Core Training Basics - Secrets to Strength and Stability

Core training is the latest rage in the fitness industry, but not many
people really understand what it is. There are many misconceptions
about what it is and how it works. People know that core training is
smarter training, but they may not realize why that is. Core training
represents a more balanced and realistic approach to health. For a very
long time, the fitness industry was completely focused on working
muscles in isolation. More recently, there has been a realization that we
were not born to isolate. Our bodies do not work with one isolated
muscle doing all the work. Everything in the body is beautifully
orchestrated to work together. People have evolved into wanting their
body to function better in their sport activities and in everyday life.

Core training makes you look better as well as function more
efficiently. The structural center of movement is called the "pillar",
and by training the core or pillar you change posturally for the better.
You will walk taller in your newly integrated body and have a leaner
more athletic look. A completely new sculpting of the body occurs which
is impossible when the muscles are trained in isolation. Despite the
notion that core training is just about the lower back and the
abdominals, it really incorporates your entire torso and the muscles that
attach to your pelvis. The "pillar" includes hip, shoulder and trunk
stability offering the ability to build power in your movements.

In core training you focus on multi-dimensional power moves
calling upon many muscles to work together for maximum training
benefit. Many training programs are based on the one-dimensional
movements of bodybuilding. There is plenty of pushing and pulling, but
rarely are the hips, torso, pelvis or lower back integrated into the
movements. You may gain strength, but not the power - the ability to
generate force behind your movements. For example, bodybuilders can
lift heavy weights, but they cannot generate much force with a tennis
racket. This is because they don't work the small muscles that support
their hips, torso, shoulders and back, and they tend to have little
flexibility. You have got to train movements, not just body parts.

It is impossible to move your limbs efficiently and with force if they
are not attached to something solid and stable. You can train the
strongest abdominals and low back, but if your shoulders round forward
like most computer-jockeys you can still have shoulder problems or
poor, inefficient posture. Less than ideal hip stability will tighten the IT
(iliotibial) band and strain the lower back and knees when you run. This
sets up the conditions for pain and possible injury.

One of the best tests to determine the strength of your core is the
simple glute bridge. There are some people who can squat 500
pounds, but cannot maintain a glute bridge for five seconds. Lie face-up
with your knees bent at 90 degrees and your heels on the floor, toes
lifted, arms straight out at about 45 degrees from torso, arms and palms
flat on the floor. With the navel drawn in, lift your hips. Only hands, arms,
shoulders, head and heels should remain on the floor. If you can't hold a
straight line between your knees and shoulders for 30 seconds, your
core is not working well. Time to get to the core of things!

2005 Karen B. Cohen All Rights Reserved.

Karen B. Cohen C.L.C. RYT500 is a wellness coach and master yoga
instructor, writer and speaker residing in a college town in rural Virginia.
Co-owner and Programming Director of the Lexington Fitness Center
during the 1990's, Karen has trained group fitness instructors and taught
fitness and dance at the college level. She continues to train and coach
select clients and groups. Karen leads people to their own limitless
supply of creativity and vitality so they can fully express their talent and
abilities in the world. She incorporates her expertise in mind-body
techniques to work with a wide spectrum of clients. Karen provides
seminars, workshops and individual coaching and training
internationally.

For more information go to KarenCohenYoga.blogspot.com and RockbridgeCoaching.blogspot.com

How To Maximize Bodyweight Exercises With the Training Evolution
Its a familiar story. Youve been doing a bodyweight exercise routine, or even weight training, and youve peaked and cant seem to make any more gains. Now youre bored with the routine and thinking of doing what most do when faced with this dilemma, qu...

Build A Rock Hard Chest With Pushups
You no longer need to go to the gym to get that rock hard body, you need to look no farther then using our own bodyweight as resistance.Building a rock hard chest is easier than you think and you don't or never did have to spend an hour in the gym...

Pushups For Functional Strength
As you probably already know if you have been reading magazines pushupsare on their way back as a way as conditioning, but the experts are stillusing the pushup only as a way to pump up, to get the blood flowing.The pushup is far more than a warmup t...

The Benefits of Stability Ball Training
The stability ball is one of my favorite training tools because it's so versatile. It can be used by sedentary individuals to develop proprioception (body awareness). It can also be used by workers to rehab an injury. And most recently, top level at...

Fitness Training Programs
Physical fitness is the state of the human body when it is in perfect health. Being fit is very important to stay alert both physically and mentally and also to ward off certain diseases that attack as the body ages. Fitness programs are schedules th...

Fat Loss Exercise - 2 Fat Burning Tips to Make You Sexy
Finding the best way to achieve fat loss with exercise is something that a lot of people have a lot of trouble with.Have you tried to lose fat with exercise but didn't have any success? If this has been something you've experienced, then it is impor...

Which Exercises Promote Weight Loss?
What types of exercises reduce fat?You have several exercise choices to lose weight: stretching workouts, mindful training, strength training and aerobic exercise. I'll go over all four and offer some suggestions.First comes stretching. Ahhh, the won...

You Always Need Good Support For Strong Abs And An Active Life
Support can mean a lot of things. But when we are talking about supporting an active life, we are specifically referring to a strong set of abdominals - the rectus abdominis, the internal and external obliques and the transverse abdominis (and a bun...

Best Core Exercises For A Stronger Back and Abs
The best core exercises will help transform your soft mid-section into a strong, firm, and powerful center of all your body's activities. Many of these can be performed with little or no special exercise equipment. The final result will be stronger a...

Six-Pack Abs
The Top Fat Loss Secrets for Flat Six-Packs AbsMr.Mike Geary a certified nutrition specialist,personal trainer has been heavily involved in fitness and sports since he was a teenager.he is 30 now but still continues in strength training and condition...