Hey guys … here is a core exercise you aren’t doing, but definitely should be, whether competing in sport, are dealing with lower back issue that could be caused by a weak core area, or have the summer months on your mind 😉
Remember, “core strength” is basically anti-movement strength. The ability to stabilize your lumbar spine while your hips, upper back, and limbs move dynamically around your lumbar region (center of gravity) is a decent definition of true core strength. So what does that mean, really? This means that the better you are able to stabilize your core region, the more power you can generate elsewhere in your body, while protecting your lower back.
Ideally, our hips are very mobile, our waist is very stable, and our upper back is very mobile, allowing for us to run smoothly, hit home runs, perform push ups, etc.
One of our primary goals then for optimal fat burning & athletic performance (remember, we are all athletes!!), is to keep our hips stretched out, flexible and “mobile”, our core tight and strong, and our upper backs (throracic spine) mobile.
When we establish this combination of mobility and stability, we can then rock out some mean medicine ball throws, kettlebell swings, plyometric push ups, and other wicked movements that will deliver the functional strength and tone we want.
We train our core muscles 3 ways:
- to stabilize our lumbar spine during flexing/extending exercises (forwards or backwards bending)
- while leaning side to side (side flexing)
- and in the case below, when twisting or rotating … picture the golf swing, or Albert Pujols swinging a bat.
Finally, we don’t “draw our belly buttons back to our spine” as you hear too many instructors tell you to do. This “hollowing” out of your stomach makes us weaker … instead, “brace” your mid section, as if you were sneezing or coughing.
Find your core muscles: do this, find your hip bone below your waist, and press into your lower stomach an inch below and 2 inches towards the middle from your hip bone. Cough a few times and feel your abs contract. That’s it! That’s the core muscle contraction we want each time we squat, lunge, or pick something up.
Now check out the video below, it’s a quick shot of me performing an awesome “rotary core strengthening movement” … the cable is trying to rotate my upper body, but by keeping my legs set in an athletic stance, and my core tight, (anti-movement), I am fighting against the resistance. It looks much easier than it really is. Set the cable stack weight between 10-30 pounds to start out, and perform 5 sets per side. Press the handle out away from your chest, take two diaphragmatic breaths, and bring the handle back to your chest. This is an awesome body awareness movement as well (always a key component to any S.A.F.E. Exercise) … if you are having a difficult time finding your core muscles, try this one out … I guarantee they won’t be lost any longer … you’ll either engage everything, or the cable will pull you over.
Try it out, tell me what you think … have fun, mix it up, and keep it S.A.F.E.!
