For many, sit-ups still appear to be an appropriate core exercise, or maybe the plank with some weird and wonderful adaptations thrown in for good measure. Taking a step back from this approach, is it appropriate to exercise your ‘core’ separately from the rest of your body? What is your ‘core’?
What are the core muscles of the body?
Let’s start with discussing what your ‘core’ is. While reading this article, I want you to ignore your understanding of the ‘core’ and think about what it performs. Try to think of some attributes of the core. What does it provide you and your body with? What would happen if you didn’t have a core? Now put this into context with your daily life: how would it affect your lifestyle – going to work, enjoying your hobbies, driving, having massage treatment, doing the dishes, etc.?!
Hopefully, you’ve come up with some things that help you function through these activities, such as line balance, stability, coordination, efficiency, strength, etc. So, if all these things stem from what the core provides, is it just the abdominal area that offers the core the basis of a strong core?
The Basis Of The Strong Core
Might the core include proprioceptors underneath the feet to stabilize a standing position, the adductor and abductors to stabilize the knees and hips during motion, the back muscles to support lumbar extension, and many other muscle groups?!
The key is that and that alone…groups. Unless tested in a laboratory, muscles do not operate on exercises that isolate muscle groups and do nothing more than make you strong in that specific environment and nothing more. Performing sit-ups is a good exercise for someone needing to strengthen their body to get out of bed, but if you’re non-disabled, is a sit-up appropriate exercise?
Is A Sit-Up Appropriate Exercise
Firstly, because a sit-up starts from a lying or sitting position with flexed hips, the gluteus is deactivated, making it very unlikely that the transverse abdomens will work. Secondly, the movement of a sit-up involves hip and some spinal flexion. If the transverse isn’t working, synergistic dominance will leave the hip flexor group facilitating the movement.
This is not so great as due the amount of time we all spend seated, this group of muscles is typically overactive, tonic and practically a bully. In addition to this, with the gluteus and transverse out of the equation, what is supporting the lumbar and subsequently higher component of the spine? Well, the short answer is, not the areas that should be.
Those that enjoy doing sit-ups with weight piled on, I’ll leave you to decide whether or not this is a good idea.!
The core is a network of body parts running throughout the body. Every exercise should be a core exercise, and the unfortunate truth is that most of us have inactive and inherently lazy stabilizing muscles. This is not, for most, a reflection of our attitudes but a result of how we spend our time, our awareness of how to perform exercises, and our knowledge of what to focus on!
Core muscles exercise – the best way to a slim waist
Here are some simple tips for you to get your core muscles working correctly and turn every exercise into a functional core movement:
- Breathe through your stomach and set your hip profile for the exercise. There is plenty of guidance on abdominal breathing; just Google it, and you’ll find hundreds of thousands of drills and activities to help you on this front!
- Attack every exercise with a sense of completely mastering it. Movements done half-heartedly or without a degree of focus shouldn’t be done. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t regress exercises to match your level, but that you should strive to perform them to the best of your ability. Learn what full range is, which muscles should work more, and how this can fit into your program!
- Stick to exercises that feel natural and engage your entire body. If exercise feels wrong, robotics is awkward, so don’t do it. You will always be the best judge of whether your body suits a particular exercise or movement, and the sooner you figure this out, the better!
- The majority of your exercise should be done from standing. This is how the body is designed to function; it always gets the most effective and natural response from the muscles.
Get a sports massage regularly. A sports massage by an experienced sports therapist can help relax muscles and nerves, exceed your limit and prevent sports injuries!
