My last few posts have been discussing the concept of whether or not Ab crunches and other trunk flexion exercises are dangerous.

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I’m afraid my actual approach to using crunches in my daily training may be misunderstood due to no one’s fault but my own.  I’ve always prided myself on delivering non-biased, battlet-tested training information that empowers you to think for yourself and not just follow. I try to encourage personal creativity and always try to provide information from both sides of controversial topics such as the lumbar flexion debate. That said, based on a few comments floating around the internet on my recent posts, I don’t think folks really understand my true view on this matter.

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In today’s post, I’m going to clarify my take on crunches, flexion exercises and low back pain research by such brilliant folks like Stuart McGill.

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Clarifying Crunches

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I have to give credit to my good friend, Coach Mike Boyle for helping me realize that the messages in my posts may be getting misconstrued. Below is a conversation exchange Coach Boyle and I had a few days ago on his Strength Coach Blog from his post entitled “No More Crunches“.

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mboyle1959 Says:
March 3, 2010 at 6:11 am

Nick- maybe I should have said “he likes to play Devil’s Advocate”. I know how you train people but, I think your posts sometimes give people the wrong impression of your views. This post was a case in point. The writer used your point to take a stance opposite one your primariliy ageree with. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

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Nick Tumminello Says:
March 3, 2010 at 5:38 am

Just to clarify a few things:

1. I don’t disagree just for the sake of argument. Put simply, I never have and never will like blanket statements. For instances: “crunches are bad”. No, too many crunches can be bad for some. I would say any exercise is bad, if it’s done to the extent and large amount of volume crunches are often performed. Squat are great, but 100 squats done everyday may be tough on your knees?

REMEMBER – Flexion is not the problem – High repetition flexion is the problem!

2. I do NOT use trunk flexion all that often in my training. But, not because I’m afraid crunches will put my clients on the surgery table.

I don’t use crunches often because much of my training times is dedicated to reversing the sitting position (aka slouchy posture). Crunches replicate this posture and therefore I feel my clients valuable training time is better used not do anything like they already do 8+ hrs a day. This is why I do agree with Coach Boyle when he tells young trainers to cut out crunches and has done it himself.

But, that doesn’t mean we should look down upon a smart and experienced coach if he or she decides to use crunches for a specific athlete.

3. I have a great deal of respect for Dr. McGill and in no way am I attempting to discredit him. I do however feel there are a few things in his book that have no bearing on human movement for the reasons I wrote in that blog post. That said, MOST of what DR. McGill talks about, I believe in 100% and use everyday.

In short, do I think anyone NEEDs to do crunches? – Absolutely NOT! But, then again, I don’t think there is any one exercise that has magical powers that everyone MUST do. A squat, deadlift, Push Up, etc: are all just exercises.

Best regards!

Coach N

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I hope this clarifies things a bit.  If you’d like to read the rest of the comments from this thread go here.

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I have the honor of designing the feature workout article in the new, April issue of Men’s Fitness Magazine in stores now!

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This Contrast Training workout will have leaner and more powerful than ever before in just 3 weeks!

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Please check out the article and comment here about what you thought of the workout.

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Now, I’m off to Columbus OH for the Arnold Classic. Anyone else going?

I’m looking forward to meeting some members of my internet family!

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I cant believe the amazing amount feedback we had on my last post displaying Mark’s videos! It just goes to show how important this Low back pain stuff is.

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Today, (as promised in my last post) I’m going to discuss the negative side of looking at the spine the way displayed in  Mark Young’s videos. But, before I do so – I would like to first congratulated Mark for his fantastic video idea.

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Secondly, I’d like to apologize for the delay in this Blog response. Last week was very hectic as I traveled to Arlington Va, to present at the 2010 IDEA Personal Trainer Institute convention. This was a sold out event and I was honored to be a part of it along with such names a Gary Gray, Todd Durkin and Bill Sonnemaker.

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Both of my classes, Secrets of Joint Mobility and Dynamic Warm Up – New Concepts & Techniques, were filled to capacity with best and brightest fitness professionals in the area. I had a blast teaching at this event and I wanted to thank IDEA for again, having me as a presenter and THANK YOU to everyone who attended – You ALL made this event a fun and memorable part of my life!

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Now, lets talk more about the Spine and Spinal research!

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In Mark’s videos, he used Pig spines to show us an inside look at what commonly used exercises may be risky for the back. Using pig spines for research is fairly standard at Universities as is by world renowned back specialist, Stuart McGill who also uses pig spines in his research which can found all over the internet and his two amazing books – Low Back Disorders and Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance.

