Working the Core

**A.FreeRadical** · 01-10-2006, 03:10 PM

When most people hear the term "the core" they have no clear understanding of the term. Most people that I talk with think this means the "abs". The core does include the abdominals as well as the hips and lower back muscles. These muscles are of two types, stabilizer and movement muscles. Generally, the movement muscles are the ones we see and the stabilizers are ones that we don't see.

The core "movement" system includes:

Latissimus Dorsi
Erector Spinae
IlioPsoas
Hip Adductors
Hip Abductors
Rectus Abdominus
External Obliques

The core "stabilization" system includes:

Transverse Abdominus
Internal Obliques
Lumbar Multifidus
Pelvic Floor muscles
Diaphragm
Transversalis

Below you will find illustrations of some of these muscles.

**A.FreeRadical** · 01-11-2006, 01:39 PM

More core muscle illustrations.

**A.FreeRadical** · 01-12-2006, 11:03 AM

Core training can improve your posture, alleviate pain and increase your power.

The core is about balance, stability, and power. How many people do you know that do hundreds of crunches each week with the hopes of getting a six pack? Without the appropriate development of the muscles that rotate, extend and bend the torso laterally, these ab-only trainers will end up with an imbalance in their core leading to poor posture. Of course, failing to do any core exercise will also lead to imbalances as well.

Your mom had it right when she told you to sit-up and stand-up straight.

If you think about it, we spend most of our day sitting or laying down. We get up from sleeping several hours, sit down to breakfast, get dressed, sit down to drive to work, at work, many of us sit down to a computer, then go to sit down at lunch and back to sit down at work, then sit down to drive home and sit down to dinner, all of this sitting followed by sitting down to watch tv or surf the web. It is no wonder a good posture is rare. More than being more attractive, good posture will help you to prevent injuries, alleviate lower back pain and make you stronger.

How often have your friends told you that they don't workout because they have a "bad back"?

There are those who have had serious injuries to their backs caused by accidents and various traumas, but most back pain, and lower back pain in particular, is caused by imbalances in core muscles. The next time one of your friends tells you he or she can't workout because of a "bad back", tell them that is exactly why they should work out.

What is good posture?

Standing straight and looking frontally into a mirror can assess good posture. Is the body symmetrical? Are knees turned in or out? Are the hips and shoulders tilted? Is the neck and head aligned with the rest of the body? Now turn to the side and assess your upright body from a side view. You should be able to draw an imaginary line from your ankle, to your knee, to the center of your hip, to the shoulder and then to the ear. This imaginary line should be straight. Most people who have muscle imbalances and who sit most of the day will have an anterior tilt to the hips and rounded shoulders. Stretching some muscles and strengthening other muscles can correct this type of inbalance. Also learning to stand, sit and move with good posture will help strengthen the core. Back and neck pain are common and they are often caused by poor posture.

It is said that sixty percent of the body's power comes from the core.

Power is transferring energy through the body's muscles to do work. The more efficiently you move, the less stress there will be on the body and the more work can get done. If you don't have optimum core strength, particularly hip stability, the energy that you need to do a task is siphoned off. Furthermore, over time, your movement muscles in the back and upper legs, connective tissue and joints will all take a beating from compensating and can eventually degenerate.

Whether it be a golf swing, a major barbell lift or a higher jump shot, most of the power is coming from the core. For this reason, most athletic training programs have incorporated core training as a significant part of their routines.

If for no other reason, improve your core so you can add more weight to the bar on your dead lifts, squats and bench presses!

*

**A.FreeRadical** · 01-15-2006, 12:02 PM

Here is a list of core exercises that you may find helpful. I had considered explaining each of these, but without pictures or drawings this is going to put everyone to sleep. Mayo Clinic has a series of slide shows that have pictures and explanations. I am going to list exercises for the core and provide links for those of you who don't know what each of these are. You can also go to page one on the Mayo Clinic Slideshow and view all of the exercises, including the variations.

