What is Our Core?

The core of our body is responsible for providing stability, mobility, and power to the body during various physical activities and everyday life. The first thing that may come to mind when you think about your “core” is that six pack everyone is always striving for, but the core is so much more. Our body's core consists of the muscles, ligaments, and tendons located in the torso, including the abdominals, lower back muscles, and hips. There are many muscles involved in the core, but some that are often overlooked are the gluteus maximus and medius, which help with balance and leg movement. 

The core plays a crucial role in maintaining proper posture and movement patterns.

When functioning optimally, it provides a stable base of support for the upper body and allows for efficient transfer of force and energy from the lower body to the upper body during activities such as walking, running, jumping, and lifting. In addition, the core muscles are essential for everyday movements like bending, twisting, and picking up objects.

Dysfunction in the core can lead to a variety of issues, such as low back pain, hip pain, and improper movement patterns, which can increase the risk of injury. Therefore, proper training of the core is essential for optimal performance and injury prevention in individuals engaged in physical activities and activities of daily living.

There are many exercises that help improve core strength, here are a few of the basics that we teach and train at our facility to help promote a strong core and body:

• Deadlifts: Deadlifts are a compound exercise that strengthens the muscles of the lower back, hips, and glutes. 
• Bridges: Bridges target the glutes and hamstrings, which are important muscles in the core.
• Planks: Planks are a core strengthening exercise that targets the muscles of the abdominals, lower back, and hips.
• Bird Dogs: These help improve balance and coordination, while strengthening the abdominals, back, and glutes. 
• Squats: Squats are a compound exercise that targets the muscles of the lower back, hips, and thighs.

It is extremely important to learn how to use the muscle of your core correctly and progress these exercises in an appropriate manner. We'd love to be a wonderful resource to help you safely and effectively improve your core strength and stability.

A strong and stable core can keep you safe during daily activities and during exercise. If you need help learning how to strengthen these core muscles, please reach out so we can help!