Core Strength Guide

Core Strength Training Overview

Key 1: Crunches aren't that important for overall strength

You can do all the crunches in the world and still have a weak core. That doesn't mean the crunch is useless, but to truly exercise your core you need to train the muscles all around your core especially the sides and back. These muscles are most responsible for allowing you to transfer energy and power from your lower body to your upper body and vice versa. Core exercises target the same muscles as crunches, but they also include your hip and lower-back muscles. A core exercise is any exercise that trains you to keep your spine stable and in its natural alignment. Besides the plank, dozens of exercises qualify, including the side plank, mountain climber, and even the pushup.

Key 2: Start your workouts with core exercises

Research shows beyond the shadow of a doubt that people achieve superior results when they start out a workout with core exercises instead of ending with them. Because you are focusing on your core muscles first, you're giving the best workout with fresh muscles on a key part of your overall physical fitness, so by improving your core strength faster you get faster results in all your exercises.

A weak core can be a limiting factor in almost all other exercises, so it's extremely important to put the core musculature first. By doing this you're going to find that you can lift heavier weights sooner, work out longer and harder, and therefore achiheve a higher level of fitness.

Key 3: Don't overdo it

While 10-15 minutes a day isn't a enough for epic abs, it is about the right amount of time to dedicate to targeted core training. Research shows that even a few minutes per day can help the core muscles deliver greater performance throughout your workout routine. It's also effective to spend 5 minutes doing true core exercises before a difficult lifitng routine. Doing this gets your core muscles firing and helps them act to deliver greater strength and balance as you lift weights.

Key 4: Keep your body moving

It's important to create density in your workout routine to not only maximize the effectiveness of your workout but also make good use of your time. Filling in gaps in your workout with core exercises can allow you to recover while keeping your core muscles firing for the next workout.

Straight Sets: This is the traditional and least effective weight-training routine, in which you complete all the sets of a given exercise before moving on to the next.

Alternating Sets: More effective than Straight Sets, Alternating Sets allow you rest less and workout more because you switch between two exercises using noncompeting movements. A simple example, pair an upperbody workout such as curls with a lower body workout such as the leg lifts, this lets you keep your workout moving along while your energy levels are high. The end result is you can cut your rest time in half or eliminate it completely.

Circuits: Probably the most effective of all, these are similar to Alternating Sets except they involve 3 or more exercises. This is a great exercise routine to mix in a short core exercise as you recover from lifting. Circuits also better represent the types of varied stresses you might deal with in a sporting situaion. It's a good idea to design circuits around the type of sport being trained for.

How much time can these techniques save? A 2011 Spanish study found that men who trained with circuits achieved the same gains as those who trained with straight sets, all while their workouts were 42 percent shorter. Don't take that as an excuse to hit the showers early. It simply means circuits and alternating sets can help you squeeze more total sets into the same sweat session.

Key 5: Have fun

Studies show definitively that when the body is injured doing something you enjoy, it heals faster. As we know weightlifting and muscle building is about breaking your body down so it builds itself back up. So if you enjoy the process of working out more you will see better results.