FIND YOUR CORE

Once you find your core, you will be able to strengthen it.

All right, pop quiz!  

Question: What is your core? 

I'll give you a sec.

Answer: Your core is your diaphragm, abdominal muscles, pelvic floor, and multifidi.  

(image courtesy of https://www.tango-space.com/)

(image courtesy of https://www.fitbod.me/)

Multi-who?  That's what I said when I first learned this.  

Locate your ribcage, your pelvis, and your spine.  Now think of your core as all the muscles that: 

1. Separate the stuff inside the ribcage (lungs and heart) from the rest of your organs (that's the top, the diaphragm)

2. Hold your guts in from the bottom of that cavity (that's the bottom, your pelvic floor)

3. Hold the front and back together (that's your abdominal muscles and your multifidi).

So now that you know what your core is, what does it do?

It's all about the spine.

Your core supports your spine by providing stability as well as mobility for your spine to move in 4 directions.

1. Flexion (forward bending)

2. Extension (backward bending)

3. Lateral flexion (side bending)

4. Rotation (twisting)

As endurance athletes, and modern day humans, our lives are full of activities involving flexion.  Strengthening your core involves alllll of the spinal mechanics.  So if all you ever do is crunches all day every day, you're missing 75% of your potential.

It is critical to train on all planes of motion.

'Cause if you don't use it, you lose it!