Bridge
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00047&slide=3
Single-leg abdominal press
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00047&slide=4
Double-leg abdominal press
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00047&slide=6
Segmental rotation
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00047&slide=8
Proper crunch
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00047&slide=9
Quadruped
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...00047&slide=10
Modified plank
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...00047&slide=11
Superman
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...00047&slide=13
Side Plank
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...00047&slide=14

*

**A.FreeRadical** · 01-15-2006, 12:10 PM

**A.FreeRadical** · 01-15-2006, 01:07 PM

Some cable, medicine ball and Smith machine core exercises

Shape magazine exercises

Smith Machine Reverse Crunch
High/Low Cable Chops
http://www.shape.com/workouts/85?page=1

Modified Teaser
Lift and Reach
http://www.shape.com/workouts/85?page=2

Weighted Bicycle
http://www.shape.com/workouts/85?page=3

Muscle & Fitness magazine exercises

Medicine Ball Pass
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/16

Seated Knee Up
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/15

Oblique Cable Crunch
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/17

Hanging Knee Raise
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/51

V-up
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/52

Swiss-Ball Reverse Crunch
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/53

Swiss Ball Crunch
http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/54

*

**A.FreeRadical** · 01-17-2006, 02:44 PM

I hesitate to mention yoga and pilates in a venue that is dominated by men because men seem to think this is "workouts for girls". I can tell you from first hand experience that both of these styles of training can be quite challenging. My experience in trying to get guys to try these has not been very successful. I have found that if you can get a guy to try this, he isn't likely to do it a second time. This is because it can be embarrassing for a physically fit guy to find that he can't keep up with a class full of overweight and/or elderly woman. Like any type of training you have to learn these and practice these

I cast all timidity aside, I have done both and have gotten great benefit from doing both of them. I recommend these to you. To get into this you will have to buy a VHS tape, DVD or attend a class. Learning these on your own isn't practical. You will need to have someone guide you. Taking some classes is best because that way someone can encourage and advise you.

Hatha Yoga is the physical branch of the Indian Philosophy / Religion called Yoga. If you are concerned about not wanting theology or foreign ideas presented to you, you need not worry. Most classes given in gym class (and most yoga tapes/DVDs) deal with Hatha Yoga. Hatha yoga is the science of doing poses (asanas) to improve balance, core strength and flexibility.

Pilates is similar in that there are poses, but these Pilates poses deal primarily with core and they are dynamic poses. In Pilates you only hold a pose for a few seconds and then repeat several times. Whereas in Yoga you tend to hold a pose and then roll into another pose and hold that one. For Pilates, it is also best to buy a video or attend a class to learn this discipline.

*

**A.FreeRadical** · 01-19-2006, 12:34 PM

If you have learned nothing else in this post, hopefully you have learned that core is not just "abs". The "core" includes the entire mid section of the body. It includes all of the movement muscles and all of the stabilizer muscles that allow us to bend forward and backward, to move left and to the right and all twisting motions.

The movement muscles include; Latissimus Dorsi, Erector Spinae, IlioPsoas, Hip Adductors, Hip Abductors, Rectus Abdominus
and the External Obliques. The stabilizer muscle include; Transverse Abdominus, Internal Obliques, Lumbar Multifidus, Pelvic Floor muscles,
Diaphragm, Transversalis. Generally the movement muscles are external and can be seen when developed and the stabilizers are internal, deep within the body near the spine.

The "core" is a conduit for efficiently transferring force from your lower body to your upper body and back down again. A strong core will help you keep your body in proper alignment (posture) no matter what you are doing. For example, if you move your body foreword, there will be no extra energy spent in taking a side step or making a twisting motion.

By working your core, you can improve your posture, reduce or avoid lower back or neck pain and you can improve your performance no matter what activities you choose to do.

If you want to be your best that your can be on your biggest lifts, then get out there and do the "sissy" stuff first!

