The core points of abdominal training
Ask your local gym instructor about the current ‘buzz words’ or ‘trends’ in health and fitness. The most likely response will be along the lines of: core stability or advanced abdominal training, with reference to some manner of wobbling platform, ball or disk!
To cut to the chase and avoid the confusion and scepticism often created by the diverse range of weird and wonderful equipment associated with core stability, I will explain the basics with reference to how we, as people, function.
The musculature surrounding the torso consists of firstly: the superficial (pretty muscles- six pack) which function in mobilising the upper torso and assisting stabilisation of the trunk during load bearing activities, and secondly, the deep (core) muscles which fulfil a more intricate role in stabilising the vertebrae of the lower back during most activities.
The problem faced by a considerable section of the non-structural back pain sufferers is forgetting how to actually contract the core muscles so that the lower back is held in a safe position. This mechanism, often referred to as ‘sensory motor amnesia’ can be caused by injury, inactivity or poor exercise habits. Using excessive sets of abdominal ‘crunches’ to condition the abdominal muscles neglects the specific stimulation required to activate the core muscles and causes the superficial muscles to take over core function, a role they are far from best suited for, and a likely cause of lower back pain due to mechanisms that are beyond the scope of this article! The basis of instability training is to continually perturb the position of the spinal segments by implementing an off balance environment, thus awakening the deep core muscles to carry out their stabilising function properly and keep the back safe from injury during more advanced exercises.
Despite these breakthroughs, I still rarely fail to observe ‘hardcore gym rats’ grunting to complete the last of their 100 rep sets of machine based crunches at piston like velocities during my trips around the local gym facilities, a recipe for disaster! When will they learn!
The way I understand it, core training is a preparatory method for more complex activities, which require the integrated use of many muscle groups, and which potentially put the integrity of the spine at risk. Remember that you cannot build a house without foundations!