Thursday, May 10, 2012

Core Work!


Successful athletes continually build their core strength. In sport and life, a strong core properly supports the spine. A supported spine allows for a powerful posture, the protection of your spinal cord, and the flexibility required in complex movements such as running or biking ("Your Body..."). As legendary triathlete Dave Scott observes in his podcast with triathlon.competitor.com, a strong core becomes vital towards the end of the race.  When fatigued, athletes fall into a compensation pattern. For running in particular, the athlete's leg cadence slows as his/her upper body rotation increases. This change in form results in a less efficient,  slower run.  A strong core slows the breakdown in form. 

Scott points out that there are 26 different core muscles. A strong core, then, is more than just the abdominal muscles that athletes focus on while doing crunches. To build strength in all 26 muscles, athletes execute drills that exceed the complexity of traditional core exercises such as the crunch or sit-up. Scott suggests drills such as the pickup and reach, planks with kicks, kettlebell squat to overhead swing, and the four way x-chop. You can find the description and pictures to these drills in the link under "Shaw" below.    

Be careful while executing these drills. Start slow without any weight and build from week to week. With a strong core, you will find an increase in your performance.

Let me know of any questions.

Jon Fecik
USAT Coach
jafecik@gmail.com 

"Your Body: the Role of the Spine." Peak Performance Chiropractic Center.  http://www.peakperformancechiropractic.com/body/spine.html

Shaw, Jene. "Ditch Your Crunches." 27 April 2012. Triathlete Competitor. 
Posted by at