*

**A.FreeRadical** · 01-25-2006, 12:15 PM

* * *
* *
*

ZackMurphy · 01-25-2006, 04:30 PM

AFR -

Great thread. GREAT thread. I wish more people were reading it, but no matter. Their loss. This is a massive topic, and much more impactful than most younger lifters realize.

I've hesitated posting anything until you were finished, but it seems you're done for now, so I have a few things to add. These are just a series of little ideas but they dovetail nicely with things you've already said.

1. I would like to add a few more muscles to the "core" list.
Major players:
gluteus medius
gluteus maximus
hamstrings & quads
hip flexors (about 6 muscles that pull the leg up)
IT band & gracilis

Why these? See #2.

2. Assessing core stability for me means one thing: can the client use his/her body through a full range of motion, without pain, and without compromising safety.

How do we test this? I get non-obese clients to try to get into a full squat position, toes forward, ass to grass, heels flat, arms folded on knees, all the way down, and hold it indefinitely. To perform that seemingly basic move, the hips, knees and ankles all have to be able to flex, and the agonists and antagonists have to be able to relax and contract equally and smoothly.

In assessing yourself (or your mother, or the guy at the gym you're trying to help), get the individual to try this position, and try to figure out where the problem(s) is/are. If they can do this, they can (with practice) safely deep squat. If they can't do this, they cannot squat without compromising their safety.

I have 70yo grandmothers with “bad knees” who can do this, so no reason everyone can’t make this happen.

Almost nobody can do it without some work. Why not? All sorts of reasons. Which brings on #3.

3. Why can’t Grandma deep squat? Let’s see. She says her hams feel tight, that her knees hurt, and she falls backwards when she tries to get into the deep squat position (unless she holds onto something).

This tells us a few things for sure:
"hams are tight" = something is not pulling on the lower leg equally with the hams. This means we can say her quads or glutes are probably weak. And if her quads and/or glutes are weak, her pelvis probably tilts backward when she gets into the squat. This requires less of her "tight" hamstrings, and stretches out her glutes less (which are weak, so they don’t want to stretch), and her quads (which are weak) can’t balance out the load.

"her knees hurt" = all sorts of things could cause this, usually ligaments that are not balanced in tension being placed on them. But it can also be that she’s placing too much stress on the knees by not letting her hips flex. Three out of 4 clients simply try to limbo down into position, and this stresses the knees. Let the hips flex, move backward, and suddenly the knees don't hurt. Magic.

"she falls backwards…" = this means her ankles can't dorsiflex. Dorsiflexion is the flexing the ankle, lifting of the foot upward. This just takes practice.

So you get the idea. You have a problem, and assessing core strengths and weaknesses tells you where to look for the solution. Grandma needs massive core work, focusing on glutes and quads, plus hip flexors, abs, and spinal erector conditioning for proper core balance. At least.

So all this means one big thing. This is massive. See #4.

4. If someone tells you what hurts or what’s tight (back, hams, whatever), 9 times out of 10, the probably is not that thing. It might be, but it's truly rare.

"My hams are tight" = something is making the hams tight. "My knees hurt". Let's think about why. But the problem ain't the hamstrings. The problem isn't the knees. Something is causing it, so you look around it. Remember, when we were kids, we could all deep squat. What changed? Now, un-change it.

Look at the core as the source of everything you do - all your form begins there, and all your aches and pains are started there, and all your problems are solved there. Look there first, and evaluate core issues first, and you're looking in the right direction.

5. Wrapping up. Finally!!!

All this means that hips, knees, and ankles are most important to core stability and agility. Those three joints become the center of what your body does. From the ground up, they dictate everytyhing. And since those three joints then need the work, this should tell us what moves work us best:
hips = deadlifts
knees = squats
ankles = lunges

Doesn't make those lifts any easier, but those are the lifts that best force those joints to play with full range of motion. If Grandma does those three well, she deep squats olympic-style, pain-free with perfect form.

IMHO. :nosthumbs

I should probably re-read this and look for typos.....

