Okay, I’m back from my cruise vacation through the Mexican Riviera. I’m a little tanner, a little fatter and still a little jet lagged from flying cross country.

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But, I’m back in the gym a ready to hit you with more smarter Strength & Conditioning concepts.

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My primary focus on this and my next few posts is core / abs training.

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Everybody loves core training!

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Check out my newest “go to” core, rotation / anti-rotaion exercise.

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I call it the Tight Rotation

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Stay tuned for a few advanced progression to the Tight Rotation!

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My good friend and fellow strength coach, Mike Robertson, has recently started doing podcast interviews with some of the worlds top experts in Nutrition, Strength and Sports Performance Enhancement.

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He calls these interviews the “In the Trenches Fitness Podcast”

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I recently had the pleasure of joining Mike’s elite group of interviewees.

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The entire interview is free on itunes. Or, you can go to Mike’s website and listen to here.

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In my Podcast interview, you will find out

- why and how I got into the industry

- the biggest influences in my training career

- why “corrective exercise” is something of a myth

- how I improved the standard shoulder circuit to get you healthier than ever before!

Plus, a ton more!

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After listening to the interview, be sure to check out Mike’s other Podcast interviews and his Blog posts. Mike’s website has been on my personal “go to” list for a while because he always provides great training information.

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Additionally, during my In the Trenches Fitness Interview, I promised to post some videos revealing my new favorite core training protocol.

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Those videos are coming very soon so keep checking back!

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I’m still getting some great feedback on both, my Truth About Olympic Lifts article and my Olympic lifting Alternatives post.

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Folks seem to really dig the idea of getting the big gains in explosive power that these  Olympic Lifting Alternatives deliver, without the learning curve.

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Check out these more advanced, more explosive medicine ball exercise progressions.

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Each of these two exercises featured in the below videos are the next step (more advanced) from the two medicine ball exercises featured in my Olympic Lifting Alternatives post.

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I came across this video and though 1. it was an interesting take on the issue of performance enhancing drugs and 2. it would be a great topic to have readers comment on.

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I’d love to hear your feedback on this video so, please hit me with your comments!

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If you are anything like me, you believe that Organic food is better for you and better for the environment.

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Well, after doing my research, I’ve had some real changes in thinking. It’s time we all started educating ourselves before just shelling out hard on money on may high priced organic foods.

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My goal with these posts is to provide you with that type education.

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If you haven’t read my 2 part post entitled Is Organic Food Healthier?, I suggest you do so ASAP.

Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

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Along with discovering the TRUTH about how healthy organic food is compared to non-organic provided by that article. Read this amazing article by Ronald Bailey entitled Organic Alchemy and discover how healthy organic farming really is for the environment.

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Organic Alchemy

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Organic food production is growing by leaps and bounds in the United States. Many consumers are willing to pay premium prices for organic fruits, vegetables, and meats, convinced that they are helping the earth and eating healthier.

Swiss scientists at the Research Institute for Organic Agriculture have just published a 21-year study in Sciencecomparing two types of organic farming with two types of conventional agriculture. The results initially seem to back up those consumer beliefs, and the press has described the research as showing that organic farms are “viable” (to quote the Los Angeles Times) and “more efficient” (to quote Reuters). But don’t rush out just yet to Whole Foods to stock up on organic arugula or chard.

(more…)

In my Truth About Olympic Lifts article, I mentioned alternative methods to developing explosive power and force transfer.

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The medicine ball exercises featured in the videos below are fantastic methods of developing explosive power without the learning curve required to properly perform Olympic lifts.

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Plus, these medicine ball exercises build the foundation for a few more advanced versions in which I will provide in an upcoming post.

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Be sure to perform these exercises as explosively as possible.

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Both of these medicine ball exercises are personal favorites of mine.
There’s nothing better than getting outside, getting a tan and taking your aggressions out on a poor old defenseless medicine ball.

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By Nick Tumminello / Posted on T-nation August 13th.

They can be a great tool for athletes and gym rats, as long as you know how to use them… and when to avoid them.

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Continue Reading…

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by – Nick Tumminello

Published September 2009 in Men’s Health Magazine

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Continue Reading…

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by – Nick Tumminello

Published September 2009 in Men’s Health Magazine

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Continue Reading…

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Check out episode 41 of the Strength Coach Podcast.
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Myself, Mike Boyle and Charlie Weingroff discuss the question “is lumbar flexion bad?”.
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Although I disagree with both Mike and Charlie’s view on the subject, I have the highest respect for them and what they do.
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This interview will give you insight into a few different perspectives on programing lumbar flexion exercises like Yoga, Inchworms and Reverse Crunches.

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It’s important that we all realize and embrace differing opinions and approaches within our ever changing industry.
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Take a lesson from from us Pros and have a clear understanding that we can disagree without showing disrespect.
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Go here to listen to the entire podcast for FREE!

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