Core Strength For Better Health
Hello everyone,
Today, I’m going to answer some really important questions for you…. but, before I get to that, I wanted to address something:
A lot of my newsletter subscribers have written me to ask me where I find time to do all of this for you. There’s an easy answer…
It’s something I HAVE to do.
You see, I feel responsible to help you improve your health. Just as many of you have felt a sense of loyalty to me, and have bought my fitness products exclusively, I feel this way with you.
I know you are depending on me, and so are your children (or future children). I depend on others in lots of ways, but fitness ain’t one of them. This is my area, and it’s my gift to the world. I’m thankful to have one.
So… thank you for your concern. I appreciate your loyalty.
Now, let’s move onto ‘core strength,’ the topic for today…
Core Strength Defined:
Functionally speaking, your core is anything that attaches to your pelvis. If you think about ‘core’ this way, you’ll always be training correctly. This means ‘core’ is anything that can help you control your center of mass, or balance.
Functional Core includes the following major muscle groups:
- Hip Flexors
- Hip Extensors
- Hip Internal Rotators
- Hip External Rotators
- Quadriceps
- Hamstrings
- Abdominals (Trunk Flexors)
- Low Back Extensors (Trunk Extensors)
- Low Back Rotators
- Side of Trunk muscles (side bending)
According to Pilates theory, your core is a group of ‘local muscles’ including:
- Multifidus (rotates and extends your back)
- Quadratus Lumborum (side bender, helps you bend forward, holds your ribs for big breaths)
- Internal Oblique (rotates and helps you bend forward)
- External Oblique (rotates and helps you bend forward)
- Transversus Abdominus (compresses abdominal contents, helps you bend forward)
- Iliopsoas (flexes [raises] hip)
What’s The Importance Of Having A ‘Strong Core’?
There are many benefites to having a strong core. Athletes perform better with a stronger core, you feel more balanced in all activities with a stronger core, you prevent injury, and you breathe better.
A strong core will stabilize your spine, preventing injuries such as:
- Herniated Disc
- Aggravation of Spinal Stenosis
- Muscle strains
- Ligament sprains
- SI Joint Dysfunction (”hips off”)
- Rotator Cuff Tendonitis (better posture = less strain on the rotator cuff)
- Knee Sprains/Strains (pelvic stability affects the amount of stress on surrounding joints)
As you can see this is a long list of injuries you can easily prevent by training your core properly. It just makes sense… and it allows you to do more.
How Should I Train My Core For Best Results?
Functionally.
This line above is the most important part of today’s discussion. Train your core with functional activity.
This means you need to get stronger with movements that involve:
- Standing up
- Sitting down
- Bending forward
- Bending backward
- Reaching and rotating
- Overhead activities
- Accident prone activities (i.e. simulate an unsteady environment in the gym, allowing yourself to train reaction time as well, and reducing the chance of a fall leading to injury)
In my opinion, it’s a mistake to train your core alone. Sit ups are not the answer. That’s not how we move.
We squat, stand, lunge, reach, pull & push
That’s how we need to train. Train core in preparation for real life, and it will be there to support you. Plus, you’ll get much more rapid results.