**A.FreeRadical** · 01-25-2006, 06:51 PM

Thanks, and A GREAT contribution to my article, Zack!

I attended a NASM workshop that covered some of this in December. I found this to be very interesting and informative. Recently I have decided to dedicate one day per week just working the core (in the narrow sense that I used above). I know that I work the core doing deadlifts and squats also. The thing that was impressed upon me at the workshop is that I should be doing core work to reinforce those lifts and not doing those lifts to work the core.

I am not sure from your remarks whether you agree with the core (as I defined it) being worked in isolation to improve deadlifts and squats as opposed to doing deadlifts and squats to improve the core. This is interesting stuff. I am not looking for a debate, I would like to hear your respected opinion on this matter.

*

**MurphMan** · 01-25-2006, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZackMurphy

5. Wrapping up. Finally!!!

All this means that hips, knees, and ankles are most important to core stability and agility. Those three joints become the center of what your body does. From the ground up, they dictate everytyhing. And since those three joints then need the work, this should tell us what moves work us best:
hips = deadlifts
knees = squats
ankles = lunges

Doesn't make those lifts any easier, but those are the lifts that best force those joints to play with full range of motion. If Grandma does those three well, she deep squats olympic-style, pain-free with perfect form.

[/size]

Well, that's just great! I can't do any of those moves because of my physical disabilities caused from my accident two years ago.

ZackMurphy · 01-25-2006, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A.FreeRadical

I am not sure from your remarks whether you agree with the core (as I defined it) being worked in isolation to improve deadlifts and squats as opposed to doing deadlifts and squats to improve the core. This is interesting stuff. I am not looking for a debate, I would like to hear your respected opinion on this matter.

*

I side with you on that one, though not exclusively. I definitely consider certain aspects of my core "worked" sufficiently by certain non-isolation moves. That is, I know my glutes and spinal erectors get worked 100% by any squatting, deadlifting, lunges, etc. Obviously. I know you'd agree on that.

And I know I get my adductors by my sumo squatting, various specialty lunges I do, etc.

But I also work most of the core muscles somewhat. I do the two girly machines, the adductor/abductor machines that most guys wouldn'

01-15-2006, 12:10 PM	#5
A.FreeRadical the Epicurean Bodybuilder Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,245 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 57	Stability Ball Core Exercises Squat and reach http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00046&slide=3 Plank http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00046&slide=4 Advanced plank http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00046&slide=5 Reverse crunch http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00046&slide=6 Bridge http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00046&slide=8 Abdomenal ball raise http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...00046&slide=10 Abdominal ball rotation http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...00046&slide=11 Side exercise http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...00046&slide=12 * __________________ "Is it going to be the red pill or the blue pill, Neo? The red pill will answer the question 'What is the Matrix?' Choose carefully. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more." Ron Paul for President, 2008 A.FreeRadical ...the Epicurean bodybuilder Height: 5'9", Age: 62, My last high on 2/1/2006 was 196 lbs. My last low on 8/08/2006 was 167.5 lbs. Cutting until I am lean Starting weight: 190 lbs. bodyfat: 19.7% November 27th: 183 lbs. bodyfat: 18.3% bodyfat Goal Weight: 176 lbs with no more than 10% bodyfat My recipe collection

01-15-2006, 01:07 PM	#6
A.FreeRadical the Epicurean Bodybuilder Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,245 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 57	Other Core Exercises Some cable, medicine ball and Smith machine core exercises Shape magazine exercises Smith Machine Reverse Crunch High/Low Cable Chops http://www.shape.com/workouts/85?page=1 Modified Teaser Lift and Reach http://www.shape.com/workouts/85?page=2 Weighted Bicycle http://www.shape.com/workouts/85?page=3 Muscle & Fitness magazine exercises Medicine Ball Pass http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/16 Seated Knee Up http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/15 Oblique Cable Crunch http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/17 Hanging Knee Raise http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/51 V-up http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/52 Swiss-Ball Reverse Crunch http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/53 Swiss Ball Crunch http://www.muscleandfitness.com/training/exercises/54 * __________________ "Is it going to be the red pill or the blue pill, Neo? The red pill will answer the question 'What is the Matrix?' Choose carefully. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more." Ron Paul for President, 2008 A.FreeRadical ...the Epicurean bodybuilder Height: 5'9", Age: 62, My last high on 2/1/2006 was 196 lbs. My last low on 8/08/2006 was 167.5 lbs. Cutting until I am lean Starting weight: 190 lbs. bodyfat: 19.7% November 27th: 183 lbs. bodyfat: 18.3% bodyfat Goal Weight: 176 lbs with no more than 10% bodyfat My recipe collection

