Core Strength: Why, How...

As a martial artist, I'm very conscious of my core stability and strength and where they need work. After giving birth to my daughter four years ago, and then trying to return to Kenpo Karate after about eight months from any intense core conditioning, and with my abdominal muscles stretched out from my bump, I found that I just couldn't pull some maneuvers off at all without tipping over, and with other techniques, though I could make them look good, I knew that I had no power in my strikes. In Kenpo, as in other martial arts, most of your power comes from your core's strength and coordinated movement, and from your extremities moving in harmony with your core. It was several months before I could fully engage my abdominals, obliques, etcetera.

How many stories have you heard that go like this: "I don't really know how I threw out my back... I was working out in the yard all day without any problems at all, but when I was folding laundry, I turned to pick up a pair of socks, and I couldn't straighten up!" Not only had the person in this story fatigued their core muscles (whether or not they were aware of it), but they probably did not have their core aligned before trying to deadlift the deadly socks! Core training not only strengthens your supporting and balancing muscles, but also helps develop a "body awareness" and haptic sense of where all your bits are in space, so that you don't try to bend your upper torso to 10 o'clock while your lower half is still facing noon.

For body builders, "isolation" has been a buzz word for a while. You don't use your muscles in isolation, so I'm not a big fan of isolating a muscle for training, unless there is a specific reason, such as rehabilitation, etc. For most good core training exercises, no equipment is really necessary. Beginners can start with basic pushups, crunches, and bridging exercises. Back-extensions can be done with your upper body over the edge of of a bed, with someone holding your legs. Supermans, sort of a backward crunch with you laying on your tummy only require a flat surface.

Once the no-equipment exercises no longer feel challenging, an excercise ball can be added so that the stabilizing muscles are challeged more, even during static exercises.