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 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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by Nick Tumminello / Nov 25, 2009

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These days, just about everyone from strength coaches to exercise enthusiasts are familiar with the concept of a dynamic warm-up. That said, simply because you are aware of a concept doesn’t mean that you actually understand how to properly apply it.

Speaking around the country as a strength coach and educator, I’ve observed that most folks (even fitness professionals) still lack the ability to design and utilize a comprehensive dynamic warm-up that is effective in improving strength, functional range of motion, and overall performance.

This article will change that and will provide you with the necessary tools to maximize performance in both training and competition by using the Performance U approach to dynamic warm up.

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Continue Reading…

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by Nick Tumminello / Feb 15, 2010

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In Part 2 of his warm-up series, Nick Tumminello shows you exactly what you need to do to better prepare for your lower body workout days. These Lower Body Warm-up techniques are guaranteed to maximize strength, improve motor unit (muscle) recruitment, and help prevent injury.

This warm-up takes no more than ten minutes. If you are serious about improving your performance and breaking new PR’s, you’ll do well to listen to Nick Tumminello as he gives a lower body warm-up 101.

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Continue Reading…

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by Nick Tumminello / Tues, Dec 8, 2009

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Get bigger legs when you can’t squat. Build muscle when you can’t even hold on to weights. Get leaner when cardio stops working. Nick T. shows you how.

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Continue Reading…

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These days, it’s not uncommon to attend a Fitness Conference or be at a gym and hear Fitness professionals saying something to the effect off…

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- You glutes are not firing or, Your glutes are off!

- Your Transverse Abdominis (TvA) is turned off

- Your (fill in the blank)__________ muscle is not activating

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I’m sorry to say but statements like the ones above in most cases are inaccurate and  flat out wrong!

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There are only 3 reasons for a muscle to actually be turned off:

1. Paralysis

2. Deinnervation

3. Death

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Now, if you work with dead clients -you have the most boring job in the world and you’ll never get paid! The other two reasons require a qualified Therapist, not a FItness Professional!

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The TRUTH is -

- If you can walk, your glutes are on!

- If you can breath, your TvA is on!

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Now, lets get one thing crystal clear – Just because a muscle is active, doesn’t mean it’s level of activation is optimal!

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This is why I use Muscle Activation exercises as a regular part of my Warm Ups… and you should too!

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Throughout our daily living/working activities, we tend to spends lots of time sitting, slouching and not doing much athletic activity.

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In these cases, certain important muscles such as your glutes, scapular stabilizers and abdominals tend to down regulate their level of activation below optimal levels needs for safe, efficient and healthy movement.

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Over-time, this can lead to problems such as poor posture, sub-optimal athletic performance  and drastically increase risk of injury.

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Also, it can drastically hinder your performance in the gym if nothing is done during the transition stage from normal activity to athletic/gym based activity. This transition stage is your Warm Up!

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Muscle activation exercises help to quickly restore muscles to optimal levels of activation by utilizing exercises that cause your CNS to up-regulate them.

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The BIG take home Message!

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There are 3 very important points you should take away from this post:

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1. Muscles usually aren’t off, the muscle’s level of activation is simply down-regulated!

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2. If a muscle is actually turned off, it’s beyond the scope of practice of a Fitness Professional to deal with.

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3. Do your Muscle Activation exercises before EVERY workout!

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Leave your comments below and tell us about your favorite muscle activation exercises and techniques!

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One of the subjects that has been on mind for sometime now is Assessments. I’m referring to the Postural and Movement assessments currently being taught to FItness Professionals.

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First off, lets get one thing clear – I do not disagree with using some sort of assessment nor do I deny the importance of looking at movement. I personally use my own hybrid of Gray Cook’s FMS.

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That said, I do have concerns that this Assessment boom has brought with it confusion and misunderstanding. Heck, I get confused about the subject and I have lots of expirence and soeak with top PT’s on a daily basis!.

