Prior to his NFL career he held head strength coach positions at Boston College from 1993 to 1994, where he served under Tom Coughlin and Dan Henning respectively, and at Kansas State from 1987 to 1992 where he was a part of the Bill Snyder transformation of the team.
In 1982, Palmieri began his career in strength and conditioning as a part-time coach for one year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
While Palmieri was primarily responsible for football, he and his staff extended the strength and conditioning program to varsity athletes in all campus sports.
In 1993 Palmieri trained the Wildcats through summer conditioning, and then left KSU in August to join Tom Coughlin at Boston College.
His first year at Boston College was highlighted by an upset win over #1 ranked Notre Dame and defeating The University of Virginia in the Carquest Bowl.
Among the many athletes Palmieri coached, he had the privilege to train such BC stars as Pete Mitchell, Stephen Boyd, and Mike Mamula.
His eight years with the Jaguars were highlighted by two AFC championship appearances (1996, 1999) and training great athletes such as, Tony Boselli, Mark Brunell, Keenan McCardell, and Jimmy Smith.
After spending the 2003 season as Rock Gullickson's assistant with the New Orleans Saints, Palmieri again reunited with Tom Coughlin as the strength & conditioning coach for the New York Giants.
Desiring to reduce player injuries, at Tom Coughlin's request, Palmieri researched GPS tracking technology.