Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Engaging or strengthening the human core muscles is critical to achieving any fitness goal you pursue. says Jahkin Washington, strength coach and owner of the club Harlem Kettlebells NEW YORK – A strong core gives you the power to get physically stronger, become a better runner or train more effectively.
Training your core muscles also has benefits outside the gym, improving stability and reducing the risk of future injuries related to falls.
Whether you’re a regular gym-goer or trying to get into shape, activating your core is important for almost every exercise. But what does this mean? Fitness experts explain which muscles to use, how to know if you’re training them well, and highlight exercises you can do to strengthen your core.
What exactly is a trunk?
The first step to properly activating your core is knowing which muscles are being used. Ashley Vielma, a Pilates instructor at Pilates Richmond in Texas, said many people think of six-pack abs when they talk about a strong core.
Although the abdominal muscles are the main part of strength, they are not the only factor.
Washington pointed out that “some people may have clear abdominal muscles, but not necessarily a strong core.”
He continued, “A person may not have clear abdominal muscles despite having a strong core, depending on how the abdominal muscles are trained.”
The human torso includes, in addition to the abdominal muscles, also the back muscles and the pelvic floor. All of these muscles help with everyday movements, such as sitting, walking, bending forward, and standing, by supporting the spine and stabilizing the torso.
Velma explained that having strong core muscles gives a person the ability to rotate and tilt the torso.
How do you know if you’re engaging all your core muscles?
When it comes to engaging the core with exercise, people confuse it with abdominal swallowing. Unlike the first, intestinal swallowing can weaken the trunk. Velma explained that this procedure puts pressure on the back and neck because it forces the shoulders to rise and the neck to lower, which can cause chronic pain over time due to the tightness and pressure.
Additionally, unnecessary stress makes it difficult to breathe normally and weakens other core muscles such as the pelvic floor.
“Swallowing acts as a counteractivation to engage the trunk appropriately,” Velma noted.
Regular breathing practices can teach you the subtle differences between a relaxed stomach and a tense one.
When you exhale, your stomach pulls in, and that’s where you’ll get the supporting movement you should feel when you activate your core, Washington explained.
Velma recommends strengthening your core muscles as a priority in every exercise because these muscles are essential in our daily lives. Beginners can start with breathing exercises to become more familiar with engaging the core.
Visualization is another way to learn to activate the core. Washington said: Imagine you are a boxer about to get punched in the stomach.
Another visualization is to pull your belly button inward, toward the back of your spine, said Marissa Fuller, owner of Studio Pilates International in Brooklyn, New York.
Recommended exercises to strengthen the core muscles
The plank exercise is at the forefront of developing core strength, especially because it requires people to pull their belly button in to maintain proper body shape.
Plank exercises have people hold their body in a straight line, a position similar to a push-up, for as long as possible.
Research has found that holding the plank position is more effective at activating your core muscles than crunches.
To perform a plank, a person’s shoulders should be away from their ears, their wrists should be directly in line with their shoulders, and a neutral spine should be avoided to avoid hunching or sinking toward the ground. A neutral spine makes the three natural curves of the neck, upper back, and lower back parallel to each other.
Washington recommends starting with a duration as short as 10 seconds and repeating twice, for example, and working up to 20 or 30 seconds or doing a side plank.
Velma recommended a Pilates exercise called “the hundred.”
During which the person lifts their neck, chest and shoulders off the exercise mat and extends their arms forward about an inch or two above their hips. The legs are raised a couple of inches off the floor (extended or bent, as when sitting in a chair) and are held elevated while the arms are simultaneously brought up and down about an inch.
“The 100 is one of the most effective exercises for building core strength, and it’s also a full-body exercise, so you can think of it a little like a plank,” Velma said.
As with any exercise, the results will be greater if you practice the training more regularly. Washington recommended including one or two specific trunk movements in each exercise.
Fuller concluded that even if a person may only exercise once a week, incorporating a core exercise into that session helps build strength. When exercising consistently, people can start seeing results in as little as eight weeks.
2024-01-14 07:36:26
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