Nielsen Fitness In-Home Personal Training in Toronto
  • Home
  • About
    • What to Expect
    • How We're Different
    • Our Team
    • Testimonials
    • Service Area
  • Services & Rates
    • Intro Package
    • Personal Training
    • Additional Services
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Client Zone >
      • Our favourites
      • Referral Program
    • Join our team
    • Nielsen Fitness Premium Certification
  • Home
  • About
    • What to Expect
    • How We're Different
    • Our Team
    • Testimonials
    • Service Area
  • Services & Rates
    • Intro Package
    • Personal Training
    • Additional Services
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Client Zone >
      • Our favourites
      • Referral Program
    • Join our team
    • Nielsen Fitness Premium Certification

Beyond the six-pack: why core strength is crucial

8/14/2014

0 Comments

 
Not only is core strength crucial to trunk movements, but the force it generates also ripples upward and downward to adjoining links within the chain of your limbs, so to speak.
Picture
This is how weak or inflexible core muscles can impair arm and leg function, putting our joints in susceptible positions or draining power from athletic movements. Mundane daily activities and advanced athletic activities both rely on your core – a fact that most individuals might not appreciate until it’s too late and an injury has occurred.
For all populations, a strong and flexible core is critical to almost everything you do. Some examples:

• Everyday acts - bending to put on shoes, bathing, dressing, any work around the house such as cleaning and gardening that involve lifting, twisting, carrying, reaching overhead or simply standing still all originate in – or pass through – the core.

• On-the-job tasks -
jobs that involve lifting, twisting, and standing all rely on core muscles(5). Even less obvious tasks like phone calls, typing, computer use and sitting at your desk for hours predispose us to poor posture and overuse injuries when our core is slacking off.

• A healthy back -
when core muscles lack strength and endurance, poor posture can increase wear and tear on the spine leading to degeneration and herniated discs(4). Lower back pain affects four out of five people at some point in their lives but most cases can be prevented and treated by doing exercises that promotes core strength and endurance(2). Chiropractors and physiotherapists alike are quick to prescribe a regiment of core exercises to their patients with back pain.

• Sports and other recreational activities -
Golfing, running, swimming, baseball, volleyball, kayaking, tennis, biking, rowing… there are very few sports and recreational activities that aren’t powered by a strong core. In fact, many sport injuries are a direct result of a weak core (1). When the core is not able to transfer or absorb the speed and power in full body athletic movements, stress is then absorbed by joints and structures not made to handle those loads by themselves.

• Balance and stability -
your core stabilizes your body, allowing you to move in any direction or stand in one spot without losing your balance, decreasing your risk of falling. In fact studies have found that core strength training can be used as an adjunct or even alternative to traditional balance and/or resistance training in elderly populations(3).

A balanced core is needed to engage muscles effectively. Likewise a balanced core can only be developed when surrounding muscles are conditioned and able to support the core.

Free-weight resistance training, such as working with a kettlebell, engages the core more effectively than when working with machines.
Picture
While it’s important to build a strong core, developing rippling abs shouldn’t be your primary goal. Over training abdominal muscles while neglecting muscles of the back, shoulders and hips can predispose you to injuries and limit athletic performance. True “core” conditioning comes from addressing trunk stability and mobility from the front, side and back of the trunk along with the hips and shoulders. However, if your goal does happen to be washboard abs alone, it’s essential to trim body fat through diet and aerobic exercise on top of build strong abdominal muscles through frequent core exercise sessions.

1. Donaldson A1, Cook J, Gabbe B, Lloyd DG, Young W, Finch CF. Bridging the Gap Between Content and Context: Establishing Expert Consensus on the Content of an Exercise Training Program to Prevent Lower-Limb Injuries. Clin J Sport Med. 2014 Jul 9.
2. Furlan, Andrea D et al. Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Back Pain II Evidence Reports/Technology Assessments, No. 194 University of Ottawa Evidence-based Practice Center Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2010 Oct. Report No.: 10(11)-E007
3. Granacher U1, Gollhofer A, Hortobágyi T, Kressig RW, Muehlbauer T. The importance of trunk muscle strength for balance, functional performance, and fall prevention in seniors: a systematic review. Sports Med. 2013 Jul;43(7):627-41. doi: 10.1007/s40279-013-0041-1.
4. Keorochana G, Taghavi CE, Lee KB, Yoo JH, Liao JC, Fei Z, Wang JC. Effect of sagittal alignment on kinematic changes and degree of disc degeneration in the lumbar spine: an analysis using positional MRI. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 May 15;36(11):893-8. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181f4d212.
5. Mayer JM, Quillen WS, Verna JL, Chen R, Lunseth P, Dagenais S. Impact of a Supervised Worksite Exercise Program on Back and Core Muscular Endurance in Firefighters. Am J Health Promot. 2014 Feb 13.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Poul Nielsen is the President and Owner of Nielsen Fitness, Toronto's leading team of in-home personal trainers. He has 20 years' experience in the fitness industry, and loves to empower people's lives through physical fitness. He's also Certified dozens of trainers through his Trainer Education Program.
    In addition to exercise (obviously), he loves spending time with his family, playing the guitar, strong coffee - and dark chocolate!

    Archives

    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    Aging
    Apps
    Balance
    Body Type
    Clients
    Core Strength
    Equipment
    Exercise
    Family
    Fat Loss
    Fitness
    Fitness Tips
    Functional Strength
    Giving Back
    Goal Setting
    Healthy Living
    Hiring
    Holidays
    Hormones
    In Home Training
    In-home Training
    Injury Prevention
    Kids
    Measurement
    Mobile Workouts
    Mood
    Motherhood
    Motivation
    NF Updates
    Nutrition
    Our Method
    Our Studio
    Outdoor Exercise
    Parenting
    Pilates
    Profile
    Promotions
    Recipes
    Running
    Semi Private
    Semi-private
    Sleep
    Stretching
    Success
    Trainers
    Usana
    Weight Loss
    Weight Management
    Work

    RSS Feed

SCHEDULE a Complimentary Session
Get Started Today With Our Intro Package
© 2019 Nielsen Fitness Inc.  All rights reserved.
1.866.393.7247 EXERCISE  |  info@nielsenfitness.com
Toronto | Mississauga | Scarborough | North York | Etobicoke
Try us risk free! If you're not totally satisfied with your training experience after the first 10 days, we'll refund your package price in full.