Posts Tagged ‘Core Muscles’
The buzz about working “core” muscles seems like it will never go away. First of all, most people don’t even know what the word “core” means. As a matter of fact neither do I! The word ‘core’ does not come from any scientific anatomy text I have ever read. As far as I can tell it is a term created by the fitness industry to promote all kinds of ab training products.
I’m assuming core training is supposed to give you a hard flat stomach or possibly even a 6 pack. I think this myth about core training is also how much of the new athletic style workouts are becoming popular as may exercises athletes do seem to appeal to the people who think they are doing a core exercise. So what is your core anyway?
As far as I can tell, people think their core is their abs, the oblique muscles (the muscle that are on either side of your middle set of abs) and your lower back muscles. This collection of muscles makes up the mythical “core”. Now, if anyone besides a graduate trained biomechanist tells you they know exactly how these muscles work, they are lying, and probably haven’t done enough research to know that they are lying (so technically its not really their fault for misleading you). The muscles of the core are very complex and the truth is that scientists still aren’t sure exactly how they all work together. So now that we can see we don’t really know how all the core muscles work together, how can you possibly think you are training them in any intelligent way!
The truth so far is that any exercise works your core muscles to some degree or another. As soon as you stand up and get out of bed in the morning your core muscles have to be activated to prevent you from just flopping over at the waist. All forms of rigorous physical activity will work your core muscles. For example, one of the toughest core workouts you can do is a series of short all out sprints. Don’t believe me? Give this sprint interval routine a try and see how sore your ‘core’ and ‘abs’ are the next day.
20 yard sprints x 4
40 yard sprints x 4
60 yard sprints x 4
80 yard sprints x 4
100 yard sprints x 4
After each sprint walk back to the start and repeat until you have completed 4 sprints at that distance, then take 90-120 second rest and start the next distance. If you push these hard, your whole body should be sore the next day including of those ‘core’ muscles. I’ll bet this is not the image you had in your head of a ‘core’ workout.
You can train ‘core’ muscles every day if you want, which isn’t saying much because they are working all the time anyway. With that said there are core exercises that are better than others, and the exercises people typically think of for core should not be performed every day, and some of them like crunches should never be done at all. In the second part of this article I will discuss the right and wrong way to train this part of your body.
By: John Barban
About the Author:
I’m assuming core training is supposed to give you a hard flat stomach or possibly even a 6 pack. I think this myth about core training is also how much of the new athletic style workouts are becoming popular as may exercises athletes do seem to appeal to the people who think they are doing a core exercise. So what is your core anyway?
As far as I can tell, people think their core is their abs, the oblique muscles (the muscle that are on either side of your middle set of abs) and your lower back muscles. This collection of muscles makes up the mythical “core”. Now, if anyone besides a graduate trained biomechanist tells you they know exactly how these muscles work, they are lying, and probably haven’t done enough research to know that they are lying (so technically its not really their fault for misleading you). The muscles of the core are very complex and the truth is that scientists still aren’t sure exactly how they all work together. So now that we can see we don’t really know how all the core muscles work together, how can you possibly think you are training them in any intelligent way!
The truth so far is that any exercise works your core muscles to some degree or another. As soon as you stand up and get out of bed in the morning your core muscles have to be activated to prevent you from just flopping over at the waist. All forms of rigorous physical activity will work your core muscles. For example, one of the toughest core workouts you can do is a series of short all out sprints. Don’t believe me? Give this sprint interval routine a try and see how sore your ‘core’ and ‘abs’ are the next day.
20 yard sprints x 4
40 yard sprints x 4
60 yard sprints x 4
80 yard sprints x 4
100 yard sprints x 4
After each sprint walk back to the start and repeat until you have completed 4 sprints at that distance, then take 90-120 second rest and start the next distance. If you push these hard, your whole body should be sore the next day including of those ‘core’ muscles. I’ll bet this is not the image you had in your head of a ‘core’ workout.
You can train ‘core’ muscles every day if you want, which isn’t saying much because they are working all the time anyway. With that said there are core exercises that are better than others, and the exercises people typically think of for core should not be performed every day, and some of them like crunches should never be done at all. In the second part of this article I will discuss the right and wrong way to train this part of your body.
