What’s All The Fuss About The Core
When most people exercise, they do little more than sit-ups and crunches to work their core. We must execute more specific movements to reach the deeper musculature of the core. Strengthening this area will enhance power, stability, balance and reduce injuries.
Understanding what the core, is and how to strengthen it, can greatly enhance your fitness level.
The core is the area of the body where all movement emanates and is the foundation of stability, posture and movement. Rightly so, there should be concern regarding this powerhouse. Remember the saying you're only as strong as you're weakest link, well for most people the core is that weak link. The major muscles of your core include:
Transverse abdominis (TVA), the deepest of the abdominal muscles, lies under the obliques (muscles of your waist). It acts like a weight belt, wrapping around your spine for protection and stability. External obliques, these muscles are on the side and front of the abdomen, around your waist. Internal obliques, these muscles lie under the external obliques, running in the opposite direction. Rectus abdominis, the rectus abdominis is a long muscle that extends along the front of the abdomen.
It makes sense to develop the core musculature since it plays such a major role in not only supporting the body's posture, but also the movements of the body and limbs. Core strength is magnified in the participation of sporting activities where it helps an athlete accelerate, decelerate, and stabilize the body during competition. Core strength increases the amount of force your body produces, improves balance and body awareness, and decreases the incidence of overall injury.
A weak core can make you susceptible to poor posture, lower back pain and muscle injuries. This can occur due to neglect of working all core musculature, either together or as individual units, creating imbalances within the core. When you have good core stability, the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen work in harmony. They provide support to your spine for just about any activity.
There are some basic exercises that anyone can perform to improve core strength, and of course there are more advanced movements, for the more savvy athlete. As with any fitness routine all areas of the body should be trained regularly (at least twice a week) to gain health-enhancing results. We'll take an in dept look at both beginner and advanced movements in the next article.
