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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Yesterday, my article titled Six New Tabata Workouts for Fast Fat Loss was published at Tmuscle.com.

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The article tells you everything you need to know about the Tabata protocol and effective Tabata workouts. But, the article originally included 7 workouts, not 6! The editors, for whatever reason, decided not to included the 7th workout.

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That’s okay because in today’s post, I’m going to hit you with the missing 7th Tabata workout!

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So, here’s the missing workout exactly as I wrote it the unedited New Tabata Workouts for Fast Fat Loss article:

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Tabata Workout #7 – Bodyweight Tabata (8 Exercises)

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This bodyweight Tabata incorporates 8 exercises and alternates from the lower body, to the core, to the upper body and finishes with a total body exercise. This is repeated twice to equal four minutes total.

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Here’s how it goes down-

20 sec Speed Squats or Squat jumps (lower body)

10 sec rest

20 sec Tight Core Rotations (core)

10 sec rest

20 sec Push Ups (upper-body)

10 sec rest

20 sec Burpees (total body)

10 sec rest

20 sec Lunges or Lunge Jumps (lower body)

10 sec rest

20 sec Tight Core Rotations (core)

10 sec rest

20 sec Plank Fast Hands (upper body)

10 sec rest

20 sec Burpee w/Jump

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Remember to perform each exercise as fast and with as much intensity as possible!

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There are two exercises listed above you may not be familiar with? – The Tight Core Rotations and the Plank Fast Hands.

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Go here to learn how to do the Tight Core Rotations

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Watch the video below to learn how to perform the Plank Fast Hands exercise.

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As always, I love to hear your comments, thoughts and favorite workouts. So, hit me with everything you have to say that’s related to doing Tabata style workouts!

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Six New Tabata Workouts for Fast Fat Loss
by Nick Tumminello | Jan 6, 2010

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TMUSCLE coach Nick T. takes on a classic conditioning protocol, and the results are guaranteed to leave you gasping.

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Continue Reading…

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As you may already know from reading Alli’s training Blog – This week is a Deloading phase for us.

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We have  a great workout group consisting of myself, Alli, Mark (Simonetti) Simon and MMA guru, John Rallo. We have all been hitting it very hard lately and our bodies are in need of a rest and recovery week. So, to help us recover, we have toned things down a great deal and we are currenlty doing a Deloading workout each day.

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I’ve found that many folks, even  Strength Coaches and Trainers have trouble figuring out what to do and not to do during a Deload phase.

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So, in today’s post, I’m going to provide you a sample of a Deloading workout.

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Below is a layout of the exact Deloading workout we did today. This deload workout is lower- body dominant because today (Tuesday) is a Lower-body training day for us.

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Sample Deload Workout for the Lower-Body

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This Delaod Workout is performed Circuit training style with 3 different work stations:

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Station #1 – 4 Minute Ride on Airdyne Bike at 60-70 RPM

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Station #2 – 4 Minute Sled Pull (mix up facing forward and Backward) w/200lbs load (done on turf)

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Station #3 – 4 Minute Mobility/Activation Sequence, 1min High Hurdle Step-Over , 1min Mini-Band walks (any direction), 1min Yoga-Plex, 1min Dynamic Pigeons (hip rotator stretch)

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Rest 1 Minute between stations. Perform  3-4 rounds of the entire circuit.

A full circuit takes 15minutes total. So, 3 rounds takes exactly 45min time. Four rounds take 1hr.

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Important Deload Week Notes

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After this or any other deloading workout – You should NOT feel tired or be out of breath!

Instead, you should have a nice sweat going but still be able to talk normally and feel minimal muscle fatigue.

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REMEMBER – A deload week is for active recovery, it’s NOT a workout and shouldn’t feel like one!

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Don’t forget to post your comments below and tell us what you thought of this Deload workout and about your own personal favorite deloading techniques!

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Alright, I’ve got allot of cool stuff in this issue of Freestyle Friday. So, lets get to it!

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My Lost Fitcast Interview

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Back during the Thanksgiving Holiday, I did my second interview with the Fitcast. It was a great interview that covered:

- Functional Movement Screening

- Fat Loss Training

- Training with a Herniated Disc(s)

And plenty more!

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For some strange reason, I never sent out an email or Blog post notifying anyone of this free interview. So, better late than never!

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Go here to listen my FREE Fitcast Interview!

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Cool Workout Tunes!

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Occasionally, I like to talk about some of the music on the Performance U playlist. These are songs and bands we like to jam to when getting after it in the gym. I try to only talk about lesser known bands that rock!

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The Band – RA

Favorite Album by RA – Duality

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Favorite Songs by RA – Rectifier, I Lost Everything Today, Everything Little She Does is Magic (cover)

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5 Superpowers You Didn’t Know Your Body Was Hiding From You

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This is a very interesting, insightful and humorous article  found on Cracked.com.

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Those motivational speakers are right: You are capable of amazing things. You wouldn’t know it, because 99 percent of the time your body or brain hides these superpowers from you.

Sure, they say there’s a good reason, but we’re not sure we’re buying it. Dammit, we want our…

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Go here to Continue Reading…

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Alright, I’m back home from giving two killer presentations at the ECA World Fitness THRIVE Conference. The crowd at both classes could not have been any better and a BIG Thanks goes out to all the folks at ECA for welcoming me with open arms and for their amazing staff!

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On top of that, Alli had her Figure Competition this past weekend. Tomorrow, I will reveal the results and talk about what goes back stage at a Figure Show.

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For now, we are back in action with Smarter Strength and Conditioning concepts!

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In todays post, I’m going to hit you with one of my favorite Leg Complexes. A  leg complex could also be called a leg circuit.

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This complex is one of the version I have developed from the original Super Legs circuit designed by my good friend, Coach JC Santana.

