On Youtube, there are
28,000 videos when you type in core training, and 31,000 videos when you type
in Six Pack. Although information
is abundant, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s correct. Time for us to take a
crack…
We follow the philosophy
of Athletics, not Aesthetics. That functionality should always be the focus,
and physique will eventually follow. We have the same mentality when training the
core. We aren’t looking for a six pack, we are training for core strength which
will improve sports performance.
Firstly, let’s
identify what ‘the core’ actually is. To keep it simple, think of it as every
muscle group between your ribcage and your pelvis. There are muscles you can
touch (superficial) and there are one’s you can’t touch (deep). Watching gym
junkies perform hundreds of sit-up and crunch variations, you may think that
the function of the core is to generate trunk movement. Think again…
The function of the
core is to ‘stabilize the pelvis and thorax during dynamic movement’. Mike
Boyle (Gray Cook, Stuart McGill and many others) suggests that each joint
should be trained for mobility or stability to function optimally. The joint
associated with the core is the lumbar spine. Because the lumbar spine has a
limited range of motion, it makes sense that we should follow the stability
route. After all, excessive movement is a common cause of lower back injury.
Core strength isn’t the ability to perform a crunch with a 20kg plate on your
chest. It is the ability to express power from your lower body through your
upper body, by efficient transmission of energy through your trunk. A weak core is like a hose with holes
in the middle. Even if you turn the tap on hard, the water may not come out
quickly. If you are focused on the tap, you will never improve your water
output. If you take a little time to cover up those holes, your output will
improve.
Output is the primary
concern of most athletes, but for anyone involved in contact sports, the
ability to resist/absorb force is equally important. Your trunk can move in
four ways: flexion, extension, rotation and ab/adduction. This means you can
resist four movements: resist flexion, resist rotation, resist extension and
resist ad/abduction. Improving the ability of your trunk musculature to absorb
force, improves the ability to resist movement, which decreases the ability of
your opponent controlling you.