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Now, the problem with looking at pig spines is that sometimes we end up hitting the bullseye of the wrong target. As my good friend, mentor and world famous PT, Mark Comerford says “Pig spines are great to look at physiology, but not biomechanics – Pigs don’t have upright spines”

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What Comerford says is an obvious truth that I’m still astounded has been missed by some incredibly smart people! With no disrespect to Stuart McGill – who cares how many flexion cycles it takes to buckle a dead pig spine!

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First off, upright flexion is not normal pig function. The only time a pig stands upright (on two legs) is when it’s trying to hump another pig.

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Secondly, pigs don’t have any functional movement similarities to humans what so ever. This goes back to what Comerford said above.

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And, third – this is dead spine with no muscles to control force and no regenerative qualities that a living creature would have. I could get into all the science here. But, instead I’ll give you this analogy:

You take a frog out of the swamp and place it into a glass box with a few plants, some water and artificial light. You still will never find out how it lives in the swamp. All you will know is what a frog does in a glass box. And in this case, we are placing a spider in a glass case to find out what a frog does in the wild. It makes no sense! – This is why I said that we’ve gotten good at hitting the bullseye of the wrong target!

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So, in short – it’s important that we do not confuse physiology with movement biomechanics. Animal spines are great for looking at general structure, some animals over others as explained in this scientific comparison. But, when it comes to human biomechanics – Well, thats a whole different animal – Pun intended!

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Coming Soon!

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Many folks were also upset about what Mark said in this post about the dangers of squatting. I have some thoughts in regards to that as well. I will talk about these thoughts in an upcoming post.

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Meanwhile, lets here your comments on today’s post!

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As I mentioned in these posts, Low back pain is a popular topic because so many folks, of all ages, suffer from it.

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My good friend and colleague, Mark Young, has provided us some incredible videos about the anatomy of the spine and why specific exercises like Crunches, Squats and Russian Twists may be more risky than others.

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The value of the information Mark’s videos provide us is priceless! – And, you get them here absolutely FREE!

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NOTE – the views displayed in the videos below do not necessarily coincide with the Performance U approach to Strength & Conditioning.

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I always pride myself on being a neutral, non-biased educator. So, in my next post, I will talk about the negative side of looking at the spine in the manner in which Mark provided above. You absolutely don’t want to miss it. So, stay tuned!

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IMPORTANT MESSAGE!

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We are currently doing some website updates which required me to make Blog posts for each of my most recent articles. I’ve written over ten articles in the last few months. So, following this post, you will see multiple posts below, each cataloging a different Performance U training article.

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If you are looking for the latest Blog Post, simply scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Older Posts”. This will take you to the next page to find the latest Blog post titled – The BEST Lower Body Strength Exercises.

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Freestyle Friday vol.3

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Once again I’m bringing you some cool training music recommendations we like to rock out to while “getting after it” at the gym. Plus, I’ve got a must-read article about how Twitter and Facebook could be killing you brain!

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Music from the Performance U Playlist

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The Band/Artist – Eric B & Rakim

Genre – Old School Hip/Hop

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Eric B and Rakim produced some of the best Hip/Hop ever made! Although they’re from the late 80s- early 90s, Eric B and Rakim’s music never gets old! These guys were truly ahead of their time!

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Favorite Songs – Paid in Full, Don’t Sweat the Technique, Microphone Fiend, Juice, In the Ghetto, I Ain’t No Joke, Follow the Leader, Casualties of War.

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Is Facebook and Twitter Destroying Your Brain?

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Last year, Susan Greenfield, the recently retrenched director of Britain’s Royal Institution, warned us that social media, such as Facebook or Twitter, is infantilising our brains, causing us to have short attention spans, sensationalism and an inability to empathise.

She was heavily critisised by some for her comments and continues to come under fire about her science. - (Taken from the Cosmos Online Newsletter)

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Go here to listen to this interview FREE!

Go here to listen to interview FREE!

by Nick Tumminello

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Improve overall fitness and coordination by forcing multiple muscles to work together. This full-body movement links big muscles around your abs and back with your hips, shoulders, and neck, says Nick Tumminello, C.P.T., owner of Performance University.

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Continue Reading…

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Training Tip by Nick Tumminello

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Most people don’t fully engage their shoulders and back in a pushup, says Nick Tumminello, C.P.T. But you can…

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Continue Reading…

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Training Tip by Nick Tumminello

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You won’t fully engage your back and shoulder muscles if you rely solely on your arm, says Nick Tumminello, C.P.T. Instead,…

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Continue Reading…

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