Core training, why?
When I say “core”, what comes to your mind? I'll give you some time to think...
Most people think of "abs" - an image of a fitness model flaunting a shredded midsection - rectus abdominis, if you want to be textbook - on a magazine cover. See, "abs" is the right answer, but only partially...
When we talk about the core, we need to think of it as a larger part of our bodies. Yes, it includes abs, but it also includes your back muscles, your pelvic floor, and even the diaphragm. Think of your core as a cylinder: at the top of this cylinder is your diaphragm, at the bottom is your pelvic floor, and the lateral surface is composed of your abs and back muscles.
To help you visualize, I made this awesome drawing for you!
Just kidding, I got it from our beloved internet:
As you can see, the core includes a large number of muscles - much more than the “six-pack”!
If you wanna nerd out, here’s the full list from an encyclopedia: Major muscles included in the core are:
The pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominis, multifidus, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae (sacrospinalis) - which includes the longissimus thoracis, and the diaphragm. The lumbar muscles, quadratus lumborum (deep portion), deep rotators, as well as cervical muscles, rectus capitus anterior and lateralis, longus coli are also sometimes included in the core.
Minor core muscles include the latissimus dorsi, gluteus maximus, and trapezius.
… and to think you only counted six!
Now, why do physios and trainers insist on working and strengthening the core so much?
Let's go back to our cylinder analogy: if I told you that this cylinder had to bear weight, be subjected to constant twisting, bending, and torsion, wouldn't you want it to be as strong as possible?
This cylinder, with all of its components working in unison, helps with our posture in almost every position and maintains our stability during movement. Core muscles stabilize your entire body. In fact, they even work when you're lying down!
As our lives become increasingly sedentary, our core muscles weaken - especially the TVA and the lats. This usually leads to bad posture and back pain that cannot be pinned to any specific activity, going beyond simple muscle soreness. Weak core muscles can also affect our balance. If this weakness affects our pelvic floor significantly, it can even lead to continence issues as we age.
When we strengthen our core, we help our entire body perform better. Even everyday activities like sitting at a desk, maintaining good posture throughout the day, bending down to pick up our kids, and twisting to tie our pesky shoelaces become easier and possible without the inevitability of pain or injury.
The athletic advantages of a strong core go without saying: squats, dead-lifts, rows, or pushups, they all use your core. The "cylinder" is the base for nearly every single exercise or movement.
So… what can we do to strengthen our core?
100 sit-ups!?! Maybe some crunches!?! Well, yes… but no, not really.
Remember the cylinder? Can't work on just one side of it. Nope. Not at all. In fact, that could compromise the structure!
Effective core training to develop and strengthen all of the stabilizing muscles goes beyond crunches and sit-ups. We need to include exercises that target the entirety of it.
So, what should we do?
There are plenty of effective core exercises, but if I listed them all, I'd end up with a never-ending article.
Instead, I picked the most "bang for the buck" core exercises that can be done with minimal to no equipment - I've posted a video link for each of the exercises, along with a sample routine that you can do today! The best time to start is right now!
You can either do this standalone, or you can add it to your current workout program as a finisher.
Dead bug 3 x 10 each side
Forearm plank 3 x 15-30 sec hold
Side plank: 3 x 10-20 second hold
Bird dogs 3 x 10 each side