01/11/2017
💥CORE STRENGTH
Core strength is another widely discussed area in fitness circles with many different opinions and standpoints
Thanks to quality research and the pioneering work of several key individuals in the physical therapy and strength & conditioning fields, a solid basis now exists by which to make informed practical applications
Simple sit ups and crunches and abdominal hollowing exercises are now the old, and by themselves are not the best solution for maximising core strength from both a performance and rehabilitation perspective
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The core muscles should work as an integrated unit to help stabilise and transmit forces through the entire body (from the extremities - hands, feet) whilst protecting the spine, internal organs and allowing proper breathing.
This can be trained through loaded (farmers walks, kb windmills, TGU) and unloaded (Supermans, ring fallouts, hollow rocks, plank variations)
More specifically the core muscles have been better understood to play a function in reducing unnecessary moments on the spine during gross movement, which are considered less than beneficial for net force transference.
Force transference is what a lot of it all really comes down to, and is how our bodies communicate with the external word/environment.
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So there is less priority given now to “crunching” and “bending” exercises to “feel the burn” in the core muscles as there is to preventing these motions
Hence why there is a whole series of training now concerning “anti” core training (anti-extension, anti-lateral flexion, anti-rotation) concerning the conservation of spinal movement to allow better force transference, and optimally more movement / range of motion to be achieved or accessed in areas such as the hips and shoulders which are anatomically better designed to do so.
This is the prevailing postion held in the industry currently, mainly thanks to the work of Dr.Stuart McGill’s.
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The role of breathing, bracing, IAP (intra-abdominal pressure) the diaphragm, and associated key structures such as pelvic and ribcage position are now also considered especially important when discussing core strength (DNS, PRI), and warrant further investigation in another post.
However there is also emerging evidence suggesting that gradually training the spinal and core muscles to become better adapted to these extreme end range positions (end flexion and extension) is actually achievable through purposeful training (Jefferson curls, back bridges, pancakes), and further to this is the frameworks for understanding the spine and human locomotion coming out of WeckMethod
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Bottom line is, the world of exercise science is constantly expanding and evolving, so never rest upon or get too stuck on one particular methodology ;-)
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