By: John Barban
About the Author:
John Barban is a professional strength and conditioning coach and nutrition expert. He has extensive experience designing nutritional supplements and has developed his trademark workout for women 6 Minute Circuits. John is an expert contributor to http://www.efit-today.com/public/department59.cfm and recomends the diet program http://www.eatstopeat.com , and believes it is the best new diet for easy and effective weight loss.
Forget about crunches, sit ups, or leg raises. The drawing-in maneuver to engage the transversus abdominus is the most important core exercise to master if you want to develop core stability.
If you’ve never heard of the transversus abdominus I wouldn’t be surprised. It the deepest of the abdominal muscles and so you can’t see it. As its name implies, it runs across the abdomen. It is often referred to as your natural girdle because it’s only job is to brace your lower back and pull in your belly button, like a girdle.
Why is targeting the Transverse Abdominus so important?
A group of physiotherapists in Australia studied back pain by looking at muscle coordination patterns. They wanted to see if there were difference between people with no lower back pain and those with chronic lower back pain. What they found is that when healthy people with no lower back pain move their arms or legs the transverse abdominus is the first muscle to fire.
That’s right… If you move your arm, this core muscle contracts before your arm contracts. Your body is naturally wired to be stable around the center first before you can move.
In contrast, people with chronic lower back pain displayed an inability to contract the core muscles before the arm muscles. When you start to move before your spine is stable, more pressure is placed on the joints of the lower back.
This is one reason core training has become so popular. Core training can help to stabilize the pelvis and lower back while taking pressure off the spine.
The drawing-in maneuver is very easy to do. Simply pull in your belly button so that it moves towards your back. Hold for 10 seconds, relax and repeat 5-10 times.
This simple core exercise can help to improve your core stability and it’s the most important core exercise to master!
By: Charles A. Inniss, Jr. DPT
About the Author:
If you’ve never heard of the transversus abdominus I wouldn’t be surprised. It the deepest of the abdominal muscles and so you can’t see it. As its name implies, it runs across the abdomen. It is often referred to as your natural girdle because it’s only job is to brace your lower back and pull in your belly button, like a girdle.
Why is targeting the Transverse Abdominus so important?
A group of physiotherapists in Australia studied back pain by looking at muscle coordination patterns. They wanted to see if there were difference between people with no lower back pain and those with chronic lower back pain. What they found is that when healthy people with no lower back pain move their arms or legs the transverse abdominus is the first muscle to fire.
That’s right… If you move your arm, this core muscle contracts before your arm contracts. Your body is naturally wired to be stable around the center first before you can move.
In contrast, people with chronic lower back pain displayed an inability to contract the core muscles before the arm muscles. When you start to move before your spine is stable, more pressure is placed on the joints of the lower back.
This is one reason core training has become so popular. Core training can help to stabilize the pelvis and lower back while taking pressure off the spine.
The drawing-in maneuver is very easy to do. Simply pull in your belly button so that it moves towards your back. Hold for 10 seconds, relax and repeat 5-10 times.
This simple core exercise can help to improve your core stability and it’s the most important core exercise to master!
By: Charles A. Inniss, Jr. DPT
About the Author:
Charles A. Inniss, Jr. has a Doctorate Degree in Physical Therapy and is a Certified Personal Trainer. He is dedicated to helping people to live healthier happier lives.
Visit his website for Free Pictures of 100 Ab Exercises and Free Ab Workouts
Balance exercises are often neglected in fitness routines, but having good balance is an important part of overall joint health and injury prevention. One of the reasons that balance training is left out of fitness programs is that it has little impact on how your body looks. Instead, balance training is all about how well your body moves. There are a lot of good looking people whose bodies do work well.
Core Training and functional training is all about getting your body to move more efficiently. When your body moves more efficiently, you are less likely to get injured and you will perform regular activities and athletic activities at a higher level.
A balance exercise is an exercise that is done standing on 1 leg. Your center of gravity shifts when you stand on one leg, so your core muscles must work harder to stabilize your entire body over the standing leg. Running is a 1 legged exercise, so any sport or activity that involves running requires good balance.
