The Importance of Training Your Core
The importance of training your “core” has become increasingly popular in the world of fitness. Core training utilizes several muscles in the body, which discourages muscle isolation, and leads to a healthier, overall more balanced approach to working out.
To understand the importance of core training, it is first necessary to understand what the core muscles do and how they affect the entire body. This group of muscles forms the core of your body, and includes the muscles of the entire torso (including the lower back), the abdominal muscles, the hips, pelvis, and the shoulder muscles. These muscles work together to provide stability to the entire body, control posture, and allow a full range of motion.
To adequately train the core, a multi-dimensional program is needed so that many different muscles work together efficiently. In addition to just gaining strength, you also gain force as both the large muscles and the small muscles are worked at the same time. Flexibility is also increased, and combined with greater strength and force allows your body to work more powerfully, thereby reducing the risk of injury.
While most people gain strength with a traditional workout, very few actually improve the quality of their core muscles. To determine if your core could use a bit of strengthening, perform this simple test: Lie on your back with your knees bent at a ninety-degree angle, your toes lifted, and your heels pressed flat against the floor. Keep your palms flat against the floor with your arms straight out from your body at a forty-five degree angle. Begin to lift your hips off of the floor while pulling your stomach muscles in toward your back. Your hands, arms, shoulders, feet, and head should all remain on the floor. Hold this position, keeping a straight line from your shoulders to your knees, for thirty seconds. You should consider strengthening your core muscles if you cannot maintain this position for at least thirty seconds.
There are several types of core training exercises that can be done. Using resistance bands, and exercise balls can further enhance some of the most common workouts. These common exercises include: abdominal crunches, oblique crunches, push-ups, leg lifts, tight arm circles, leg extensions, lunges, heel touches, and abdominal twists. It is important to remember to take it slow, and do not over do it so injury is avoided.
By working to strengthen the core muscles, you will improve your posture, increase your flexibility, and gain overall strength and stability. Core training not only trains your muscles, it helps to train movement. Your whole body will feel better and you will achieve a leaner, more toned look.
You’ve reached the end of the post, you might like to read this pdf on ‘How to get washboard abs‘ or here are some other posts you might like:
Affiliate disclaimer
