When you think of core strength training, you most likely think of traditional crunches and sit ups that work only your abdominals. But the core is much more than that, it consists of all the muscles that stabilize the pelvis. The core is the center of gravity and where all our movements begin and end. The muscles that make up the core are responsible for controlling all your movements in all directions. Core strength training can relieve low back pain, prevent injury, and improve your overall muscular balance.
Your core consists of stabilization and movement muscles, which initiate and maintain proper muscular balance during all movements. You use your core muscles during all movements, including common daily movements and physical activity. Develop your core strength and you will improve your physical well being whether you are climbing stairs, picking up objects, walking, running or weight training.
If your stabilizer muscles are week, secondary muscles take over the job of a primary muscle which leads to muscular imbalance, pain and eventually injury. To develop a truly strong core you should target both your movement and stabilization muscles in your core strength training routine.
Stabilization muscles include the deep layer of muscles including the lumbar multifidus, internal obliques, diaphram, pelvic floor muslces, transversospinalis, and transversus abdominis. The movement muslces include the more outer layer muscles such as the six pack and include the external obliques, rectus abdominis, latissimus dorsi, iliopsoas, hip abductors, hip adductors, erector spinae, and hamstrings.
Most core strength training programs leave out the stabilization muscles which is why many people experience low back pain among other types of pain. You can greatly improve your overall fitness, relieve low back pain and prevent injury by performing core exercises that target the stabilization muscles.
Crunches and sit ups are examples of core strength exercises that target the movement muscles. Performing these types of exercises with week stabilizing muscles can lead to pain and eventually injury because they place too much stress on the discs of the spine. But perform them with strong stabilizers and you will not only take inches of you waist but protect your spine.
You have to properly train the stabilizing and movement muscles to develop a strong core. Having a strong abs doesn’t always mean that you have a strong core. In fact even some with six packs experience low back pain and injury due to week stabilizing muscles.
Examples of stabilization type exercises include the plank, bridge, marching, and cobra. All these exercises have different variations and can be performed everyday. Examples of strength type exercises include, crunches, the bicycle crunch, leg raises, reverse crunches, and back extensions. Again there are many different variations. But these types of exercises should be performed every other day.
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