Training the Core - by Chris Seymour

‘Core’ – this is a word we hear drummed into us continuously by fitness professionals, health magazines and advertising TV, but do you actually have any idea about how to train the core? If you are thinking – sit-ups, crunches and back extension, you may be doing yourself a serious injustice! I’m not suggesting that these exercises do not have a place in your training programs, but this article will help (hopefully) to educate you with regards to core training. I understand that some of the terms may be a little ‘foreign’, but if you have any queries or questions please feel free to comment and I will do my best to supply you with a less scientific answer!

As I mentioned previously, one of the most common myths associated with core training is that all it involves is sit ups and back extensions. Why train the body in one plane, when we do not operate like this during daily activity? Consider how the chronic shortening of just one muscle, which happens to be a core muscle, can impede performance and cause imbalances that lead to injuries (much the same way doing bench press every time you go to the gym will cause external rotation of the shoulders – this is bad by the way, unless you are auditioning as the lead part in the Hunch Back of Notre dame)! A great example of an overworked muscle would be the rectus abdominus. As this muscle is overworked, the core muscles are often ignored. Exercises such as: crunches, leg raises and exercises on abdominal machines all work in the sagittal plane, this limits the benefit to muscles that produce hip and trunk flexion (note that repetitive trunk flexion places increased injury-causing stress on the lumbar spine). For this reason it is imperative to train the core in multi planes, especially in the transverse plane, in order to create stabilization in the trunk. The benefits of training like this are:

• Improved posture
• Strength and
• Motion in the entire body

So we have established that an efficient core routine consists of multi planar movements. As the body moves, the center of gravity changes, and forces exerted by and on the body’s tissues are constantly changing. Dynamic stabilization must be included to increase proprioception and trunk stability as well as stability in the rest of the body. This will allow the body to react with external forces and stresses more efficiently – such as gravity, carrying objects or changes in terrain. It also helps the body to react to internal forces exerted by other muscles. Core exercises should include strengthening, stability on stable and unstable surfaces, reacting to external forces (medicine ball throw or catch) and multi planar movements.

 The goal of functional core training is to develop in the core a system of efficient automatic responses to work as a stable base from which to generate optimal force and motion. It can be compared to driving a car (although some never master this) – when you first attempted to drive, you thought about ever thing you had to do, and generally didn’t perform them too well either! But as you practiced you became more proficient and eventually driving became second nature – now you drive without thinking too much about the dynamics. When training a new client I always tell them that their training program is like building a house. As much as you would love to apply the finishing touches in the first week, you first need to lay a strong foundation – and what better place to start than the CORE!