CORE FITNESS PART 2
August 4th, 2008 Posted by David Lemberg
Without a trained set of core muscles, bad things may happen. In The Second Coming, the poet Yeats said, “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold”.
Physically, when the “centre cannot hold” things literally do fall apart. An entire litany of complaints - back, neck, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle problems - may now be directly linked to weakness of core muscles. This is truly remarkable information for both athletes and the physicians and physical therapists who are treating them.
Certain injuries seem to last forever, never getting better. People may have chronic back and neck pain for years. Others say, “I’ve always had weak ankles” or “my hips are always tight”. Shin splints, knee soreness, restricted movement in one or both shoulders - all may be connected to a weak set of core stabilizers.
The very good news is that pain reduction and overall improvement are now actually possible with core strengthening. The fitness literature is filled with case studies of clients and patients - many of them in their 50s - who have achieved significant decreases in levels of pain and significant improvement in a variety of activities and sports skills. And, of course, their making huge gains in flexibility, balance, coordination, and stamina.
For the most part, these many benefits occur over time. Training core muscles is not only physically challenging, it’s mentally challenging as well. Core strengthening exercises are subtle - all the action is happening deep within your body.
From a superficial point of view, it’s not at all like doing a bench press or a squat. Of course, the stronger your core is, the stronger and more powerful your bench presses and squats will be down the road! Your form will be vastly improved, and there’ll be much less stress and strain on your joints, ligaments, and tendons because your core will be active and strong. And that’s the whole point.
The most important thing about doing core exercises is doing them correctly. Not that we intend to be sloppy and have bad form in our other workouts. But you can have bad form - training incorrectly - when you’re lifting weights or running, and still achieve strength gains and cardiovascular improvement. Eventually, though, incorrect form will catch up with you in the form of an unpleasant injury.
But with core strengthening, if the exercises aren’t done precisely, paying close attention, you’re just wasting your time. You have to focus in order to activate these deep muscles - you have to make them work. Isometric contractions are often involved, and in order for these to be doing anything positive you have to be actively making them happen. Again, it’s not like moving a weight - you can see the weight moving through space. With the core, all the action is going on below the surface.
You get better at doing core exercises as you go along. Patience is definitely required - and the rewards are so great! Also, the exercises look simple and straightforward - but doing them with focus, concentration, and good form is not so easy.
Even real athletes start with the basics when they begin core training, and the basics are the recommended starting place for everyone. Doing Level 1 core exercises retrains your brain and your body. You’re teaching your body to be smart again. As your sessions continue, your core muscles learn to talk with each other, exchanging information about “how much” and “when” and “over here” and “over there”. Complex networks of nerves and muscles become renewed and reactivated.
Core exercises that were very difficult initially, particularly those involving balance and stability, begin to feel more natural. You begin to develop a new grace and fluidity. You notice you’re getting stronger in subtle ways. You feel more connected to the ground, more centered, when you walk. And, one fine day, you notice that you haven’t been thinking about your old shoulder or ankle pain for quite some time. Pretty great! Core strengthening provides wonderful benefits for a person, and a terrific workout, too!
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