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This Leg Complex is done unilaterally so its great for sports specific purposes and for physique competitors to develop symmetry.

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In my last post, I provided you with Mark Young’s brilliant concept of using Tight Rotations as part of a cardio / conditioning / fat loss workout.

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As promised, in this post, I have provided a video that will show you one of the ways I utilize Tight Rotations in our Metabolic Conditioning here at Performance U.

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In this video, you will see Alli McKee doing some serious upper body dominant conditioning after her Strength Workout. Trust me when I say, Alli can out-last any and all comers when it comes to conditioning. When we are training, regardless of how difficult the workout, Alli won’t stop until I tell her to stop! That my friends is the type of drive, mental toughness and dedication it takes to be a champion!

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And, its why Alli is going to kick ass on stage at her figure competition next week!

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Watch Alli “get after it” in the only she knows how, as she performs 1 round of her interval conditioning.

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Now , go here to read Alli’s Blog post in which she reveals the exact training specifics of the Conditioning workout you have just watched. Yes, here, Alli tells you the specific reps, sets, tempos, rests used in during her strength session that day. Plus,  she provides the work/rest interval times she performed on the conditioning workout in the video here.

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Where else can you get real world training information like this? – No where but here at NickTumminello.com and at Alli’s Fit to Figure Blog.

A little while ago, my good friend and Fellow Strength Coach, Mark Young, sent me an email about how he has been incorporating the Tight rotation Core training progressions into his interval conditioning workouts.  You can check out Mark’s Blog here.

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I wanted to share Mark’s email with you because he has a great idea that I think we all can highly benefit from. Plus, his one interval training concept has sparked about 100 new interval training ideas for me. And, I’m sure it will for you too!

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First, If you are not familar with the Tight Rotation Core Training Progressions;

Go here to see Tight Roation Level 1,

Go Here to view Tight Roation Level 2

and Here to Tight roation Level 3.

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Now, here is Mark’s email about how he use Tight Rotations to spice up his Interval Training and Fat Loss workouts;

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“Nick – I saw your post the other day about Dewey Nielsen and thought I should share my implementation of the tight rotation as well.  Since you mentioned it to me a while ago I have been using it and figured this might be of interest.”

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“I often like to mix core work with conditioning in the interest of time and so I came up with the idea of having my clients do a tight rotation for time (usually 20-30 seconds) followed immediately by a 30-40 yard sprint.  I never imagined how intense this would be, but most clients tell me that their obliques feel like they’re about to explode after this.  After 5 consecutive sprints people are totally cooked. – Mark Young”

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Put simply, I love Mark’s idea! Since receiving his email, I have been taking Mark’s concept of using Tight Rotations as part of a interval conditioning and Fat Loss workouts and applying it myself, in a multitude of ways, all with much success! Try it yourself and I’m sure will too

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The training options available with applying the Tight Rotation progressions into your interval conditioning and fat loss workouts are endless! You are only limited by your imagination! Just make sure you a have a good reason for doing whatever way you come up with!

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If you are still not confident in developing your own methods of using Tight Rotations in your metabolic workouts, don’t worry because I’m going to take the guess work out of it and show I use it here at Performance U!

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In my next post, I will provide you a real world training video, featuring one of my favorite metabolic conditioning / Fat Loss circuits utilizing Tight Rotations.

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Stay tuned!!!

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege  of presenting four workshops at the AFPA Sports & Fitness Conference in Myrtle Beach SC. The event went great and all the fitness professionals who attended came with great energy and a fantastic willingness to learn.

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Out of the four workshops I taught, my favorite was the Strength Training For Fat Loss workshop. Simply because it was a topic that everyone seems interested in, regardless of training specialty. In fact, I feel luck enough to say that I got present this workshop ion front of the largest audience of the entire conference.

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I understand that no all of you nicktumminello.com readers could attend this conference. So, I asked my wonderful girlfriend, Alli Mckee, to video some clips for your viewing pleasure.

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Speaking of Alli, her figure show is just a few weeks away. So, be sure to check out her blog as she shows you how she and I have been getting those few fat percentages down while keeping her strong and muscular and ready for the stage.

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If you liked this video, you will absolutely love the next one because the next clip is of the audience I doing the practical exercise portion of Strength Training for Fat Loss workshop. So, stay tuned for that.

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Also, don’t forget that 1.) the Strength Training For Fat Loss DVD is available on the products page and 2.) I’d love to hear your thoughts on this video clip so please leave your comments!

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There is a multitude of great exercises out there. But, few as simple, effective and versatile as the Push-Up.
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Here at Performance U, we use some form of Push Ups to develop strength, power, muscle size, endurance and even core stability, spinal health and postural awareness.
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In this post, I’d like to show you a push up drop set I developed to accommodate the needs of my physique and strength athletes.
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The Push Up drop set in the video is one version we commonly use on high rep days for both our male and female athletes. That said, this drop set is also great for the folks or want to increase their relative body strength or get to the 100 push up mark.
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That said, for the folks who just like a new challenge or love to feel a killer pump, this drop set delivers big!
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As you will see in the video below, Alli Mckee is wearing a 20lb weighted vest. Alli is very strong and needs the additional load to challenge her on her higher rep days which see discusses more in-depth here.
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Don’t forget to check Alli’s Blog for more real world figure and physique training information.
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For those who are not as strong on the push up as Alli. Simply perform the same drop set with out using additional load.
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There is no set rep range for this drop-set. We simply crank out reps until your pace slows significantly and you only have 2-3 reps left before failure. At this point, you switch to the next, easier push up variation as you will see on the video.

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In my next post, I will hit you with another killer push up drop set that will humble even your biggest, strongest male athletes.
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Plus, this next push up sequence is great to use in your quest to increase that Bench Press max!
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Stay tuned!