Chronic back pain has become a widespread disease. One of the main reasons for this is that we move too little in everyday life and do not use our muscles, which leads to poor posture and tension. Especially our core – the body’s center – contributes an important part to this, as it is the link between our extremities and thus ensures a smooth flow of movements. In this article you will learn everything about the core – what is your core? Why is it important to strengthen it? And how do you train it correctly?
WHAT IS THE “CORE”?
What is nowadays called the core is, in the classical sense, our trunk muscles, i.e. the muscles of the upper body. This includes our back and lumbar muscles, the straight, oblique, inner and outer abdominal muscles, and the pelvic muscles along with the hip flexors and extensors. So when we train our core, we do exercises that specifically target these regions. The core, as it is also often described, is the link between the extremities of our body and thus has a great influence on the functionality of the entire musculature.
WHY IS CORE TRAINING SO IMPORTANT?
In the current era where we sit a lot and move less and less, often the muscles in the upper body are not as developed as they should be. An average person in an office job sits around 11 hours a day and walks an average of just 2 to 3 km. The result is shortened and untrained muscles, which in turn lead to poor posture. These bad postures in turn can lead to back pain and tension.
The goal of core training is to strengthen and stabilize the muscles in the area of the trunk. In this way, a better posture can be achieved, which ensures less tension and thus less pain. The stabilization of the upper body in turn ensures better balance and therefore fewer accidents and injuries. With more strength in the core, movements can be executed more effectively and powerfully, thus also supporting our muscles in the extremities in an efficient execution. Last but not least, with a core workout we also train the deep muscles that stabilize our spine. This allows us to prevent injuries and protect our spine.
HOW DO I TRAIN MY CORE?
Exercises that work the entire upper body are particularly effective in core training. These are exercises for good body tension such as the Plank, Glute Bridges, Mountain Climbers or other exercises in the push-up position. Of course, exercises for individual muscles can also be included in core training, but exercises that work multiple muscles at the same time also ensure better interaction between the muscles.
Exercises that also challenge our balance, such as lifting arms and legs in the push-up position or the quadruped stand, also strengthen the deep muscles. This helps us especially for body stability and the protection of the spine.
WHAT SHOULD I PAY ATTENTION TO DURING CORE TRAINING?
As with all sports, it is also important with core training to first slowly accustom the muscles to the load. Especially if the necessary body tension is not yet present, it is recommended to start with simple exercises and then slowly increase the difficulty.
It is also important to pay attention to a balanced training. If the back muscles are trained, the abdominal muscles should also be included in the training.
And in the end, stretching is also part of every good core workout, so that not only weakened muscles are trained, but also shortened muscles are stretched again.