"Core Definition" - Are you training your CORE properly?

With the new year upon us, people are heading back to the gym to "tighten up" their abs.  The problem is that people have been lead to believe that doing abdominal exercises (particularly sit-ups) is good for improving "CORE" strength and stability.  The problem stems from a lack of understanding, and a poor definition of what "CORE" really means.



In the search for a definition of what "CORE" really is, I have yet to find one standard definition.  The best examples I have found state that "CORE" includes the lumbar spine, the muscles that attach to the lumbar spine and the linking of the lumbar spine to lower and upper limbs.  There are obviously a lot of muscles that do this so I'll talk about that in another post.

In terms of the function of these muscles, the best training methods would incorporate training all muscles to work in concert, not just those that isolate your rectus abdominus (the 6 pack muscle).  With this in mind, I'll discuss training methods in a future post.