5 Mistakes in "Core Training"

To start off the new blog, I'm going with a topic that is generally of interest to everybody who's interested in exercise: the "core". My first topic of discussion will be "The 5 Most Common Mistakes In Core Training". However, it's actually 6 mistakes - the first mistake most of us make is the actual definition of the term "core", as it applies to exercise.

Problem #1 is that there is no universally agreed upon definition or parameters of what constitutes the core. If you asked 50 trainers what the core is, you'd probably get 50 different answers. For our purposes, we define core musculature as any muscles that attach to the lumbar spine, pelvis or hips.

Yes - you're right - that's about 2/3 the muscles of the body (I might be exaggerating a little bit, but not too much...) Therefore...

Lat pull downs? Core exercise.

Lunges? Core exercise.

Push Ups? Core exercise.

Have I ruined your pre-conceived notions of core training yet? I hope so - admitting you have a problem is the 1st step in fixing it!

So for future reference and when the next blogs explain the 5 most common mistakes in core training, here's my definition of a core exercise that we use at The Training Rim:

Any exercise where the primary purpose of the exercise is controlling the lumbo pelvic hip complex through lumbar stabilization and neuro-muscular control of both the hips' mobility and stabilization simultaneously.

Sound complicated? Don't worry - it really isn't as you'll see in the next blog, "Core Training Mistake #5".

See you next time - until then, stop with those silly crunches.