Crunches, Sit-Ups, Leg Raises, Ab machines, and more are part of our arsenal in sculpting a flat, wash board midsection. Many programs exist today that focus an entire 45 minutes to core training. After all, who wouldn’t want a chiseled six pack?
The problem we run into, however, pertains to the function of the core musculature and our approach to training. The abdominal muscles aren’t made to work in strict isolation like popular lumbar flexion movement patterns such as crunches and sit-ups. Rather they work to dynamically stabilize and transmit force from the lower half to the upper half. The abdominal muscles work to maintain alignment and proper movement patterns between the spine and pelvis, maintain stabilization of the spine, and to help minimize excessive stress and altered movement patterns of the pelvis during involvement of the upper extremities. It’s important to remember that excessive flexion like Crunches and Sit-Ups can create a muscle imbalance and dominance, causing a lengthening and eventual weakening of the posterior musculature like Erector Spinae, leading to altered movement patters, lower back pain and anterior pelvic tilt.
Try to incorporate core exercise that stress stabilization and resist movement. The focus and goals for these training sessions for the client, athlete and trainer/coach should be on creating a reactive environment versus a “fixed” environment, preparing the body for the functional activity or sport.
Some choices for integrated exercises include plank variation involving the movement of upper and lower extremities, changing center of gravity, bridge variations that will engage the Glutes instead of the Hamstrings, teaching proper recruitment patterns and focusing on neutral lumbar, avoiding excessive hip extension. “Pointers” or movement in a quadruped position is also great for functional stability, again focusing on neutral lumbar so we don’t train in a lordotic position and a neutral cervical position as well. This position is much for forgiving for the spine and yields greater activation for the Obliques, T-Extensors and Lats versus a complete face down, prone position, which again makes it difficult to maintain a neutral spine and take pressure off the lumbar region. From this position you have many dynamic movements, anti-rotation, shoulder flexion/hip extension combinations adding in various training surfaces for increased difficulty.
It is also important to keep in mind while all movements are performed, focus on bracing or flexing of the abdominal muscles while maintaining good alignment and a neutral spine. This will work to create proper activation of the abdominal muscles as well as that all important Transverse Abdominis. This is a very important concept as most coaching cues call for the pulling of the belly button in during abdominal movements. While this will activate the TA to a point, all other abdominal muscles will shut down in the process, creating a major loss in core stabilization.
So remember, don’t train on a hunch, get rid of the Crunch.
Great read for those interested in the research done on core activation during integrated movement versus fixed, isolation movements:
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