Last week I showed how to perform a new version of the Pallof Press called the Vertical Pallof Press.

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I’m not done taking the Pallof press exercise to the next level! Check out how to perform the Lateral Pallof Press!

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Today, I’ve got some amazing pictures of the human spine to share with you. I took these pictures during a recent visit Alli and I had to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.

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Each picture gives you an up close and personal view of three different types of human spinal deformities: Spinal Osteoporosis, Spinal Scoliosis and Spinal Osteophytosis. I hope you find these pictures as interesting and educational as I do.

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Plus, viewing these pictures provides us a valuable lesson about Corrective Exercises and Functional Movement Assessment. I ‘ll talk about what that lesson is at the conclusion of this post.

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The Normal Human  Spine

For reference purposes- Here’s what a normal Human Spine should look like:

Normal Spine

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Three Common Spinal Disorders

Here’s an overview picture displaying all three Spinal Disorders:

Spinal Osteophytosis, Scoliosis and Osteoporosis

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Spinal Osteophytosis

A condition characterized by formation of multiple osteophytes:  Outgrowth of immature bony processes from the vertebrae, reflecting the presence of degenerative disease and calcification. It includes cervical and lumbar spondylosis.

Spinal Osteophytosis

Spine Osteophytosis

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Spine Scoliosis

Spine Scoliosis

A disorder that causes an abnormal curve of the spine, or backbone. Scoliosis is about two times more common in girls than boys. It can be seen at any age, but it is most common in those over 10 years old. Scoliosis is hereditary in that people with scoliosis are more likely to have children with scoliosis; however, there is no correlation between the severity of the curve from one generation to the next. Go here to learn more about Scoliosis.

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Spinal Osteoarthritis

“Osteoarthritis of the spine (also called spondylosis) is a degenerative disease affecting the facet joints (spinal joints) and the intervertebral discs. Osteoarthritis usually doesn’t begin until after the age of 45 and is the most common after the of age 60, but may occur at any age.” Definition taken from BigBackPain.com – Go here to learn more about Osteoarthritis of the spine.

Osteoarthritis of the Spine

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What Do these Pictures tell us about Posture, Pain and Corrective Exercise?

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Aside from the educational nature of viewing these three common spinal disorders close up – These pictures teach us Fitness Professionals, Sports Coaches and Physical Therapists a valuable lesson.

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The lesson is: You can’t alway blame muscle imbalances (muscles being overly tight, over active or too weak and inhibited) for poor posture, pain and movement dysfunctions.

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As you can see, all these spines have all been structurally modified and there’s not a corrective exercise program in the world that could change that.

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The fact is, when it comes to using corrective exercise and functional movement assessment – We must be able to separate the structural dysfunctions form the mechanical dysfunctions.

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Mechanical dysfunctions can be changed and reversed. However, structural changes cannot.

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So, the next time your corrective exercise program doesn’t seem to be helping “correct” anything. Don’t get frustrated.  You may be dealing with a structural issue that’s beyond anything anyone can help. Just be smart, work around the problem and you’ll be fine!

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Please join me in Congratulating Performance U client and current intern, Ben Brewster for pitching his way to winning the MIAA High-School Baseball League Championship game Monday, May 25th!

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The headline of the MIAA Sports website reads: “Brewster is overpowering in clinching B title for Park”.

Here’s what the MIAA league website said about Ben’s Championship game winning performance -

“The Park School senior had a performance Monday that conjured images of the future Hall of Famer. Brewster, who plans to attend the University of Maryland next year and compete for a spot on the baseball team, struck out 16, leading the Bruins to a 3-2 victory over Annapolis Area Christian at Ripken Stadium to claim the 2010 MIAA B Conference baseball crown, on Monday.”

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Go here to read more about Ben’s championship game.

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Ben’s winning performance is credit to all his hard work and dedication to both the sport of baseball and his Strength & Conditioning program.

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Ben – You are a stand out on the Baseball field and you are most certainly a stand out here at Performance U. You have done us all proud and I’m lucky to have you as a client and intern!

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If you don’t know about the Pallof Press: It’s one of the best Anti rotation core training exercises you can do. I’ve taken the traditional Pallof Press anti rotation exercise and applied to a 3D model. This thought process has helped me to develop two brand new variations of Pallof Press. One of which – the Vertical Pallof Press – I’m going to share with you in today’s post. The other variation is coming to you soon as well.

