Core Muscle Fitness

Introducing Core Muscles

Every time you move, your body depends on certain “core” muscles to hold you steady while other muscles actually move your body.  These core muscles lie deep within the “trunk” of the body and generally attach to the spine, pelvis and muscles that support the scapula. Core muscles stabilise those areas to create a firm foundation for co-ordinated movement of the legs and arms.

If your core muscles are strong and they contract when they should:

Your posture is better

Your body is balanced

Your movement is more efficient and balanced

You are less likely to be injured

Core stability is essential to good health for everyone: from young to old, from athlete to couch potato. Core stabilisation exercises should be part of everybody’s daily healthy routine.

What is Core Stabilisation?

Think of the spine as a stack of separate bones with fluid-filled discs between the bones as a cushion. That doesn’t sound very stable, does it? It’s a good thing that layers of soft tissue such as cartilage and ligaments connect to the spine to make it more stable.

Your spine is also stabilised by a group of muscles attached to the spine at critical areas. If these muscles are strong and working properly, your body will have a solid base for movement and will be able to absorb the impact and vibrations created by moving around on a solid surface‚ like the ground we all walk on.

Inner Core Muscles

The main muscles involved in core stabilisation are not always obvious because they are buried beneath other muscles. Your transverse abdominus, for example, is hidden underneath your rectus abdominus (or “six-pack”) and encases the area beneath your belly button.  The multifidus muscle lies along your spine and connects the vertebrae (bones) together. The pelvic floor muscles also aid in stabilising your spine but are usually only noticed when contracted to prevent urination.

Outer Core Muscles

Other muscles that are closer to the surface, and somewhat more noticeable, also help with core stabilisation. The muscles in your back and buttocks, around your pelvis and hips, and your sides are all “outer-core” muscles that assist stabilisation and help your body move.

Outer core muscles:

Latissimus dorsi

Gluteus maximus

Oblique abdominals

Hip adductors

Why is Core Stabilisation Important?

Core stabilisation muscles work together to keep your trunk stable while your limbs are active. Strong core muscles hold your body upright, improve your balance and enable you to put more effort into arm and leg movements. If the core muscles are weak, your body doesn’t work as effectively, and other muscles have to pick up the slack.

This can result in injuries such as a twisted knee, a pulled shoulder or the common “bad back”.  A poor core will make you feel old before your time.

With core stabilisation, you could be old in years, but you won’t walk old. If you’re young or active in sports, core stabilisation will help your body movement and improve your performance. For exercise at any level, core stabilisation is essential for injury prevention and maximum fitness results.