Guest Post by Emily Sis, University of Kansas Intern at LMH Therapy Services
Many people think that having a “good”
core means rock-hard abs and chiseled, six-pack muscles. Sure, performing a
couple hundred crunches per day will make your abdominal muscles more
noticeable, but it doesn’t help you use the core during everyday functional activites
or sports. Unfortunately, just because you have a six-pack doesn’t mean you can
correctly perform a simple squat or lunge. These exercises require integration
of all the core muscles, not just the superficial abdominal muscles that are
isolated with crunches. This shows the importance of core stability.
A stable core is necessary to
hold the spinal column in alignment during all the movements you do throughout
the day. The deep muscles of the core that surround the spine are the transversus
abdominis, multifidus, the diaphragm, and the pelvic floor muscles. If the
spinal column does not get enough support from these muscles, other muscles
must compensate and are overused. This can lead to muscle strains, ligament
tears (ACL tear) and back pain.
Since these core muscles link the
trunk to the shoulders and hip, their activation is essential for initiating
limb movements, like throwing a baseball or kicking a soccer ball. Performing
exercises to gain core stability helps with balance and coordination needed in
all sports and daily activities.
If you’re not sure where to begin
building your deep core muscles, first just practice activating these muscles.
Often called “bracing” or “hollowing,” work on tightening in your tummy as if
you are laughing or are about to be punched in the stomach. After practicing
this, the next step is working on stabilization by doing bridge exercises and
planks.
You can then progress to
functional movements using balance and coordination with a stability ball or
resistance bands to further increase your core stability. By building your core
with these exercises, functional movements can be performed correctly and
athletes will see a higher performance level and fewer injuries.
Looking for a challenge? Check out these rotational stability ball exercises:
Composed by Emily Sis, University of Kansas Exercise Science
Intern at LMH Therapy Services
