Abs vs. Core

Whether you are someone who has just started working out as part of your new year's resolution, or if are a well seasoned athlete, you probably have seen a lot of misinformation in the health and fitness industry about working your "core". While it is true that the "abs" or "rectus abdominus" muscles are the most visible of the core muscles, they are certainly not the only muscles of the "core". Frankly, I must admit that I have never heard anyone say "Wow, look at those awesome low back muscles!" when commenting on someone's physique, but I am not interested in appearance as much as I am function. So if you think crunches or situps are enough for your "core", please continue reading. First, lets look at what the rectus abdominus muscle does. It is the primary muscle to perform lumbar flexion, which is curling the torso into a bent forward position. So exactly why is it so important? What daily movements involve lumbar flexion? Simmply put-alot. But in the standing position, the abdominus rectus muscles are greatly aided by gravity. It is usually only strained in tennis players, and sometimes sports involving a throwing motion. By sharp contrast, 90% of the general population has low back pain at some point in their lives, and of those, half of them will have it more than once. Which would you say is more important? I once met a patient who was very proud that she was doing the "Marines' Workout". This meant that she did 200 crunches per day, among other things. She had done so many crunches that her natural posture was such that she was "crunched" forward. I asked her what low back exercises she did to balance out all of this abdominal work, and she admitted that she did none. Turns out this was the source of her low back pain. Just working the rectus abdominus will only bring your posture into an even more slouched position than it already is. It will also put excessive strain on the low back muscles. The muscles that move the torso, which most people consider as "core", also include the transverse abdominus muscles, internal and external abdominal oblique muscles, the quadratus lumborum, and the erector spinae muscles (which consists of the iliocostalis, the longissimus, and the spinalis groups). The erector spinae are the primary movers for lumbar extension (back arching). The obliques are the primary movers for lumbar rotation (twisting), and the quadratus lumborum muscles are primarily involved in lumbar lateral flexion (side bending). So it certainly makes sense to incorporate all of these movements into your core training. We will go over some examples of these in the next blog...tbc.