Core Training: The good the bad & the ugly.

If you want to appear to know what you're talking about in the fitness industry then "core" is your go-to buzzword it seems.  There are rank upon rank of so called "experts" queuing up on YouTube to share the secret of their latest, hardest, most - "core" workouts.

But what is core conditioning really all about and what is my issue with YouTube superstars and their "expert" advice?

First up "the core", it's a term coined to sum up the complex interplay between the musculature of the torso that stabilises our movement.  It comprises deep stabilisers such as the Transverse Abdominus (TVA) and the superficial muscles we all know and love such as the Rectus Abdominus (RA), so beloved of six-pack routines. 

If you want a thorough breakdown of everything involved then this is a good place to go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_muscles_of_the_human_body:_Torso

Much more than just the ab's huh!?  You start to see why such a narrow focus on the superficial can lead to imbalances in strength, injury risk and pain.  Everything in the "core" has a function and is designed to work with the other muscles to achieve it's aims.  It is a lack of understanding of this function that I believe lies at the heart of the failings of many a "core expert's" workouts.

If you don't know how a muscle functions, what movements it is responsible for and how it interacts with it's counterparts to achieve efficient movement how can you possibly design an effective workout targeting "the core".

By way of example I recently read with great anticipation a tennis conditioning article from a source I follow on twitter (we're onthebenchUK by the way should you wish to find us) previous posts from this source on sporting injuries have been pretty good. 
This one being about the prevalence of abdominal injuries in Tennis was lining up to be another good one; it started out by correctly citing a recent study in a medical journal and discussed the importance of plyometric loading of the abdominals to accurately simulate the forces exerted during a serve action.  So far so good, I was hooked!

Then it all went wrong.  Their "expert" had prepared a sample of three exercises that would, according to them, condition the athlete against this sort of injury.  Of the three; none used an form a plyometric loading whatsoever.  Two used an angle of trunk flexion that meant the RA was being supplemented by the hip flexors (a great way to develop an imbalance and cause an injury!), one used only half the available range of motion of the RA and one wasn't even an abdominal exercise at all!  I was staggered, even more so when I read in the comments people thanking them for the tips and I imagine going off to try them in the hope of improving their own game.  A lack of real functional understanding in this case may well lead to one or more people doing real damage to themselves.  It is the first time I've ever left a negative comment on the internet.

Please, please do not enter into a program of core conditioning with anyone who can't at the very least explain to you how to engage your TVA and it's importance.  Core training is a fabulously powerful weapon in your arsenal when you get it right, when you get it wrong you are turning that weapon on yourself and you may well get hurt!

We run a core conditioning class at the clinic every Tuesday lunchtime at 12:15.  If you can't afford or don't want a personal trainer then please do come along and pick up the pointers and tips that will help you prevent injury and build a strong, healthy core.