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To see how the traditional Pallof Press exercise is done – Watch this video of my good friend and colleague Tony Gentilcore. My man Tony G has a great Blog with lots of great training info and lots more cool videos.

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The Pallof Press Exercise

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Now that you understand how to do the Traditional Pallof Press to improve your anti rotation core strength – Here’s how you can use my Pallof Press variation to improve the function of your anterior abdominals to resist trunk extension. I call this version the Vertical Pallof Press.

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The Performance U – Vertical Pallof Press Exercise

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The Vertical Pallof press is one of the popular abs exercises among myself and my clients.

Give the new, Vertical Pallof Press exercise a try and post your comments!

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One of my favorite training protocols is the Farmers Walk exercise. The Farmers Walk is easy to apply, simple to understand and just plain tough to do. Especially when you combine it with a Dumbbell complex as I’ve done in the video below!

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In this video, I show you step-by-step, how to perform one of my Performance U, Farmers Walk for Fat loss Metabolic finisher workouts.

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If you’re looking for some new Metabolic finisher workout ideas, a new way to spice up your Farmers Walk training or simply interested in trying a fitness challenge – This Farmers Walk Metabolic Finisher workout will deliver BIG-TIME Fat loss and Conditioning results!

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I’m always up for some new Metabolic Finisher workout ideas. So, comment below and tell us what you thought of this Farmers Walk workout and provide some new workout challenges of your own!

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As you may have noticed, my website is currently being improved and updated. While this process happens, many of the links may not function properly. We are working as fast as possible to get the updates finished and looking forward to making NickTumminello.com even better than it already is!

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Scroll down to view my newest Blog Post

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Today, I’ve got two great 10 min Airdyne Bike workouts to tell you about. But, first I have to mention my experience speaking at the 2010 JP Fitness Summit this past weekend.

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Alli and I just returned from an incredibly fun and informative weekend in Kansas City at the 2010 JP Fitness Summit. I can honestly say – if you weren’t there, you should have been! You won’t find a better group of speakers and attendees than what you’ll get at the JP Fitness Summit. So, make sure you are there next year!

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I would like to thank Nick Bromberg for having my as one of the presenters, for being such a good host and for putting together such a great list of speakers. I’d also like to thank David Bromberg for cabbing me, Alli and the rest of the presenters around all weekend. Also, thanks to everyone who attended! – You all really made it a wonderful and  very memorable experience for us! You all will definitely being seeing me on the JP Fitness forums from now on!

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Now that I’ve got my thank you’s out of the way, let’s talk about how to get a great Airdyne Bike workout in just 10 minutes!

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10min Airdyne Bike Workouts

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If you’re like me, you don’t like to do long cardio type workouts. I like to hit it hard and fast, then go home! That my friends is the essence of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

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If you’re looking for some new, battlet-tested Airdyne Bike workouts guaranteed to accelerate metabolism, scorch body fat, improve mental toughness and build the conditioning needed to outlast the competition – These two Airdyne Bike workouts will be just what the doctor ordered!

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Both of these workouts are based on a pyramid principle. As the Intensity of each High-Intensity Interval increases, the duration decreases.

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10 Min Airdyne Workout #1

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2 min – Easy Ride

1min – Hard ride

1min – Easy ride

45 sec – Hard ride

1:15 min – Easy ride

30 sec – Hard ride

1:30 min – Easy ride

15 sec – Hard ride

1:45 min – easy ride

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Airdyne Workout #2

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2min – Easy ride

15 sec – Hard ride

1:45 min – Easy ride

30 sec – Hard ride

1:30 min – Easy ride

45 sec – Hard ride

1:15 – Easy ride

1 min – Hard ride

1min – Easy ride

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If you hadn’t noticed – These two workouts are the inverse of each other. Workout #1 requires you to go hard for the longest time frame in the beginning and gradually increases the rest as you progress through. Workout #2 does just the opposite. As you progress through, you’re required to work hard for a longer period of time.

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Both of these workouts are completely self regulated. Just go as hard as you can on the hard rides and do your best to compose your breathing during the easy rides.

