One of the most difficult things for many people to understand when they first come to see me for help is how to brace the core. We have all heard the saying, “set your core”, or “keep your tummy tight” but what does that really mean? To make it even more confusing, there is a multitude of different instructions and cues that are regularly used leaving people unsure of what they are meant to do. It is vital that you know how to correctly set your core muscles, for they can be the difference between good performance and injury. In this article, I will explain exactly how to do this correctly so you can implement this in your training immediately.
Is Twisting & Rotational Exercise Bad For Your Back?
This is an interesting question for the answer is both yes and no! Twisting of the lumbar spine is very dangerous and is linked to many painful back injuries with the most common being a disc tear, but rotation of the thoracic spine and the hips is not, and is actually what the body needs. Twisting of the spine is another form of a herniated disc which is usually caused from bending poorly, whereas this is caused from repetitive poor rotation movements. If you think of the disc like an onion with several layers protecting a core in the middle. The outer disc is made of small rings of collagen, and these layers can separate from repetitively twisting the spine allowing the nucleus gel from the middle of the disc to find it’s way into the opening between the two layers causing extreme pain and a very lengthy rehabilitation plan. But does this mean we should stop all twisting for fear of this injury? Many experts will tell you yes. But if this were true you would see no tennis players, golfers, baseball and hockey players and we would never be able to vacuum our floor! What this really means is you need to stop twisting the lumbar spine and learn how to use the thoracic spine and hips to do the work. Trying to stop yourself using any rotational movement is pure stupidity and to be honest almost impossible, even walking uses rotation. You will have to stiffen up like a robot to stop any type of twisting. What you need to learn is how to rotate correctly and what movements and exercises to avoid. In this article, we will show you how to do this and provide you with a series of movements from easiest to hardest to.
How To Strengthen The Core Using The Slings
I want to “Develop Core Strength” is one of the most popular terms used in gyms these days but actually understanding what that really means, and how best to train your “Core Muscles” is what we will cover with this article. Almost every week I am told ” I need to work more on my core, I know these functional movements are great but I think I need to spend more time working on my core”. Or even better than that, “my physio says I need to work more on my core”. I then ask them “what do you mean by core exercises?” And the response is some type of plank, crunch, leg raise etc. These are all forms of isolated abdominal training, not core training in its purest form. Isolated abdominal exercises can be a great way to initially to activate the inner unit core muscles, but if they are not integrated into functional movements with multiple joints and muscles it is pointless. To achieve great core strength you must educate the body how to use the inner unit muscles of the abdominals to work in perfect harmony with the outer unit muscles that provide movement. And the best way to do this is using exercises that target the four myofascial slings.