Core Strength
Find Your Core (Strength)
It seems like everyone is talking about “core” and “core strength” and “core work” these days. Here’s what we want to know: what does that even mean? This month, wee set out to get to the “core” of it!
On a physical level, the “core” is essentially a group of muscles that encircle your midsection and support your spine. Sure, having a visible six-pack is a visible perk of building core strength, but the true benefits span far beyond looking good on the beach. These deep, stabilizing muscles are responsible for helping you maintain good posture and balance, controlling the range of your movements and keeping your low back from sagging like a banana during push-ups.
Think you already know the secret to a solid core? Think again. To those of you crunch addicts, we’ve got news for you — swinging your limbs around and jerking your torso all over is, sadly, doing nothing to strengthen your core (or give you a six pack!).
True core work is often more subtle, and the ability to control your movement is something that takes time and awareness to fine tune. Still in doubt? Try it for yourself — stand up and lift your leg forward into the air. Feels hard on your leg, right? If you can learn to take some of that work out of your leg, using your abdominals to support your posture instead, you can amplify your strength, making the move way easier to hold.
Join our core focus this month — learn Athletes for Yoga techniques to both locate and strengthen your core muscles, not just to shrink your muffin top, but to improve your posture and balance, and ease back pain. Slow down, stop flailing around, and strengthen from the inside out. And as you learn to physically move from your center, who knows, you might even tone up the surface layer along the way…
Stay tuned throughout the month for tips and sequences to help you build functional core strength.