More Than Just a "Six-Pack"
When it comes time to start a new exercise program, we send all of our clients a survey to gather feedback. This includes what you wish to improve going forward. One of our most common requests is to include more core exercises. It might not seem apparent on the surface, but we address this request in many ways.
There’s more to training the core than you might think.
There’s a good chance you were forced to participate in the Presidential Fitness Test (PFT), which was doled out in most public-school PE classes. The sit up test, where you had to perform as many sit ups as possible in one minute, was included in the PFT. Schools have largely moved on from these types of fitness tests. Those who grew up being tested in this way might still think core exercises have to be as grueling as the sit up test.
The reality is sit ups can be problematic for a lot of people especially when done to failure. The good news… we have found there are plenty of safer core exercises that will get you better results!
Your core isn’t limited to the muscles most prominent with “six-pack” abs (rectus abdominis). In fact, any muscle that helps support your spine, allows you to breathe, or aids in the transmission of force could be considered a core muscle. For our purposes however, when you think core, let’s picture the following muscle groups; rectus abdominis, obliques, glutes, spinal erectors, chest and lats.
Why is defining the core so important? Because we already include so many core exercises in our programs that we sometimes worry our clients have something else in mind.
In addition to planks, crunches and other commonly known core focused exercises, we like to combine movements where core is a secondary benefit. Doing this allows us to transform a basic exercise into something a little more complex by recruiting some core muscles. Here are three examples:
Example #1: Side plank with Row
Targets the obliques, glutes, shoulders and other muscles associated with a row (lats, rhomboids, biceps, etc.)
Example #2: Bird Dog Position Tricep Kickback
You’ll need to use your glutes and spinal erectors in order to hold the bird dog position while working your triceps.
Example #3: Tall Kneeling Biceps Curls:
By working in a kneeling position, you’re now forced to use your glutes to stabilize yourself while working your biceps; you’ll probably fall off the bench if you don’t.
If you find yourself in some wacky positions while doing familiar movements, we assure you there's a good reason. We are always looking for new and efficient ways to help our clients achieve their goals.