Core Exercises

If you arrived at this page then probably typed 'core exercises' or 'core training' into a search engine or you linked onto it from another page in my site because it interested you. I expect when I say core muscles to you, you think of rectus abdominus (six pack) and obliques (muscles to the sides of six pack). This is understandable as these are the only stomach muscles you can see and to most people the core is the stomach. However the core is actually the entire torse, including the internal organs. The muscles of the core have many functions which include protecting your internal organs and central nervous system, support for internal organs, circulatory support and is the foundation for movement. The type of core training that I am going to talk about here are the core muscles that provide the basis of support for the spine as this is the first function of the core that everyone seems to think of first. These muscles can be called the inner unit and consist of four major muscles that work as a system. The multifidus (deep muscles running along the spine), pelvic floor muscles, transversus abdominis (TVA, the deepest abdominal muscle), and the diaphragm (the large breathing muscle). How they all work together and with other muscles is a fairly deep subject that we are not going to go into here but all you need to know is that 30-110 milliseconds before you move an arm or a leg your inner unit contact and stabilise your spine for movement. A dysfunctional inner unit means that your spine is not supported correctly this can lead to a number of different problems and injuries. Rather than list of a bunch of weird and wacky exercises I have set out three core exercises that are very gentle and work well whether your a beginner or advanced in your training. If you can master these exercises then you have greatly improved your core conditioning and should have more control and stability when lifting and less trouble in the future.

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Core Exercise 1

4 Point Vacuum

Prime mover - TVA (transverse abdominis)

This exercise targets TVA which is a corset like muscle that stabilizes the spine to protect it during lifting and also holds the stomach in. So no this will not develop your 'six pack' but it will reduce the risk of back injury, reduce current back pain and hold your stomach in and produce a flatter stomach.

To carry out this exercise kneel down on all fours so that your knees are below your hips and your hands are below your shoulders.Keeping a neutral spine throughout, draw your stomach in as much as you can. To do this try to pretend that you are trying to zip up a pair of trousers that are too small for you. Really draw your belly button in towards your spine.

Hold this vacuum for 10 seconds and then relax. Repeat for 10 X 10 second sets.

Core Exercise 2

Lower Ab Co-ordination Test. (Single leg/bent knee)

Prime mover - Rectus abdominis (Focusing on lower abs)

This exercise works the rectus abdominis but as the movement is happening from the lower half of the body the focus is shifted to the lower abdominals.Lie on your back with your feet in the air and your legs bent. Your knees and hips should form a 90 degree angle. Whilst keeping your lower back pushed down into the floor, lower one foot to the floor at a time whilst keeping the knee bent at 90 degrees.

Alternate legs and build up to 3 sets of 20 reps.

Core Exercise 3

Swiss Ball Catch.

Prime mover – All the unner and outer unit muscles (stabilising and moving muscles around the stomach area).

This basically involves sitting on a swiss ball with one foot off the floor while your partner lightly throws a medicine ball for you to catch. Once you have become proficient at this try it with both feet off the floor. Another progression would be to increase the weight of the medicine ball that you are having to catch. With your partner moving around you throwing from different angles you are having to 'switch on' and control different parts of your core to different degrees.

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On this site there is a whole series of stomach exercises that should be completed after you are able to master these core exercises.