Core exercises – they’re everywhere. Pilates, dance classes, hiit classes, yoga classes, and gym workouts. They make your abs burn, your “core stronger,” and help you avoid injury.
Right???….
Not exactly….
The truth is mixed: the reality is the core training is crucial for athletic performance and injury prevention, but that “the core” training most people is doing is making them far worse off, albeit worse off with a sexier stomach 😉
In today’s post I’m going to cover what is “the core,” why core training is important, where core often goes wrong, and better alternatives for training the core.
When most people think of the core, they think about six pack abs and the muscle that creates that definition – the rectus abdominis. Some of use know a little more, and add the oblique muscles to the list.
The reality, however, is that the core is so much more than just the obliques and rec abs! The core is really all 35 muscles that connect onto the front, side, and back of the spine. These include, but are not limited to, the lats, erector spinae, transverse abdominis, quadratus lumborum, multifidi, and psoas muscles.
All of these muscles must work synergistically to create efficient, pain-free movement.
The easiest way I can explain why core training important is through an analogy, which is: You can’t fire a canon from a canoe.
Why can’t you fire a cannon from a canoe? Imagine it. You fire the canon, and the canon needs a stable surface to push back against to force the cannon ball forward, right? So the result is your canoe gets pushed backwards, and the cannonball goes a big fat nowhere.
In this analogy, your spine is the canoe, and your legs and arms are the cannon. When your spine isn’t stable, your arms and legs can’t produce power that propels your body through space. What you need is a more stable surface than a canoe, like land, for your canon to operate from. You need a stable spine for your arms and legs to work optimally (or work at all).
So how do we build a stable spine? Simple. We train the 35 muscles that surround the spine to stabilize the spine while we move through the arms and legs. This ensures that we are optimizing movement efficiency and power output.
So where does core training go wrong? Simply put, poor exercise design.
Dr. Stuart McGill is one of the most expert clinicians in the world on the subject of back pain. He’s authored over 240 peer reviewed studies on back pain, and authored numerous books.
Dr. McGill performed EMG experiments in his laboratory where he looked at common “core exercises” and measured the levels of spinal compression for these exercises. A score of 3000N worth of spinal compression was deemed unsafe. What did he find?
Many common exercise such as sit ups (any kind), Russian twists, Superman’s, bicycles, crunches, and more exceeded the safe compression limit for exercise. Why?
The main problem with these exercises is that they put the spine in a forward flexed position under load. This position, especially when twisting is added (like in Russian Twists), compresses the spine, stretches ligaments, and encourages disk herniation.
The good news is that while there are many traditional core exercises that are terrible for your spine, there is no shortage of GREAT exercises for your back.
Here is a list of core exercises that will not cause excessive spinal compression and help you build a bullet proof core:
1. Dead bugs – dozens of variations.
2. Hip bridges (loaded with upper body) – dozens of variations.
3. Side Planks – many variations.
4. Bear Dogs – Many variations.
5. Hollow bodies.
6. Planks and body sawz.
7. Turkish get ups and variations and leg threading.
8. Lateral drags.
9. Bird dogs.
10. All 7 primary human movement patterns and the 1000s of exercises that fall under these categories.
Below is a video that shows some of the many exercises I use to improve core stability at Pain Solutions.
Many people avoid hiring a person trainer because it seems expensive and unnecessary when they can buy some bodybuilding ebook online for $100. To an extent, I agree. Most personal trainers that one finds in person are offering the same level of expertise as that $100 ebook, and you don’t need to pay someone to watch you workout.
The problem with that $100 ebook is that it likely contains exercises like sit ups and Russian twists that are actually bad for your back, and lacks the sophisticated approach you need to get phenomenal results. Phenomenal results happen when your coach has a sophisticated, science based system and can actually walk you through it step by step. By avoiding coming in to Pain Solutions for personal training and trying the “do it yourself” approach you’re wasting valuable time and energy that could be put toward making serious improvements in movement and reducing pain.
I promise that if you decide to take those first steps and put your trust in me you will not be disappointed!
Pain Solutions Massage Therapy & Personal Training
Phone: 415.518.2125
Email: ben.beeler2014@gmail.com
Hours:
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 8:30am-10am, 1pm-7pm
Wednesday: 8:30am-10am, 1pm-7pm
Thursday: 8:30am-10am, 1pm-7pm
Friday: 8:30am-10am, 1pm-6:30pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: 2pm-6:30pm
