What's The Core For?

So, what is the core for? Most of us are familiar with the muscles that make up our core; the abdominal muscles and the muscles of the low back. We train them with crunches, planks, side planks Russian twists and any number of exercises. We want that six pack that it’s so cool to have. But what is our core for?

The core by definition is the center of something. Like the core of the earth or an apple core. So, our core is at the center of us. It’s in or at the center of our body. Wait a minute. Are our abdominal and low back muscles really at the center of our bodies? Not quite. There are some that are deeper than those appearing on the outside. The ones that are actually at the center or form the center of our bodies are the diaphragm and pelvic floor muscles. They work together and form the core of our core. (Look for more on these muscles and their importance later.) There are other muscles that make up the core in the upper back, neck, and hips as well. We’ll focus on the ones in the abdominal and low back area.

But what do they all do? What purpose do they serve? Our core, our center, is also our foundation for movement. It provides a stable platform for our legs and arms to move from. At least it’s supposed to provide that stable platform. For a lot of people, they don’t have a stable platform, or core, to move from. Their core is more like a cooked spaghetti noodle than the hard stick of pasta that you throw into the boiling water to cook. When it’s not cooked it’s rigid and can easily be moved as one piece. After cooking the noodle can be a little challenging to get on a fork and into your mouth. Something similar, but not as dramatic happens when a person’s core isn’t doing what it’s supposed to.

A person’s midsection can be like a cooked noodle that moves all over the place instead of the rigid platform that our arms and legs move from. That’s what the core is for. It’s to provide our arms and legs with the foundation to move from. When its working right movement is fluid, powerful, and efficient. When it’s not it can lead to clunky, weak and inefficient movement. The latter of which can result in pain over time. So, it may be worth your while to consider your choices for training your foundation. If you’d like some help building a strong core that helps you move with the fluid power and efficiency your body was meant to drop me an email and let’s get your core restored. I’ll have some more information on the core in the next post. As always, post a comment or drop me a line at gift_of_movement@msn.com if you have any questions.