Strength Training Anatomy - Strenghten Your Core
July 1, 2008
Get an inside view of the muscles in action during every exercise you perform. This indispensable reference contains detailed anatomical drawings of strength exercises for the entire body, covering every major muscle group: arms, shoulders, chest, back, legs, buttocks, abdomen.
Core strength training has become a hot topic in the fitness industry recently, and superficial fitness buffs merely assume that it basically means intensive abdominal exercises. However, it isn’t just about your abs at all, because other muscles make up your core as well. Aside from your surface and deeper abdominals, these include the muscles on your trunk and torso, namely the cervical or upper region of the spine, the thoracic or middle region of the spine, and lower back, or the lumbar region.
Having good core strength helps prevent you from being injured as well as giving you more control of your physical actions and better balance. One such injury that core strength training is employed for is when you have a susceptible lower back. Lower back pain is not limited to athletes and fitness subscribers, it is a problem among anyone with a weak spine. Some individuals get into core strength training because they initially sought to cure their back pain woes.
Core training exercises are composed of exercises that work these parts of the body. Bridges, or exercises where you brace yourself up from the floor with your elbow and arm facing different positions. The prone bridge develops strength in your trunk and pelvis, the lateral bridge in your abdomen, while the supine bridge, where you prop your hips up diagonally to the floor, anchored by your upper body and feet, develops the gluteal muscles. An exercise called the Plank, or a hovering exercise, is similar to these bridge exercises.
It’s crucial that your core is strong because it comes into play, just about every time you move. A strong, stable core can make other sports, like running, easier. For example, if your spine acts as a powerful base for your legs, you will be able to put more power behind each step and run with less effort. Core training will also tone your torso and abs and keep your lower back healthy, by improving your posture. If your core is strong, your lower ab muscles will be drawn in towards the spine and help you sit up straight. In essence, core training is an intelligent training structure, because it strengthens weak muscles and imbalances from the inside out.
The goal of core training
This simplifies the goal of core training greatly. Athletes can focus on getting the result, which is perfect posture and alignment while performing movements. It also helps the coach and therapist to ensure the athletes’ ability to produce good stability during the sporting movement rather than on the mat in the gym. This is a positive and educational way of thinking about rehabilitation exercises, which helps athletes to become more aware of how their bodies work and which muscles need to work when they are performing sport-specific techniques and tasks.
To assume that isolated small muscle exercises are the complete answer to core stability is akin to saying the best way to strengthen the knee joint is with the single joint knee extension exercise. Strength coaches and rehabilitation experts alike agree that closed kinetic chain movements that involve balance and stability, such as the squat, are far superior exercises when it comes to strengthening and rehabilitating leg muscles.
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