One of the most common aspects you’ll hear trainers ranting on about is ‘core strength’ – no matter what sport you’re in or whether you’re just increasing your general fitness. Although you may have a general idea of the core, let’s break it down to the basics: What is the core? Why is it important?  How can you train it?

What is the core?

Simply, the core muscles are those in your abdominals and back, pelvic floor and hips. Many of these cannot be seen visually (and may be the reason for being ignored for so long).

Why is it important to train?

The number one use of the core muscles is for stability and support. This includes both static postures (standing, sitting or firing a weapon while laying in the prone position – where the core muscles align the spine, ribs and hips to resist external forces) and dynamic movements (pretty much everything else – reaching for the cereal box in a cupboard to throwing a punch in the ring). By increasing the strength of core muscles the risk of injury and general pain is greatly reduced (in both performance and general aspects of life). Another direct result of core training is an increase in functional strength (how well you’re able to use your muscles in unison to achieve desired movements which increase muscle mass as a result of hypertrophy). This final point is particularly important in sports such as the increasingly popular Martial Arts and Boxing.

How can you train the core?

There are many different ways to train the core – through bodyweight exercises and weight exercises, static (such as holding a bridge) or dynamic (deadlifting etc). For the most beneficial exercises you should consult a personal trainer in Brisbane or specialist in exercise physiology in Brisbane. Simple exercises include the bridge, planks, crunches, hanging leg raises and segmental rotations. The beauty of training the core is that these exercises can easily be implemented into current training regimes and don’t take an extraneous amount of effort to complete – quality over quantity!

If you’re in need of core strengthening, Bodytrack are specialists in exercise physiology in Brisbane and have the personal trainers in Brisbane with the know how to bring out the best in you. Visit Bodytrack website or call (07) 3870 4119 to get started.