01-17-2006, 02:44 PM	#7
A.FreeRadical the Epicurean Bodybuilder Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,245 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 57	Hatha Yoga and Pilates I hesitate to mention yoga and pilates in a venue that is dominated by men because men seem to think this is "workouts for girls". I can tell you from first hand experience that both of these styles of training can be quite challenging. My experience in trying to get guys to try these has not been very successful. I have found that if you can get a guy to try this, he isn't likely to do it a second time. This is because it can be embarrassing for a physically fit guy to find that he can't keep up with a class full of overweight and/or elderly woman. Like any type of training you have to learn these and practice these I cast all timidity aside, I have done both and have gotten great benefit from doing both of them. I recommend these to you. To get into this you will have to buy a VHS tape, DVD or attend a class. Learning these on your own isn't practical. You will need to have someone guide you. Taking some classes is best because that way someone can encourage and advise you. Hatha Yoga is the physical branch of the Indian Philosophy / Religion called Yoga. If you are concerned about not wanting theology or foreign ideas presented to you, you need not worry. Most classes given in gym class (and most yoga tapes/DVDs) deal with Hatha Yoga. Hatha yoga is the science of doing poses (asanas) to improve balance, core strength and flexibility. Pilates is similar in that there are poses, but these Pilates poses deal primarily with core and they are dynamic poses. In Pilates you only hold a pose for a few seconds and then repeat several times. Whereas in Yoga you tend to hold a pose and then roll into another pose and hold that one. For Pilates, it is also best to buy a video or attend a class to learn this discipline. * __________________ "Is it going to be the red pill or the blue pill, Neo? The red pill will answer the question 'What is the Matrix?' Choose carefully. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more." Ron Paul for President, 2008 A.FreeRadical ...the Epicurean bodybuilder Height: 5'9", Age: 62, My last high on 2/1/2006 was 196 lbs. My last low on 8/08/2006 was 167.5 lbs. Cutting until I am lean Starting weight: 190 lbs. bodyfat: 19.7% November 27th: 183 lbs. bodyfat: 18.3% bodyfat Goal Weight: 176 lbs with no more than 10% bodyfat My recipe collection Last edited by A.FreeRadical : 01-22-2006 at 12:50 PM.

01-19-2006, 12:34 PM	#8
A.FreeRadical the Epicurean Bodybuilder Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,245 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 57	In summary... If you have learned nothing else in this post, hopefully you have learned that core is not just "abs". The "core" includes the entire mid section of the body. It includes all of the movement muscles and all of the stabilizer muscles that allow us to bend forward and backward, to move left and to the right and all twisting motions. The movement muscles include; Latissimus Dorsi, Erector Spinae, IlioPsoas, Hip Adductors, Hip Abductors, Rectus Abdominus and the External Obliques. The stabilizer muscle include; Transverse Abdominus, Internal Obliques, Lumbar Multifidus, Pelvic Floor muscles, Diaphragm, Transversalis. Generally the movement muscles are external and can be seen when developed and the stabilizers are internal, deep within the body near the spine. The "core" is a conduit for efficiently transferring force from your lower body to your upper body and back down again. A strong core will help you keep your body in proper alignment (posture) no matter what you are doing. For example, if you move your body foreword, there will be no extra energy spent in taking a side step or making a twisting motion. By working your core, you can improve your posture, reduce or avoid lower back or neck pain and you can improve your performance no matter what activities you choose to do. If you want to be your best that your can be on your biggest lifts, then get out there and do the "sissy" stuff first! * __________________ "Is it going to be the red pill or the blue pill, Neo? The red pill will answer the question 'What is the Matrix?' Choose carefully. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more." Ron Paul for President, 2008 A.FreeRadical ...the Epicurean bodybuilder Height: 5'9", Age: 62, My last high on 2/1/2006 was 196 lbs. My last low on 8/08/2006 was 167.5 lbs. Cutting until I am lean Starting weight: 190 lbs. bodyfat: 19.7% November 27th: 183 lbs. bodyfat: 18.3% bodyfat Goal Weight: 176 lbs with no more than 10% bodyfat My recipe collection Last edited by A.FreeRadical : 01-22-2006 at 12:52 PM.

