The importance of core training

[jillybean]

Hi Cathe! Hope you and the boys are having a great summer! I have been training my core since purchasing your DVDs. I love the way my abs and lower back look, but I am curious - why is it so important? I have a friend who is a body builder and a friend who is a marathoner and they both say training the core is crucial for overall health, but cannot give me reasons why. Thanks!

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Aug-09-02 AT 04:07PM (Est)[/font][p]Hi Jillybean! This is a topic that could get quite deep and lengthy but simply put: A strong core improves your overall quality of life. With just about every movement you do, the movement originates from the core of the body, meaning the trunk area. And since you are only as strong as your weakest link, it is very important to make sure the core is operating at optimal levels. Keeping the core conditioned will not only enhance your ability to perform everyday movements, but it will provide the base strength and stability so that you are able to perform in other fitness activities at the most efficient level.

 

[Aquajock]

RE: I'm not Cathe but . . .

. . . was just looking at an article from a March 2001 IDEA publication, "Core Conditioning Takes Center Stage" by Amanda Vogel, and she writes:

"Working the core . . . improves proprioceptive awareness . . . balance and core strength go hand in hand because a strong core transfers power distally, to the arms and legs. Conversely, a weak core interrupts functional movement, increasing the risk of injury." She further quotes Alex McKechnie MSCP, MCPA and "mastermind" behind Reebok Core Board training, "Core training is about establishing a proper sequence of muscle firing patterns. In functional movement, the stabilizers should be firing before the prime movers do." "In other words, before you pick up a heavy box, stabilizing muscles in the body's core should already be activated. Repeated core training helps facilitate this process."

Annette