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I like both workouts because they are simple to understand, easy to remember. And, of course, both are very effective at boosting metabolism and improving conditioning levels!

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Program Design  Tip – Alternate these two 10min Airdyne Bike workouts each time you interval train.

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No Airdyne bike – No problem!

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Both of these 10 minute, High-Intensity Interval workouts can easily be use with a Treadmill, Spinning Bike, Rowing machine or applied to an outdoor running/sprinting workout.

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For more great Airdyne Bike Workout ideas, check out this post on Coach Mike Boyle’s Blog.

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Give each of these 10min Airdyne Bike workouts a try and tell us about your experience on the comment section.

Also, tell us about your favorite HIIT workouts!

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Not too long ago, I wrote an article for T-Nation called – Big Lats. In that article, I featured a new exercise which I named the compound row.

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Since writing the Big Lats article over 1 year ago, I still get emails almost daily form Fitness Professionals and athletes asking for more information about using the Compound Row exercise.

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In today’s post I’ve provided you will all the information needed to safely and effectively use the Compound Row exercise within your training program.

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First, watch the video to learn how to properly perform the Compound Row. Then, read all the information below the video about why the Compound Row exercise is so effective.

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The Double-Duty Lat Pull — The Compound Row

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Here’s what I wrote about the Compound Row in my – Big Lats – article originally published on T-Nation.com:

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“Let’s return to the discussion of the lats as part of the core. Because the lats insert at the iliac crest — the top of your pelvic girdle — they play a role in back extension. And when you extend your back, you’re almost always tilting the top of your pelvis forward at the same time, exaggerating the arch in your lower back.”

“A lot of guys incorporate and exaggerate back extension when they do seated close-grip rows. That is, they bend forward on the negative and then lean backward on the concentric part of each repetition. My guess is that few TMUSCLE readers do this, because more advanced lifters know that it puts unnecessary stress on the lower back, while at the same time taking work away from your upper-back muscles.”

“But there is a way to combine back extension with a close-grip pull without so much risk to your lumbar spine. It’s called the standing compound row.”

“Put the triangle extension on a high cable pulley, stand a few feet back with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent, and bend forward at the hips so your torso and arms create a straight line with the cable. Straighten your hips as you pull the handle to your lower chest.”

“Because you’re standing, your lower back doesn’t go into as much flexion as it would if you were bending forward on a seated row. Plus, standing movements like this are always more functional. In sports, the actions requiring upper-body strength and power are almost always dependent on coordinated action with the core and lower body.”

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Give the Compound Row and try and tell me what you think on the comments section.

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This post may be one of the shortest, yet most informative posts I’ve ever written! Today I’m going to reveal one of my “go-to”, battle-tested strategies for designing the perfect Tri-set.

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I often get asked by Fitness Professionals who attend my workshops, “what do you for a ________ athlete/client?”. My answer is always “I can’t tell you because everyone is different”. That said, although the exercises I choose will be different from person to person – my general program design methods remain roughly the same. Today, I’m giving you one of those methods!

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Anyone can immediately apply this Tri-set strategy to improve the desnity, productivity and effectiveness of each and every workout! All you have to do is plug and play!

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The Perfect Tri-Set

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As the name implies, this Performance U Tri-Set structure is a combination of three types of exercises each performed in the following order:

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1. Strength Exercise

2. Core Exercise

3. Mobility Exercise

REPEAT!

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Well, there you have it! This Tri-set combination is one of the most used exercise combination strategies I use with all my athletes and clients here at Performance U. Put it to work for you to get better results and add more value to all of your workouts!

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By now, I’m sure you are aware that I’ve modified the traditional YTWL Shoulder circuit to the smarter and more effective, LYTP Shoulder Circuit. Many other Strength Coaches, Personal Trainers and Rehab Professionals have also done so and adapted the Performance U LYTP Shoulder Circuit. If you are not familiar with the LYTP Shoulder Circuit, Go here!

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In today’s post I’m going to show you my top 3 favorite ways to apply the LYTP Shoulder exercises.

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Check out the video below and discover the 3 best body positions in which to perform the LYTP Shoulder exercise circuit!

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Post your comments below and tell us about how you use the LYTP Shoulder circuit in your training.

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