Health Tips
Understanding the importance of the body's core
A strong core plays a critical role in helping you perform at your best. Whether you are in action playing sports, running, at the office or with the kids it is more than just ab muscles at work. This athletic event called life requires the coordinated effort of the multiple muscles of the stomach, along the spine, lower back and hips all working to create a stable pelvis. This is your body's anchor and you can not be strong running or walking without them. Here is how they work:
ENDURANCE
A solid core helps you maintain proper form and run/walk efficiently even when fatigued. With strong lower abs and lower back muscles it's easier to stay upright. If your core is weak, you may be shuffling, slouching and putting too much stress on your hips, knees and shins. Do supermans, planks and leg lifts to get strong.
LATERAL MOVEMENT
Whenever you have sudden movement side to side, turn a corner, dodge a pothole or travel uneven terrain-the obliques provide stability and help keep you upright. If your core is weak, then you may end up leaning into the movement which can put excess weight and strain on the joints in your legs and feet. All of us have some type of compensation movements that make us move uneven on one side or the other. Correcting these movements with core based functional work will have you moving optimally. Do side lying planks or hip lifts and supine knees side to side.
UPHILL
The glutes and lower abs support the pelvis which connects to the leg muscles needed to drive uphill. If the core is strong the lower legs will have a stable plane to push from for a powrful ascent. When you swing your leg forward, the hip flexor muscles pull on the pelvis. As you push off the ground, the glutes and hamstrings engage. Do reverse crunches, hill climbers, wall squats, sumo squats and one leg hip lifts.
DOWNHILL
You need strong glutes to help absorb the impact and counter the momentum of the forward motion. Without the core strength to control your movement, your quads and knee joints bear the extra pounding of your body wieght, which can lead to fatigue, pain and even injury. Do walking lunges, calf raises and reverse bosu squats.
SPEED
As you extend your stride or quicken the rate of your leg and foot the lower back and lower abs are called into action. The stronger and more stable these muscles are, the more force and speed you can generate as you push off the ground. Do deadlifts, one leg prone iso, back extensions and woodchops.
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