No Magic Bullet 

These days everywhere you look there is a quick fix for getting those six pack abs you’ve always wanted or the sleek and trim body without exercise by simply taking the latest diet pills or nutritional supplements that burn calories while you sleep….Please! Let’s focus on the most neglected part of our body, that when trained properly will pay dividends for life! To do that, you first must understand the power of your CORE and what it means to have a strong or weak core. The core of the body is the area between the neck and the pelvic floor. The core is also referred to as the trunk or center of our body. Why is this part of the body so important and what do we need to remember when training the muscles of our core? It is important to remember that we are always dealing with the enemy on this planet. This enemy never lets up, never takes a day off and no matter what we do will always be around. The enemy is GRAVITY! Gravity is pulling us to the planet every second we are up and moving around. Even when we are lying flat on our back, gravity is pushing us to the planet. The only way we can cope is to be prepared to counteract these negative forces through a strong reactive neuro-muscular system. After all, posture is so important while standing, walking and sitting.

The Importance of Posture 

A person standing straight with great posture will look and feel ten years younger. Someone slumped over with their shoulders rounded, their head forward and their stomach muscles distended is hanging on their skeleton and ligaments rather than engaging the muscles of the core to change the shape of the body by setting the pelvis correctly, pulling the shoulders back and balancing the head in the right position over the spine. The excessive amount of energy expended by that person each day and the trauma to the joints in the neck; shoulder and spine are completely preventable with a little attention to function and balance of the muscles responsible for stabilization, posture and coordinated movement of the body.

Imagine if you could take your muscles off your skeleton for a moment, like removing a coat from your body. You would have no control of your movement or any say about the position or posture you are forced to occupy. If that makes sense, then how we train our muscles, how we hold our head, how we sit in a chair (and work at our computers) and how we walk will dramatically impact our level of fatigue during our waking hours and the micro-trauma to our neck, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. The first and only way to neutralize these negative forces is to train your body from the center out. Not the outside in like so many people think to do. The muscles of the core are designed to be the long-lasting stable connections for the upper extremities and the lower extremities. Stability before mobility is the key to proper performance. The shoulder muscles emanate from the chest and back, and the hip muscles take their origin deep in the pelvic floor attached to the inside of the spine. For proper function, the entire core including chest, upper and lower back, deep spine, pelvic floor and the four abdominal muscle groups must be working together. Please seek the advice of your medical Doctor, physical therapist or athletic trainer who specializes in function and performance to assist you in designing the best core training program for your age, gender, lifestyle and any injuries you might have now or in the past that need attention.

Training Your Core 

The best way to train the core for results is to include the following important criteria into your training regimen:

1. Train movement not muscle: Provide exercise that trains muscle groups together rather then isolated traditional exercises.

2. Train for speed rather then gross strength alone.

3. Include reactive, repetitive motion that promote balance and coordination front to back, side to side, up and down and in rotation.

4. Train muscle to react quickly with the ability to stabilize other body parts

5. Train for muscular endurance to reduce fatigue and premature breakdown of muscular coordination, which can lead to injury.

6. And finally, train the neurological system in conjunction with the muscular system to increase the body’s awareness and coordinated interactive movement.

About.com: Abdominal Exercises and Core Strength

Expert Village: Core Muscle Toning & Strength Exercises

The Bodyblade: Strengthen Your Core