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Training Your Core
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Training Your Core
You’ve heard the term “core training” countless times, what exactly is “your core?” The Core is defined as the functional link between the arms and legs – it’s also where the most of the body’s power is derived.
The Core provides the foundation for all movements of the arms and legs. The core must be strong, have dynamic flexibility and function synergistically in its movements in order to achieve maximum performance.
Motion of the human body is not isolated to one muscle moving in one specific direction. Rather, it is a complex event involving muscles that work together to create changes in position and/or location, and to stabilize the body in all three planes of movement. Regardless of your sport, activities or everyday demands it’s essential to have core strength and trunk stability to maximize performance and prevent injury.
What Makes Up the Core
The foundation of the core is much more than the abdominal muscles. It includes muscles deep within the torso, from the pelvis up to the neck and shoulders, including your powerful gluteus muscles.
Training the Core
The common myth is that training the core simply involves crunches and back extensions, both of which isolate muscles. Instead, an efficient core routine consists of exercises that work many muscles in multiple planes of movement.
Another common mistake is training your core, while lying down. All those stabilizing, core muscles need to be trained as they function – in an upright position!
Medicine balls, balance boards and stability balls are great tools for core training and should be integrated into every program. Core exercises should include strengthening as well as challenges such as standing one-legged and/or two-legged on stable and unstable surfaces, reacting to external forces such as a partner’s light push or the catching and throwing of a medicine ball.
Properly training your core muscles will improve your quality of life; you’ll move better and perform at a much higher level. If you’ve experienced back problems, proper core training can eliminate back pain and lack of mobility. Finally core training will do wonders for not only how you look in a swimsuit but also your tennis and golf game!
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