocols in a systematic fashion that burns a large amount of calories both during and post (after) workout.

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The 3 C’s of Strength Training for Fat Loss

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There are three basic metabolic strength training methods I use here at Performance U to help my athletes incinerate body fat and build sick levels of metabolic conditioning without losing muscle mass!!

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The 3 methods are:

- Strength Training COMBINATIONS

- Strength Training COMPLEXES

- Strength Training CIRCUITS

These are the 3 C’s of Strength Training for Fat Loss.

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These 3 C’s are methods of ” Cardio free” fat loss training and are the basis for all the protocols featured in my Strength Training for Fat Loss DVD.

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Each of the 3 C’s share certain aspects that make them superior to other methods at accelerating metabolism, burning fat and improving work capacity without the side effect of losing muscle.

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Each of these aspects are important to understand if 1.) you’re looking to design your own metabolic strength training workouts and 2.) you’d like to know why the protocols displayed in the Strength Training for Fat Loss DVD are so incredibly effective.

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Why are the 3 C’s of Metabolic Strength Training effective?

Each of the 3 C’s of metabolic strength training is effective at burning fat and increasing work capacity (conditioning) levels for three reasons:

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1. They’re high intensity

These protocols use heavy loads, which force you to work very hard each time you move the weight. High load = high intensity. The higher the intensity, the greater the metabolic impact.

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2. They involve the entire body

Each of the 3 C’s of metabolic strength training utilize total body movements and/or encompass the four primary movement patterns: upper body pushing, upper body pulling, leg dominant, and hip dominant. More muscles worked = more calories burned. The more calories you burn, the more productive your workout, the faster you lose body fat.

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3. They demand extended repetitive effort

All of the 3 C’s protocols can each take anywhere from 60 seconds to upwards of 6 minutes + to complete. That’s several minutes of high intensity total-body effort. You don’t have to be an exercise science major to know how effective that combination is for fat loss and conditioning purposes.

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In short, the combination of these three factors will burn a ton of calories both during and post workout; something that morning stroll on the treadmill simply can’t match.

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Strength Training Intervals!

The 3 C’s are basically interval training concepts utilizing strength training exercises. In truth, as long as it follows the three training criteria I list above, almost anything can be used as a metabolic strength training tool. In fact,  in the Strength Training for Fat Loss DVD, I show over 100 exercises for how utilize creative bodyweight, dumbbell, kettlebell, barbells and Resistance band exercises to develop circuits, combinations and complexes. I did this not only to give you an insane amount of value, but to inspire you to think out-of-the-box and get creative!

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Coming Soon…

In an few upcoming posts, I’m going to focus on one of the three C’s: Combinations, Complexes & Circuits. I’m going to tell you exactly what it is, how to use it safely/effectively, give the best time in your workout to use it and even provide a few sample workouts!

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In the meantime, comment below and tell us about your favorite metabolic strength training workout(s). Any favorite protocols from the Strength Training for Fat Loss DVD?

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