How Do You Train Your Core?

This is part seven of an eight part series titled "8 Principles of the Defined Fitness Training Philosophy". Over the next eight weeks we will be writing a short post about each part of the training philosophy we use here are DF and make part of each workout.


Number Seven: Train The Core

1001, 1002, 1003...sit-up after sit-up, but still have a gut? Don't be surprised many people make this same mistake when trying to flatten their stomach and get washboard abs. Unfortunately, all these sit-ups won't get you there. The fact is that to achieve a flat defined core you need to first clean up your diet and then train your core effectively doing exercises that strength what it was designed to do.

So what is your core designed to do?

The core certainly does flex, as in a crunch or sit-up, but that is not it's main function. The main function of the core is to stabilize the spine by resisting extension and rotation. As a result exercises like the plank and wood chops require more muscle activation of the core than a crunch or sit-up

Could all those crunches and sit ups actually make your gut bigger and even injury your back?

Yes and Yes. Let's start with the increasing gut size. You want to lose your gut, so you do sit-ups to get rid of it. After all sit-ups work the area you want rid of so this makes sense, but that's not how it works. You cannot spot reduce fat by focusing only on exercises for one area of your body. Your body will burn fat from all areas of your body and the best way to lose the belly fat is through nutrition. Also, as a result of doing all those sit-ups the muscles under your belly fat will get bigger, pushing the fat out more, which results in a larger waistline. Didn't start doing those sit-ups to reduce it?

Second, research has found the crunch, sit-ups and other similar exercises place high levels of force on the lumbar joints of the spine that are considered above the safe level. This means if you have a back issue these exercise will aggravate it and if you don't a back issue you have one coming in your future. So a bigger gut and a bad back, do you still want to do crunches? Oh, and by doing these on a ball or with a BOSU under you does not make them safer and more effective, they just make them more harmful to your back.

At DF we train the core in each workout with exercises that focus on resisting spinal extension and rotation. These are exercise like planks, wood chops, farmers walks, and off set loaded exercises. Not only do all of these strengthen your core, but they emphasize everyday movements making you stronger and more functional.

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