Are You Training Your Core the Right Way?

Understanding your core

The core is your spine’s best ally in the fight against back pain and it is unfortunate that so few of us realize its true importance. The core is a network of muscle groups that extends to incorporate everything except your arms and legs; it is implicated in every movement you make. But so many people who begin to develop their core do so with questionable motives, which means that they forego a lot of the potential of these muscle groups in supporting the spine. Family Chiropractic & Spinal Health Care Center, we are standing by to help people understand their core better, including how to use it in the fight against back pain!

The core should be a primary stabilizing force in your life

A lot of core workouts such as situps, crunches and back extensions develop superficial core muscles, and miss the essence of what the core can do. These exercises focus on developing the core as a primary mover- in other words, a center from which movements are initiated and forces are generated. If you are concerned with using your core to support your spine, this is the wrong way of going about things.

Instead, we want to focus on developing the core as a primary stabilizer- forces will be generated elsewhere and the core will be implicated in stabilizing and transferring these forces across the body in a healthy and balanced manner. In this scenario, the core is an auxiliary mover- it still performs the first function, but you utilize the muscles more efficiently as a stabilizing force. This is the best way to use your core to protect your spine and contribute to good posture.

How to establish the core as a stabilizer

At our office in Ramsey, we begin by using spinal adjustments to restore spinal alignment and alleviate tension from the surrounding musculature. From here, we demonstrate exercises such as planks, pushups and squats that help you train the core as a stabilizer. We promise your spine, both now and in the future, will thank you! If you are interested in improving spinal health by establishing core stability, give our office a call to schedule an appointment today.