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Here’s an article I wrote that I thought you may find very educational and useful.

Enjoy…

Everyone seems to be aware of the necessity of having adequate core function, especially those with spinal discomfort.  The core provides strength, protection and mobility to the torso.  This, I think, we can all agree on.

To further understand the core in a way that will facilitate the desired results of our actions, we must know what the core musculature consists of.

It is often assumed that when we speak of the core we are talking about a very specific group of muscles.  This is not the case.  If we refer back to core function-strength, protection and mobility of the torso-we can see that many muscles are involved in the makeup of the torso.

Looking at the core from a global perspective, we can conclude that any muscle group that has it’s attachments to the torso is a core muscle group.  This would suggest that all muscle groups, except the distal limbs and muscles of the head, are core muscles.

When the body is in locomotion, all muscle groups have an inherent job to perform.  To assume that we can segment a specific grouping of muscles to place focus upon in an attempt to achieve a stimulus that will strengthen the entire torso is a huge misjudgment.

With this understanding, lets begin to create a clear space to adopt a new perspective and plan of action to functionally stimulate the core.

We begin with posture.  All activities must be performed with ideal posture.  This will allow all global (movers) and local (stabilizers) muscle groups to be in a position to operate properly.

Get tall in the spine with the chin slightly tucked, as if you have a rope attached to the top of your head pulling you to the ceiling.  Maintain this posture (spinal alignment) regardless of the position of the body in space.

Next is scapula (shoulder blade) function.  The scapula must be pulled down toward the glutes during any movement.  This protects the shoulders and allows the global muscles of the back and chest to operate inherently.

Finally the breath.  With a proper inhalation, the diaphragm pulls the lungs downward, compressing the organs of the abdomen and pushing them outward against the abdominal wall.  This deep breath will be held during the work phase of any movement and then forcefully released by the abdominal wall after you have completed 50% of the movement.

Example using the squat:  Deep breath through the nose down into the belly against tight abdominals.  Descend into a squat holding that breath to fill the space between the abdominal wall and the spine.  Exhale only after you are over 50% back to the starting position.  Inhale and repeat for each repetition.

Practicing abdominal breathing to expand the diaphragm and provide strength and stability for the spine can be done in as little as five minutes daily.

Do this:  Lie on your stomach with your head resting on your hands.  Inhale deeply through the nose.  Feel your belly push into the floor as your lower back rises.  This is called the crocodile breath.

If crocodile breathing is a challenge, you can assume your core is having difficulty functioning inherently.  Practice the crocodile breath and introduce this breathing pattern as an integral part of all movements, including exercise.

With this new perspective, you now have the awareness to properly stimulate your core to provide the strength, protection and mobility that will protect the integrity of the spine.

Hope you enjoyed the article and learned something along the way.

Let me know what you think.

Leave a comment in the comments section below.  Thank you!

Get Strong and Stay Strong,

Rochelle Gravance