Another hidden benefit of doing exercises while standing on one leg is ankle, knee and hip stability and strengthening. The small muscles around the foot and ankle really get challenged during balance exercises, and standing on one foot can strengthen the arch muscles. In addition, the small hip stabilizer muscles are strengthened when you stand on one leg, and strong hip stabilizers help to control and protect the knee from excessive stress.
When you have injuries to your legs, your coordination and balance on the injured side generally diminishes unless you work on restoring it. If you have twisted your ankle in the past, chances are that your balance on the side you injured is worse than the side that was never injured.
The same holds true for knee and hip injuries. Generally speaking when you have a leg injury, you avoid putting pressure on the injured side, and this leads to decreased coordination, decreased strength, and decreased balance. It is important to practice balance exercises if you have had leg injuries in the past.
Some simple balance exercises include, just standing on 1 leg for 30-60 seconds. In addition, you can stand on one leg while moving your opposite leg to constantly change your center of gravity. 1 leg squats and 1 leg hip hinges are also good balancing exercises.
Once you have mastered standing on 1 leg and basic exercises such as the 1 legged squat, you can further challenge your balance by using a wobble board, core board, bosu ball, foam pad, or any other unstable surface. Begin by just practicing standing on an unstable surface with 1 leg, and then progress to doing other exercises while standing on some type of core exercise equipment. If you want to have a complete core training routine, include balance exercises into your workout.
By: Charles Inniss
About the Author:
Core Training and functional training is all about getting your body to move more efficiently. When your body moves more efficiently, you are less likely to get injured and you will perform regular activities and athletic activities at a higher level.
A balance exercise is an exercise that is done standing on 1 leg. Your center of gravity shifts when you stand on one leg, so your core muscles must work harder to stabilize your entire body over the standing leg. Running is a 1 legged exercise, so any sport or activity that involves running requires good balance.
Another hidden benefit of doing exercises while standing on one leg is ankle, knee and hip stability and strengthening. The small muscles around the foot and ankle really get challenged during balance exercises, and standing on one foot can strengthen the arch muscles. In addition, the small hip stabilizer muscles are strengthened when you stand on one leg, and strong hip stabilizers help to control and protect the knee from excessive stress.
When you have injuries to your legs, your coordination and balance on the injured side generally diminishes unless you work on restoring it. If you have twisted your ankle in the past, chances are that your balance on the side you injured is worse than the side that was never injured.
The same holds true for knee and hip injuries. Generally speaking when you have a leg injury, you avoid putting pressure on the injured side, and this leads to decreased coordination, decreased strength, and decreased balance. It is important to practice balance exercises if you have had leg injuries in the past.
Some simple balance exercises include, just standing on 1 leg for 30-60 seconds. In addition, you can stand on one leg while moving your opposite leg to constantly change your center of gravity. 1 leg squats and 1 leg hip hinges are also good balancing exercises.
Once you have mastered standing on 1 leg and basic exercises such as the 1 legged squat, you can further challenge your balance by using a wobble board, core board, bosu ball, foam pad, or any other unstable surface. Begin by just practicing standing on an unstable surface with 1 leg, and then progress to doing other exercises while standing on some type of core exercise equipment. If you want to have a complete core training routine, include balance exercises into your workout.
By: Charles Inniss
About the Author:
Dr. Charles A. Inniss, Jr. is a physical therapist and personal trainer.
For pictures of core exercises and free core workouts visit his website Ab-Core-and-Stomach-Exercises.com. Click for more Core Training Tips
You rely on your body to get get out of bed, to lift your children, to perform your job and to take you places everyday. If you appreciate what your body does for you, you will provide it with nutritious food, hydrate with water and be sure to add some activity into your day.
While our limbs provide mobility, reach and strength it is our body core that provides the basis of each movement. Sedentary lives can cause our body core muscles to weaken and become subject to strain or injury. Even if you workout or participate in sports you may not be working the body core muscles you rely on to perform.
What is your body’s “Core”?
