Strengthening your core muscles is an important part of your overall health, well beyond looking great on the beach. In fact, looking great on the beach requires six pack abs without subcutaneous fat, but a strong core can be achieved without the added challenge of exposing those muscles.
Your core muscles are the central part of your body and are the central link to your upper and lower body. Too often athletes train specifically for their sport and ignore the core muscles, especially if they don’t “appear” to have any benefit to performance. However, even athletes who mostly use their lower extremities, like runners, benefit from a strong core.
No matter how you move – whether you are sitting, standing, walking or moving – you will be using your back and abs. Anyone who has had a back injury can attest to the fact that any movement affects their back pain. You can’t splint the back or keep it from movement – every move you make affects your back and abs.
A strong core will involve strengthening your abdominal muscles, obliques, glutes and the remainder of the smaller muscles around your trunk and pelvis. Doing core exercises will also train the muscles to work together, which leads to better balance and stability in your body – no matter what your sport.
One of the great benefits of doing core exercises is that they don’t require any special equipment or a gym to get a good workout. Using just a few exercises that work both abs and back you’ll be able to develop a strong core in minutes every day.
Strong trunk and pelvis muscles will give you better posture, allow you to stand straighter, help eliminate lower back pain, improve your overall muscle tone, help prevent injuries and support your body to work at a higher level in both athletics and in your daily living activities.
However, the reverse is also true. If you allow your core to become weak you’ll slump when you sit and walk, have lower energy levels, increase your risk of back and other sports related injuries. Even runners will find that a weak core will increase their risk of injury to other parts of their body.
Resources:
MayoClinic: Core Exercises
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/fitness/in-depth/core-exercises/art-20044751
Guilford Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center: Why is the core important to runners
http://guilfordortho.com/running_core.htm
BoxingScene: Want to do everything better? Build a strong core
http://www.boxingscene.com/build-muscle/16051.php
LifelongFitness: The importance of core strength
http://lifelongfitness.net/the-importance-of-core-strength/
Active: Why is a strong core important
http://www.active.com/fitness/articles/why-is-a-strong-core-important
Harvard: The real-world benefits of strengthening your core
http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/the-real-world-benefits-of-strengthening-your-core
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