A common phrase heard around gyms and fitness facilities is “core stability” but what exactly is your core? And what is considered good core stability? This article will address some common misconceptions about your core as well as explain the difference between visible abs and a functionally strong core.
“What is my core?”
Contrary to popular belief, your core is made up of muscles other than your “abs”. Your core is made up of all the muscles from below your shoulders to above your hips, essentially everything other than your arms and legs. This includes the muscles on the front, side and back of your body as well as the muscles that are superficial (on top) and the muscles deep within your abdomen.
Your core is involved in almost every exercise you will do during a workout and every motion used in daily life. The most important function of your core is to stabilize the trunk of your body to protect your spine, so it is very important to have a functionally strong core.
“Are crunches good for my core?”
Crunches or sit-ups may strengthen your abdominal muscles, but only a small portion of your core. Exercises where you flex forward at the hips only strengthen the superficial abdominal muscles. The motion performed when doing a sit-up or crunch puts a lot of pressure on your lower back, which may be doing more harm than good. Exercises like planks or mountain climbers can strengthen more of your core, including your deeper core muscles, without added pressure on your lower back.
Depending on where you place your hands while doing crunches or sit-ups, your neck could be at risk for injury as well. If your hands are placed behind your head while you crunch up, that places too much-added stress on your neck. When performed correctly, exercises like bird dogs can increase your core stability as well.
“I can do a lot of weight on the crunch machine, but why don’t I have abs?”
You can have very strong abdominal musculature and not have visible abs. Attaining abs has a lot more to do with what you eat and not how much weight you can crunch. Weighted crunches will strengthen the top layer of abdominal muscles but ignore the deeper abdominal muscles. In order to have visible abs, you must decrease the fat in your abdominal area and that comes from eating a clean diet.
Building strong abs on top of a layer of fat will not give you the visible abs you want. The quote “abs are made in the kitchen” truly applies and eating a well-balanced diet will prove helpful if trying to attain visible abs.
If you have questions about whether you have a functionally strong core, or which core exercises to be doing, consult a personal trainer.
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