Most are familiar with the word, but probably aren’t sure of the exact definition.  Your core is basically the center portion of your body, excluding your limbs and your head.  This is the area where the force of movement is generated in exercise and in life.  Training your core is vital to living a stronger, healthier life or becoming a stronger athlete.  Personal trainers and other fitness professionals throw this word around like crazy, but there is a great deal of science behind the buzz.

I decided to compile a personal list of the most functional and effective exercises to build core strength.  This is, by no means, a definitive list.  Just my opinion on the best.

1. Bicycles- works the muscles deep in the abdominal wall and the obliques

2. Plank- this can be performed in numerous variations.   Improves core stability in an isometric fashion.

3. Long arm crunch- focuses on upper portion of abdominal region

4. Supermans- numerous variations, deep abdominal region, lower back region

5. Reverse Crunch- pulling your knees in.  Focuses on lower region of abdominal area

As stated before, this is not a definitive list of 5.  Please contact me or anyone with Studio Element with questions concerning any of these exercises.  Remember- While a nice six pack is appealing, performance and core stability is more important.  Focus on exercises like the ones above and improve your nutritional habits and the six pack will follow!

We have all heard the term “core” thrown around in the fitness world, but I am sure that most don’t realize what exactly “core” means.  Your core muscles consist of all of the musculature of your abdominal section, lower back, and obliques region.  Core strength refers to the muscles of your abs and back and their ability to support your spine and keep your body stable and balanced.  Your core is the essence of everything you do, from your day-to-day activities, to your athletic pursuits.  It doesn’t matter how strong your arms and legs are if the muscles they’re attached to aren’t equally as strong.  Think of your core area as your body’s foundation.  Everything else comes crumbling down if you don’t have a solid support system to hold it all up.

A strong core is also responsible for your sense of balance.  Balance not only requires equilibrium, but also good stability of the core muscles and the joints, particularly the hip, knee, and ankle.

As we’re getting older, we should become less concerned with sculpting our body, and more concerned with staying active and functional.  With core training, your joints and muscles work in tandem, just the way they do in real life when, for example, you have to balance yourself while walking upstairs with bags of groceries in your arms.  Personal Training is a great way to learn how to use these support muscles and to gain the knowledge of a variety of core specific exercises.  A sports trainer may be that vital link that many need to sufficiently strengthen their core.