WHAT IS THE CORE??

Nowadays there is a confusion about understanding what goes wrong with ‘the core’ is. Its definition has been commonly discussed in the popular media and professional journals for the past decade or more. However, the precise definition of core is tenuous, with multiple meanings, depending on the interpretation of the literature (Behm, Drinkwater, Willardson, & Cowley, 2010).

Among all definitions, the one that we have found which is the most complete is: “the core can be described as a muscular box with the abdominals in the front, paraspinals and gluteals in the back, the diaphragm as the roof, and the pelvic floor and hip girdle musculature as the bottom. Within this box are 29 pairs of muscles that help to stabilize the spine, pelvis, and kinetic chain during functional movements” (Akuthota, Ferreiro, Moore, & Fredericson, 2008).

^{Pictures found from: (Willardson & National Strength & Conditioning Association (U.S.), 2014). Anterior view}

^{Pictures found from: (Willardson & National Strength & Conditioning Association (U.S.), 2014). Posterior view.} 

Core muscles play a larger role in human physical activities than is often realized. The core muscles are at work allowing posture maintenance, bending, twisting, and providing a stable spine for various activities involving the extremities that are required in daily life and for most sports (Boone et al., 2013).

Without these muscles, the spine would become mechanically unstable with compressive forces as little as 90 N, a load much less than the weight of the upper body. When the system works as it should, the result is proper force distribution and maximum force generation with minimal compressive, translational, or shearing forces at the joints of the kinetic chain.(Akuthota et al., 2008).

Evidence and common practice are not always consistent in the training community. For example, some people believe that repeated spine flexion is a good method to train the flexors (the rectus abdominis and the abdominal wall). Interestingly, these muscles are rarely used in this way because they are more often used to brace while stopping motion. Thus, they more often act as stabilizers than flexors (McGill, 2010)

So, once you know what the core is, what do you do to tone it up??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAMAA1d88u8

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Akuthota, V., Ferreiro, A., Moore, T., & Fredericson, M. (2008). Core Stability Exercise Principles Core Stability Exercise Principles. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 7(1), 39–44. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.CSMR.0000308663.13278.69

Behm, D. G., Drinkwater, E. J., Willardson, J. M., & Cowley, P. M. (2010). The use of instability to train the core musculature. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 35(1), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1139/H09-127

McGill, S. (2010). Core Training: Evidence Translating to Better Performance and Injury Prevention. Strength and Conditioning Journal, 32(3), 33–46. https://doi.org/10.1519/SSC.0b013e3181df4521

Willardson, J. M., & National Strength & Conditioning Association (U.S.). (2014). Developing the core.