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Core Training: What Is It and Why Do I Need It?

By Dr. Michael J. Norwood

Okay, everyone's into core training, but what is it and why do you need to include it in your fitness arsenal?

If you're reading this article, you're probably either a fitness fanatic looking for an inside tip on how to shred up your midsection or a sports enthusiast seeking a competitive advantage for your upcoming event! heck if you're on top of your game, you're probably both!

Whatever your persuasion, you've no doubt read many recent articles and have watched enough late-night infomercials (you know who you are) to know that core training is the 'latest' craze in fitness. While many (e.g., fitness marketers) regard core training as this new, technologically contrived phenomenon, it's actually a type of training that's been around since, well, the beginning of time. When our ancestors chopped down trees for firewood, the core was involved. When they fought game for food and dragged it back to the cave, core again. When they swam across the river, crawled through the mud under barbed wire and climbed high walls to rescue damsels in distress (I've been watching way too much Shrek!), yep, core again. While you scratch your head & wonder, 'where is he going with all of this'? You guessed it: you're using your core! In short, all human movement is initiated and originates from our core muscles.

Where's Your Core & What's It For?

Think of your core as either your 'muscular corset' or the 'hub' of your body much like the hub of a wheel that consists of six muscles located in the torso designed to stabilize, generate multidirectional force and neutralize external forces. The six muscles are 1) transverse abdominis, 2) rectus abdominis, 3) internal obliques, 4) external obliques, 5) erector spinae & 6) quadratus lumborum.

The transverse abdominis runs horizontally beneath the internal and external obliques and is designed to pull the abdominal wall inward, thereby stabilizing the spine.

Aside from attracting others due to 'six pack' appeal, the function of the rectus abdominis is to allow trunk flexion (i.e., bending forward).

The internal obliques run beneath the external obliques from the top of the hips up to the lower ribs and are responsible for trunk flexion and rotation (e.g., a golf swing, baseball swing or tennis swing). The external oblique muscle fibers run diagonally down and medially (i.e., towards your body's midline) and are also involved in trunk rotation and flexion.

The erector spinae muscles run along the spine from the sacrum to the skull and act as spinal stabilizers which also enable trunk extension and lateral (i.e., side-to-side) flexion.

Finally, the quadratus lumborum runs from the hip to the ribs and acts to stabilize the lumbar spine (located in the lower back region) and also serves to flex the trunk laterally.

What is Core Training and How Can It Improve My Performance?

As I described earlier, the core-specific muscle groups are responsible for trunk extension, flexion, rotation and stabilization which are all functions essential for both functional & sport-specific performance--stability, coordination, agility, speed, power and balance. In short, these muscles serve as the foundation from which to launch all movement by stabilizing the spine.

If we refer to my earlier 'hub of a wheel' analogy, you could think of solid spokes attached to a weak hub. No matter how solid those spokes are, if the hub is not strong, then the performance of the wheel is compromised.

Similarly, athletes (or individuals who want to improve their activities of daily living) who spend most of their time training the traditional body parts like bodybuilders: chest, arms, shoulders, back and legs without loading their core in a sport-specific manner (or a functional "daily activities" manner like picking up groceries) will not realize their full potential and may even be setting themselves up for injury.

Dr. Brian Hainline, the Medical Director for the U.S. Open, cites that recent surges of injuries amongst elite tennis players may be attributable to weak cores resulting in too much stress placed on the hips, groin, legs and wrist (i.e., poor transference and expression of energy from the core to the limbs). My close friend and colleague, Dr. Gerald Larson, an exercise physiologist and sport performance specialist puts it aptly, 'having strong limbs without having a solid core is like shooting a canon out of a canoe.' This type of anatomical disharmony leads to decrements in performance and certain forms of injury that Dr. Hainline is seeing with several tennis players.

Core training is little more than progressively loading sport-specific movement (or functional movements) which stimulates the core to adapt to the training stimulus thereby improving energy transfer from core to limbs. As I train my clients, I must say the mantra, 'chin up, shoulders back and chest out' at least a thousand times per session. This anatomically correct posture consistently engages the core and typically puts the client in perfect lifting position which invariably translates into enhanced activities of daily living and sport performance as well.

There are numerous ways in which to engage the core, many of which I will be addressing in upcoming articles. In the meantime, I recommend that the next time you're in the gym to keep your head up, shoulders back and chest out--it's an excellent and empowering way to go through life!

About the Author:

Dr. Michael J. Norwood, NSCA-CPT is the Founder and President of Dynamic Edge - The Peak Fitness Professionals, and is a highly sought after fitness and peak performance consultant specializing in teaching busy professionals and their families how to effectively incorporate fitness into their busy lifestyles.

He also helps athletes of all levels compete consistently in their ideal performance state by combining and applying his vast knowledge of sport-specific training and performance psychology to each training session. Visit: www.lasvegaspersonaltraining.com