01-25-2006, 12:15 PM	#9
A.FreeRadical the Epicurean Bodybuilder Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,245 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 57	* * * * * * __________________ "Is it going to be the red pill or the blue pill, Neo? The red pill will answer the question 'What is the Matrix?' Choose carefully. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more." Ron Paul for President, 2008 A.FreeRadical ...the Epicurean bodybuilder Height: 5'9", Age: 62, My last high on 2/1/2006 was 196 lbs. My last low on 8/08/2006 was 167.5 lbs. Cutting until I am lean Starting weight: 190 lbs. bodyfat: 19.7% November 27th: 183 lbs. bodyfat: 18.3% bodyfat Goal Weight: 176 lbs with no more than 10% bodyfat My recipe collection

01-12-2006, 11:03 AM	#3
A.FreeRadical the Epicurean Bodybuilder Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,245 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 57	Core training can improve your posture, alleviate pain and increase your power. The core is about balance, stability, and power. How many people do you know that do hundreds of crunches each week with the hopes of getting a six pack? Without the appropriate development of the muscles that rotate, extend and bend the torso laterally, these ab-only trainers will end up with an imbalance in their core leading to poor posture. Of course, failing to do any core exercise will also lead to imbalances as well. Your mom had it right when she told you to sit-up and stand-up straight. If you think about it, we spend most of our day sitting or laying down. We get up from sleeping several hours, sit down to breakfast, get dressed, sit down to drive to work, at work, many of us sit down to a computer, then go to sit down at lunch and back to sit down at work, then sit down to drive home and sit down to dinner, all of this sitting followed by sitting down to watch tv or surf the web. It is no wonder a good posture is rare. More than being more attractive, good posture will help you to prevent injuries, alleviate lower back pain and make you stronger. How often have your friends told you that they don't workout because they have a "bad back"? There are those who have had serious injuries to their backs caused by accidents and various traumas, but most back pain, and lower back pain in particular, is caused by imbalances in core muscles. The next time one of your friends tells you he or she can't workout because of a "bad back", tell them that is exactly why they should work out. What is good posture? Standing straight and looking frontally into a mirror can assess good posture. Is the body symmetrical? Are knees turned in or out? Are the hips and shoulders tilted? Is the neck and head aligned with the rest of the body? Now turn to the side and assess your upright body from a side view. You should be able to draw an imaginary line from your ankle, to your knee, to the center of your hip, to the shoulder and then to the ear. This imaginary line should be straight. Most people who have muscle imbalances and who sit most of the day will have an anterior tilt to the hips and rounded shoulders. Stretching some muscles and strengthening other muscles can correct this type of inbalance. Also learning to stand, sit and move with good posture will help strengthen the core. Back and neck pain are common and they are often caused by poor posture. It is said that sixty percent of the body's power comes from the core. Power is transferring energy through the body's muscles to do work. The more efficiently you move, the less stress there will be on the body and the more work can get done. If you don't have optimum core strength, particularly hip stability, the energy that you need to do a task is siphoned off. Furthermore, over time, your movement muscles in the back and upper legs, connective tissue and joints will all take a beating from compensating and can eventually degenerate. Whether it be a golf swing, a major barbell lift or a higher jump shot, most of the power is coming from the core. For this reason, most athletic training programs have incorporated core training as a significant part of their routines. If for no other reason, improve your core so you can add more weight to the bar on your dead lifts, squats and bench presses! * __________________ "Is it going to be the red pill or the blue pill, Neo? The red pill will answer the question 'What is the Matrix?' Choose carefully. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more." Ron Paul for President, 2008 A.FreeRadical ...the Epicurean bodybuilder Height: 5'9", Age: 62, My last high on 2/1/2006 was 196 lbs. My last low on 8/08/2006 was 167.5 lbs. Cutting until I am lean Starting weight: 190 lbs. bodyfat: 19.7% November 27th: 183 lbs. bodyfat: 18.3% bodyfat Goal Weight: 176 lbs with no more than 10% bodyfat My recipe collection Last edited by A.FreeRadical : 01-22-2006 at 12:53 PM.

