What Is The Core?

By now we have all heard of the concept of The Core. Yes it was a blockbuster movie about a journey to the centre of the earth, but to us Physiotherapists, it's more about certain muscles in our body that are very important. It's talked about frequently during your Pilates sessions, or during your Yoga sessions. And although they may use different words and phrases like generate your force from within or from the centre the concept is the same.

So what is this elusive core and what's all the big fuss about? Why is it more and more professional athletes from Olympic level swimmers to professional basketball players have jumped on the band wagon? Can it really help prevent back pain? Can it really improve your sporting performance or even improve your posture?! Absolutely.

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Firstly it's important to understand the role of your muscles. There are the PRIME MOVERS (or fast twitch muscles) and then there are your STABILIZERS (slow twitch muscles). These slow twitch stabilizers are what makes up The Core.

What Is The Core?

Let's talk about the PRIME MOVERS first:
These are muscles that are responsible for MOVING your body and joints around. Whether you are walking, running, lifting something off the floor, these muscles contract to move your joints and body parts around. The muscles like your quadriceps, your pectoralis, your hamstrings, your biceps and triceps, are perfect examples of these prime movers. They tend to big large muscles, located superficially near the skin. They are designed for quick short bursts of activity and fatigue fast. Can you also notice how they all tend to anchor from the pelvis or from the centre of the body?

The other group of muscles are the STABILIZERS (core):
These are the unsung heroes. Because they are smaller and deeper within the body, they often go unnoticed and neglected. Their job is not so much to move your body around, their job is to tighten and hold your joints together. In essence, they hold everything together. In fact research shows that before you move (eg. run, jump, sit, stand) these muscles are the ones that activate first (not the Prime Movers). They activate about 60 milliseconds before the Prime Movers, as your body anticipates the movement and recruits these muscle to help provide a stronger base for everything else to work off. These stabilizers are designed for long periods of sustained contractions, and are highly fatigue resistant.

So when you do resistance training and train your Prime Movers (your big muscles), don't forget to train your Stabilizers. In fact an imbalance in strength between the Prime Movers and Stabilizers can lead to pain and injury! The benefits from training these muscles range from preventing and reducing back pain (if you already have it), to improving your speed, agility and strength on the sporting field!

To activate them you simply have to visualize your MT and TA pulling your pelvis in together! It's that easy! You should feel your LOWER abdominal region (near your belt line) tighten up both in the front and the back. You might even see your tummy get pulled in abit giving you a more slim figure (at least temporarily)! There should be no change in your breathing pattern or depth, and you shouldn't be tightening your backside muscles either. A helpful hint to facilitate the MT and TA tightening is to sit or stand on straight.

Slouching actually make it hard for these muscles to contract. Also remember that these are slow twitch muscles, so there is no need to try to tighten these muscle too hard. About 20% of your maximal effort is all it takes. The trick is to hold the contraction while you breath, while you walk, even while you talk! It takes abit of practice and you might not feel the benefit for a few days or even weeks, but you are bound to feel a difference eventually. Please consult your Physiotherapist for further advice.

What Is The Core?

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Two High Intensity Exercises That Will Boost Your Fitness Results

Virtually every fitness program, no matter how well designed it may be, eventually has to be changed or modified if we want to continue to improve. Our bodies have this amazing innate ability to detect change and immediately begin to adapt as an instinctive form of self-preservation. This naturally occurring phenomena is wonderful if we find ourselves suddenly with no food for several days... but when it comes to strength training or specific fitness goals it's known as a plateau.

Plateaus are not uncommon to fitness enthusiasts. They tend to occur after a prolonged period of diet and training where our bodies simply adapt to the routine we've been following and progress is stopped dead in its tracks. Most fitness experts agree that incorporating a varied and different approach to your work-outs is the best way to avoid plateaus altogether.

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However, hitting this plateau wall can and does eventually happen to everyone that trains long-term. Maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle is the greatest investment you can make in yourself. Letting a set back or a lack of progress discourage you from continuing can and should be avoided. In this article, I'm going to show you two categories of exercises that have excellent results on your body and will help shock your system into growth again.

Two High Intensity Exercises That Will Boost Your Fitness Results

Sprinting

Dozens of university studies have linked a direct correlation between sprinting and the release of specific hormones within our body. Depending on the study, growth hormone, thyroid hormones, and testosterone have all been shown to have elevated levels immediately following the sprints and days later. For the average lay person, all you have to do is look at the bodies of Olympic sprinters, as compared to a long distance, marathon runner.

The tremendous intensity that comes from a 90% to 100% all out sprint sends shock waves through our bodies which in turn brings about an increase in these much needed bodybuilding hormones. It doesn't have to be relegated to just running... all out sprints on a stationary bike will produce similar results.

Squats And Dead-lifts

Squats and dead-lifts, when performed correctly, can provide a similar level of intensity that sprinting does. Without a doubt, the muscles in our lower body are huge when compared to the muscle groups of our arms or shoulders. By adding squats and dead-lifts into our routine, we use so much oxygen and energy in order to complete the desired number of sets and reps that the internal hormonal response is often overlooked.

Once again, the key component to these moves is the intensity. Going heavy is not necessary either... high intensity can also be reached by incorporating very strict form with higher reps. Either way, these muscle groups in the legs, thighs and glutes are so big that you should be exhausted when finished. Shaking, out of breath and maybe even a bit nauseous is OK according to the fitness experts that use these in their routines.

It's All About Intensity

The intensity that these exercises have on our system is the real magic behind it. As we get older, particularly after the age of 30, our bodies don't produce these hormones like they did at an earlier age. Each year those levels drop and this becomes a huge contributor as to why we age. Mixing in sprints one or two days a week, and squats or dead-lifts every 5 to 7 days is an excellent way to proceed. If your workouts have hit a plateau, try these out for 12 weeks and you'll be very happy with your results.

Two High Intensity Exercises That Will Boost Your Fitness Results

George C Taylor has been a fitness enthusiast for more then 25 years. He currently resides in Southeast Asia where he works as a freelance writer for internet marketers and web masters around the world.

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