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On this episode of the Healthy Wealthy and Smart Podcast, Nick Tumminello joins me to discuss exercise prescription. Nick Tumminello is the 2016 NSCA Personal Trainer of the Year, and the Editor-in-chief of the NSCA Personal Training Quarterly journal. He’s the author of three books: Building Muscle and Performance, StrengthTraining for Fat Loss, and Your Workout PERFECTED. He’s been a trainer for over 20 years, is the former strength coach for team Ground Control MMA and has trained professional athletes in field, court, combat and physique sports.
In this episode, we discuss:
-How to apply the 4 principles of strength and conditioning to program design
-Progressive and regressive load management
-Why the Socratic Method should be used when discussing training philosophies
-Nick’s approach to new fitness fads
-And so much more!
Nick has found that trainers train their clients with trendy methods and neglect to tailor a program to meet the clients’ unique goals. When designing a program, Nick stresses, “The approach is determined by the goal… It’s not determined by my bias as a trainer or my favorite pet exercise.” A client must always be the driver of their own success, but Nick sees an important role for strength and conditioning coaches to enable their client’s full potential. He believes, “A facilitator gives people what they need to achieve what they want.”
A solid training and rehab regime is built on adhering to these four principles: goal specificity, individuality, progressive overload and variability. Nick has found that, “If you focus your training or your rehabilitation approaches on principles and you go from principles up not methods down, your training or your rehab approach will never go out of date.”
Nick’s experience with members of the health and fitness community has led him to believe that an open approach to communication rather than a divisive or pedagogical one will lead to more success in promoting your message. Nick advises, “Ask more questions and genuinely listen.”
For more information on Nick:
“A bit of an outsider…”
That’s how Nick Tumminello describes himself in the fitness industry. He’s an independent thinker who avoids falling in line with the crowd. His goal is to provide practical solutions that deliver specific results.
Nick’s hybrid approach to training allows him to leverage the tools, knowledge and skills of many disciplines and methods to help his clients and to educate other trainers how to deliver results.
As early as his teenage years Nick knew that he wanted to be a trainer. His early influence came from his mother, growing up in a gym watching her prepare for bodybuilding competitions. She’ll tell you that “Nick grew up on iron and sweat.”
As a way to connect Nick and his mother attended fitness events and conferences from the time he was 16 years old.
Personal training is the only ‘real job’ nick’s ever known. But, his story isn’t common. Not being one to fall in line with the crowd Nick never attended college or got a degree. He graduated high school as an average student. He worked hard to accumulate a lot of on the job experience and despite his distaste for structured education Nick was very interested in learning.
After being fired from his first two personal training jobs due to his independent thinking and lack of needing to ‘fit in’ he went off on his own to start a business.
Training and fitness aren’t a hobby to Nick. This is a profession that he’s very passionate about.
It would be easy to confuse Nick as a ‘science guy’ due to his ability to challenge thoughts and ideas, the way he respects the scientific process and critical thinking. However, he’s most excited by the application and end results that the information he learns and the ideas he creates can produce. “Studies and research are great, but if there is no practical application there is no need”
Nick’s approach to many things can be described in three words…
Hustle and Muscle.
This is applied in training, business and intellectually for Nick.
Resources discussed on this show:
Amazon: Your Workout PERFECTED
Amazon: Building Muscle and Performance: A Program for Size, Strength & Speed
Amazon: Strength Training for Fat Loss
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Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart!
Xo Karen