01-15-2006, 12:02 PM	#4
A.FreeRadical the Epicurean Bodybuilder Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,245 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 57	Floor Core Exercises Here is a list of core exercises that you may find helpful. I had considered explaining each of these, but without pictures or drawings this is going to put everyone to sleep. Mayo Clinic has a series of slide shows that have pictures and explanations. I am going to list exercises for the core and provide links for those of you who don't know what each of these are. You can also go to page one on the Mayo Clinic Slideshow and view all of the exercises, including the variations. Bridge http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00047&slide=3 Single-leg abdominal press http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00047&slide=4 Double-leg abdominal press http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00047&slide=6 Segmental rotation http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00047&slide=8 Proper crunch http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...M00047&slide=9 Quadruped http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...00047&slide=10 Modified plank http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...00047&slide=11 Superman http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...00047&slide=13 Side Plank http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cor...00047&slide=14 * __________________ "Is it going to be the red pill or the blue pill, Neo? The red pill will answer the question 'What is the Matrix?' Choose carefully. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more." Ron Paul for President, 2008 A.FreeRadical ...the Epicurean bodybuilder Height: 5'9", Age: 62, My last high on 2/1/2006 was 196 lbs. My last low on 8/08/2006 was 167.5 lbs. Cutting until I am lean Starting weight: 190 lbs. bodyfat: 19.7% November 27th: 183 lbs. bodyfat: 18.3% bodyfat Goal Weight: 176 lbs with no more than 10% bodyfat My recipe collection Last edited by A.FreeRadical : 01-22-2006 at 12:46 PM.