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I’m afraid our industry (the Fitness Industry) maybe getting overly caught up thinking we need to “fix” everyone’s problems because I regularly see fitness clients being treated like a re-hab patients and not nearly enough actual Strength & Conditioning is getting done.

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So, in the hopes to add some clarity to some of the confusion surrounding Movement Assessments, I put together this multi-part series called Assessing Our Assessments.

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To kick off part 1 – I wanted to provide you with some information on the scope of practice between a Fitness Professional and a Physical Therapist. And, discussing the definition of the two different professions. My good friend and colleague, Coach JC Santana has done a great job clarifying the two practices.

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Check out theses insightful words from JC Santana taken from his book “Essence of Program Design”. Which by the way is my favorite book on Program Design!

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“At the Institute of Human Performance, we rarely test or undergo formal assessment procedures. We believe that observing clients is what trainers do best. We also believe orthopedic assessments and tests are the specialty of physical therapists and orthopedic specialists, not personal trainers.”

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“Looking at some of the techniques and courses being offered to personal trainers, we wonder if the providers of the courses realize that the audience is made up of personal trainers. The content of the material we have seen at conferences and in educational materials targeting personal trainers is more appropriate for therapists and doctors. Here is our reasoning for not jumping onto the assessment bandwagon.”

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Before we even get into the efficacy of an assessment strategy, let’s first talk about the scope of practice of a personal trainer. As of this writing, I have only been able to find two organizations that have attempted to delineate the job description of a personal trainer: the ACSM and the NSCA. According to the ACSM, “The ACSM Health Fitness Instructor conducts exercise programs and provides health education for apparently healthy people.” Likewise, according to the NSCA, “The NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer trains active and sedentary, physically healthy individuals, as well as the elderly and obese.

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” Now, let’s compare this to the job description of a physical therapist. According to the Maine Physical Therapist Practice Act, ”physical therapy” means the evaluation, treatment and instruction of human beings to detect, assess, prevent, correct, alleviate and limit physical disability, bodily malfunction and pain from injury, disease and any other bodily condition; the administration, interpretation and evaluation of tests and measurements of bodily functions and structures for the purpose of treatment planning; the planning, administration, evaluation and modification of treatment and instruction; and the use of physical agents and procedures, activities and devices for preventive and therapeutic purposes; and the provision of consultative, educational and other advisory services for the purpose of reducing the incidence and severity of physical disability, bodily malfunction and pain. Now, where do you feel the assessments of muscular imbalances, compensations and other orthopedic problems belong? If you ask me, and based on the above job descriptions, they are the job of therapists and orthopedic specialists.”

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I am not suggesting you should not be educated in various areas of the allied health professions. I encourage education in any field of interest. However, practicing what you learn is another story. Heck, you can watch all the Discovery Channel you want; it still does not make you a surgeon.”

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I hope you enjoyed reading those quotes as much as I do because Coach JC Santana does make some compelling points and you cannot deny the industry definition of the two professions.

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I’ve got plenty more to the Assessing Our Assessements series. So, stay tuned!

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In the meantime, tell us what you think about today’s post?

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Also, me about any Movement Assessment related issues you’d like to hear about in a future post?

Core training is a hot topic. It always has been and always will be. Why? – Because even though we all may have different approaches to training the “core”. We all agree that the Core is important for health and performance.

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In this post, I’m going to provide with with an informative video that reveals a major missing piece to the core training spectrum. And, in the video, I show you a simple, very effective way to fill the gap and make your rotary / anti-roation core training more complete.

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So, if you want to discover a quick and easy way to improve your core training and create workouts that are safer and more effective, watch the video below now!

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I can honestly say that what I just taught you in the video above is one of the most important, yet often overlooked, aspects of an effective core training exercise program!

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Post your comments and let us know some of your favorite, “go to” Rotary and/or Ant-Rotation exercises!

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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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