Your body core is the midsection of your body, from your groin to your shoulders. The core includes the pelvis, abs, back and chest muscles. It is this core that offers stability, balance and flexibility. Every movement you make originates in the core – whether you are reaching for your toothbrush or running a marathon. If the core is not properly conditioned it will limit your physical abilities.
Working the muscles in your body core will improve the effectiveness of movements in your limbs. Most exercise routines focus on building muscle. By creating a stable, strong base for those muscles you can optimize the strength and flexibility of each limb.
How do you strengthen your Core?
There are many exercise routines and products that work the muscles of the body core. Professional trainers create customized routines to enhance an athlete’s abilities by developing the proper core muscles. However, there are also many programs developed for individuals who wish to incorporate it into their fitness routine or to begin one.
The exercises and products developed to strengthen your body core do so by creating resistance or instability so that the core muscles must respond to maintain balance. The exercises are gentle on the body but are intense and beginners will quickly ‘feel’ the muscles being used. Proper alignment is key so having a trainer to check your position will help identify the safest and most effective way to perform an exercise.
Body core exercises often imitate moves that we employ in daily life or sports and thus train the body to rely on the core and reduce the strain we put on our limbs. Two popular forms of exercise that develop core body strength are Pilates and the Swiss ball.
Pilates uses the body as its own form of resistance. Learning to breath properly and perform slow, controlled movements allows a person to isolate and strengthen core muscles.
The Swiss ball (also known as a Fitness ball) is an easy and fun way to strengthen the body core. While there are many exercises that can be performed with the Swiss ball, simply sitting on it will create the instability needed to engage the core muscles to maintain balance.
Good core strength is important at every age and fitness level. Whatever your goals, find a way to incorporate body core conditioning into your routine to reduce fatigue, avoid muscle strain and improve your strength and mobility.
By: Paul Wolbers
About the Author:
While our limbs provide mobility, reach and strength it is our body core that provides the basis of each movement. Sedentary lives can cause our body core muscles to weaken and become subject to strain or injury. Even if you workout or participate in sports you may not be working the body core muscles you rely on to perform.
What is your body’s “Core”?
Your body core is the midsection of your body, from your groin to your shoulders. The core includes the pelvis, abs, back and chest muscles. It is this core that offers stability, balance and flexibility. Every movement you make originates in the core – whether you are reaching for your toothbrush or running a marathon. If the core is not properly conditioned it will limit your physical abilities.
Working the muscles in your body core will improve the effectiveness of movements in your limbs. Most exercise routines focus on building muscle. By creating a stable, strong base for those muscles you can optimize the strength and flexibility of each limb.
How do you strengthen your Core?
There are many exercise routines and products that work the muscles of the body core. Professional trainers create customized routines to enhance an athlete’s abilities by developing the proper core muscles. However, there are also many programs developed for individuals who wish to incorporate it into their fitness routine or to begin one.
The exercises and products developed to strengthen your body core do so by creating resistance or instability so that the core muscles must respond to maintain balance. The exercises are gentle on the body but are intense and beginners will quickly ‘feel’ the muscles being used. Proper alignment is key so having a trainer to check your position will help identify the safest and most effective way to perform an exercise.
Body core exercises often imitate moves that we employ in daily life or sports and thus train the body to rely on the core and reduce the strain we put on our limbs. Two popular forms of exercise that develop core body strength are Pilates and the Swiss ball.
Pilates uses the body as its own form of resistance. Learning to breath properly and perform slow, controlled movements allows a person to isolate and strengthen core muscles.
The Swiss ball (also known as a Fitness ball) is an easy and fun way to strengthen the body core. While there are many exercises that can be performed with the Swiss ball, simply sitting on it will create the instability needed to engage the core muscles to maintain balance.
Good core strength is important at every age and fitness level. Whatever your goals, find a way to incorporate body core conditioning into your routine to reduce fatigue, avoid muscle strain and improve your strength and mobility.
By: Paul Wolbers
About the Author:
Paul Wolbers is a Fitness Enthusiast dedicated to helping others achieve physical fitness, longer life, and better overall health. You can visit his website and discover more at: http://www.MagnumNutrition.com
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