01-25-2006, 04:30 PM	#10
ZackMurphy IronMass Donator Join Date: May 2005 Location: Folsom, CA Posts: 559 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 8	AFR - Great thread. GREAT thread. I wish more people were reading it, but no matter. Their loss. This is a massive topic, and much more impactful than most younger lifters realize. I've hesitated posting anything until you were finished, but it seems you're done for now, so I have a few things to add. These are just a series of little ideas but they dovetail nicely with things you've already said. 1. I would like to add a few more muscles to the "core" list. Major players: gluteus medius gluteus maximus hamstrings & quads hip flexors (about 6 muscles that pull the leg up) IT band & gracilis Why these? See #2. 2. Assessing core stability for me means one thing: can the client use his/her body through a full range of motion, without pain, and without compromising safety. How do we test this? I get non-obese clients to try to get into a full squat position, toes forward, ass to grass, heels flat, arms folded on knees, all the way down, and hold it indefinitely. To perform that seemingly basic move, the hips, knees and ankles all have to be able to flex, and the agonists and antagonists have to be able to relax and contract equally and smoothly. In assessing yourself (or your mother, or the guy at the gym you're trying to help), get the individual to try this position, and try to figure out where the problem(s) is/are. If they can do this, they can (with practice) safely deep squat. If they can't do this, they cannot squat without compromising their safety. I have 70yo grandmothers with “bad knees” who can do this, so no reason everyone can’t make this happen. Almost nobody can do it without some work. Why not? All sorts of reasons. Which brings on #3. 3. Why can’t Grandma deep squat? Let’s see. She says her hams feel tight, that her knees hurt, and she falls backwards when she tries to get into the deep squat position (unless she holds onto something). This tells us a few things for sure: "hams are tight" = something is not pulling on the lower leg equally with the hams. This means we can say her quads or glutes are probably weak. And if her quads and/or glutes are weak, her pelvis probably tilts backward when she gets into the squat. This requires less of her "tight" hamstrings, and stretches out her glutes less (which are weak, so they don’t want to stretch), and her quads (which are weak) can’t balance out the load. "her knees hurt" = all sorts of things could cause this, usually ligaments that are not balanced in tension being placed on them. But it can also be that she’s placing too much stress on the knees by not letting her hips flex. Three out of 4 clients simply try to limbo down into position, and this stresses the knees. Let the hips flex, move backward, and suddenly the knees don't hurt. Magic. "she falls backwards…" = this means her ankles can't dorsiflex. Dorsiflexion is the flexing the ankle, lifting of the foot upward. This just takes practice. So you get the idea. You have a problem, and assessing core strengths and weaknesses tells you where to look for the solution. Grandma needs massive core work, focusing on glutes and quads, plus hip flexors, abs, and spinal erector conditioning for proper core balance. At least. So all this means one big thing. This is massive. See #4. 4. If someone tells you what hurts or what’s tight (back, hams, whatever), 9 times out of 10, the probably is not that thing. It might be, but it's truly rare. "My hams are tight" = something is making the hams tight. "My knees hurt". Let's think about why. But the problem ain't the hamstrings. The problem isn't the knees. Something is causing it, so you look around it. Remember, when we were kids, we could all deep squat. What changed? Now, un-change it. Look at the core as the source of everything you do - all your form begins there, and all your aches and pains are started there, and all your problems are solved there. Look there first, and evaluate core issues first, and you're looking in the right direction. 5. Wrapping up. Finally!!! All this means that hips, knees, and ankles are most important to core stability and agility. Those three joints become the center of what your body does. From the ground up, they dictate everytyhing. And since those three joints then need the work, this should tell us what moves work us best: hips = deadlifts knees = squats ankles = lunges Doesn't make those lifts any easier, but those are the lifts that best force those joints to play with full range of motion. If Grandma does those three well, she deep squats olympic-style, pain-free with perfect form. IMHO. :nosthumbs I should probably re-read this and look for typos.....

01-25-2006, 06:51 PM	#11
A.FreeRadical the Epicurean Bodybuilder Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 2,245 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 57	Thanks, and A GREAT contribution to my article, Zack! I attended a NASM workshop that covered some of this in December. I found this to be very interesting and informative. Recently I have decided to dedicate one day per week just working the core (in the narrow sense that I used above). I know that I work the core doing deadlifts and squats also. The thing that was impressed upon me at the workshop is that I should be doing core work to reinforce those lifts and not doing those lifts to work the core. I am not sure from your remarks whether you agree with the core (as I defined it) being worked in isolation to improve deadlifts and squats as opposed to doing deadlifts and squats to improve the core. This is interesting stuff. I am not looking for a debate, I would like to hear your respected opinion on this matter. * __________________ "Is it going to be the red pill or the blue pill, Neo? The red pill will answer the question 'What is the Matrix?' Choose carefully. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth. Nothing more." Ron Paul for President, 2008 A.FreeRadical ...the Epicurean bodybuilder Height: 5'9", Age: 62, My last high on 2/1/2006 was 196 lbs. My last low on 8/08/2006 was 167.5 lbs. Cutting until I am lean Starting weight: 190 lbs. bodyfat: 19.7% November 27th: 183 lbs. bodyfat: 18.3% bodyfat Goal Weight: 176 lbs with no more than 10% bodyfat My recipe collection