Body
Core Stability is about Posture, Balance, Flexibility and Strength.
Core Stability is the key to any sport you may be hoping to take up or train for. It is also important in that it allows you to perform your exercises in the correct way, avoiding injury and pain.
Good posture
Good posture is maintained by several muscles running up the front and back of the body. They cross all the weight bearing joints and hold them in an erect position. They apply the equal and opposite forces that oppose the downward force of gravity. It follows therefore that maintaining this set of core muscles is pretty important. Prolonged lack of use (all the sitting about we do these days) results in poor functioning of this group and often results in a wide variety of muskuloskeletal problems.
Core stability
Core stability is mainly achieved by the deep transverse abdominal muscle which wraps around the abdomen and also connects to the ribcage and pelvic girdle. This acts like a corset and maintains the correct alignment of the spine, ribcage and hips. However, equally important are;
- the Rectus Abdominus, commonly known as the ‘six pack’ which travels from the sternum to the pelvis,
- the Psoas and Iliacus, a pair of long muscles running from the lower spine to the top of the legs,
- the Rectus Femoris, thighs and Hamstrings, the large muscles at the top of the Legs,
- the Gluteus Maximus or buttocks and the Erector Spinae, a pair of muscles running up each side of the spine.
The Gastrocnemius and Soleus or calf muscles at the back of the lower leg and the Sternocleinomastoid, located at the front of the chest from the top of the sternum to the scull also provide vital support.
Pre-exercise warm up
Your pre-exercise warm up should include each of these muscles to ensure they are equally utilised and warmed. It is considered best practice to work from the head to the feet ensuring a good flow of blood and oxygen to the whole body. It is also a good idea that a weights programme is spread over a number of sessions. In any one week, for example, each of your weights sessions would focus on a different set of core muscles, possibly starting with the upper body, then the legs and finally the Abdomen.
For a core body session or a typical weeks weights programme go to Core Body Session or Weights to tone by