Blog #9: Building an Unconventionally Strong Core
Thanks for tuning in to another blog post from Session 41 LLC, a Naples, Florida based personal training company designed to prevent injury and get you feeling and moving better. Blog #9 is about the fundamentals to building a resilient core and why it is the most important step in your fitness journey.
“You can’t fire a cannon from a canoe!”
Picture exactly that: a canoe sitting on a lake. What would happen if someone strapped a cannon to the top of it and attempted to fire? If you said the canoe will go absolutely flying all over the water, you would be spot on. The cannon ball will also surely not travel as far as it would if the cannon were fired on land. You can think of our core or midsection as the canoe and the rest of our body’s movements as the canon. If our core cannot adequately stabilize our movements, we end up breaking form and increasing our risk of injury. Don’t try to fire a cannon from a canoe.
The Foundation
Our core is the foundation from which we move from. All exercises, to some degree, are core exercises. Stability is the greatest attribute of a functional and athletic core because it promotes efficient power transfer from our main force generators: our hips and shoulders. If the large muscle groups surrounding these joints do not have a stable platform to move from, the result is compromised movement patterns and a heightened likelihood for injury. Being too strong relative to one’s ability to stabilize is a very real problem: think of a car equipped with an engine too powerful for the chassis to hold. This is why athletic performance can be drastically improved by enhancing core stability: the power is better transferred to where you want it. Instability also becomes dangerous when it is combined with load such as barbell squatting or pressing overhead. If a person lacks core stability, they will often move excessively throughout the spine, increasing their risk to injuries like bulging and herniated discs, facet injuries, nerve irritation, injuries to other body parts through compensatory mechanisms, and much more.
However, strength should not be confused with stability. Strength is defined as a muscle or muscle group’s ability to generate maximal force. Stability is defined by how well you can resist unwanted motion. We can simultaneously possess a strong and unstable core. Core strength does not help us as much as stability does in the context of human movement and biomechanics. Our core’s number one purpose is to resist spinal motion so that movement can be concentrated into the major joints like the shoulders, hips, and knees. Core exercises focused on creating motion, such as sit-ups or crunches, develop strength but do little to enhance stability. There is nothing inherently wrong with these exercises, so long as they don’t cause pain, but they focus on developing core strength. But as was mentioned before, in the context of complex human movement, we need a stable core so that we can generate power from a strong position. So in summary, both core strength and stability are great, but stability in particular is a non-negotiable.
So how can we train the core in the way that we plan to use it? We can do this by performing exercises where we resist unwanted motion. The unwanted motion would be any force that takes us out of a neutral spine alignment, the position where your pelvis and rib cage are stacked over each other. Core stability exercises would need to challenge our ability to maintain this position against multi-planar forces attempting to destabilize us. The three planes of motion are sagittal (forward and back), frontal (side to side), and transverse (rotational). We can build an exceptionally sturdy core by challenging stability in each of these three planes of motion.
Sagittal Plane
An excellent example of a sagittal plane core exercise is a regular front plank, or the modified plank on knees if necessary. In a plank you are propped up on your elbows on your front side with the goal of engaging the core so that your low back does not excessively arch. Here the core, mainly abdominals, is being trained to maintain spinal position for an extended period of time: exactly what we are looking for!
This exercise carries over nicely to other movements too. Imagine a person shoulder pressing with a very pronounced low back arch. They have lost all core stability as their spine has lost its favorite position: neutral alignment. This person needs to learn how to brace their core so that their spine remains stable. This small modification will drastically reduce their risk of injury while also adding numbers to their exercise, and core exercises like the plank can help.
Frontal Plane
Continuing with the plank, we can talk about the side plank. This is a similar exercise but instead of being propped up on both elbows, you would be on your side propped up on only one. The purpose of this exercise is challenge the core in its lateral capacity, or its side to side stability.
This exercise also has very real applications to many movements and regular activities. Think about the last time you went grocery shopping and decided that taking all the groceries inside at the same time was a great idea. Well, your core was certainly working really hard to balance these asymmetrical weights hanging at your sides and maintain an upright posture while you walk. Lateral core stability is important too.
Transverse Plane
Our core not only bends forward and back, side to side, but it can also rotate left and right. We need stability there as well. The bird dog is an excellent core exercise that develops stability in this plane of motion. Beginning in a quadruped position (hands and knees), you simultaneous lift the opposite arm and leg before returning to the start position. For example, you would lift the left arm and right leg, or vice versa, and then return them to the floor. As you are lifting your limbs, your body is naturally going to want to rotate to a side, so your job is to resist this rotation and keep your spine in the same position.
Whether you are opening a door or swinging a baseball bat, your core has to stabilize in the transverse plane. Increasing stability here directly contributes to movements involving rotational forces, while also reinforcing overall core stability. In fact, not having adequate stability in both right and left rotation can lead to a person developing a posture where their torso turns to one side more than the other, a recipe for back pain.
Wrapping It Up
And that’s it. These are my top three favorite exercises for enhancing core stability, improving athletic performance, and reducing injury risk. Add these exercises into your routine, and see if you notice the difference between core strength and core stability. And as a small note, I would recommend paying attention to the position you start the exercise in because if you start the exercise in a flawed position, you will end the exercise in a flawed position.
To having a more useful core,
Ethan
About the Author:
My name is Ethan Gendron, and I am a Certified Personal Trainer and founder of Session 41 LLC, a Naples Florida based fitness company. I am certified through W.I.T.S., an NCCA accredited institution. I have years of experience working with clients of all ages and backgrounds, ranging from seniors to children. My firsthand experience in training and competing in triathlons has given me insight into the practical application of biomechanics, mobility, and strength training for performance enhancement. I have a background in injury prevention, not by choice, and am passionate about helping others avoid chronic pain. No matter your current fitness-level, I believe everyone should think of themselves as an athlete and, therefore, train like one.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this blog for informational purposes only. Use information discussed here at your own risk. One should always consult a qualified Healthcare Professional before beginning any exercise program. Content published by Session 41 LLC should never be used as a substitute for proper clinical attention.
