The Core is More Than Just Your Abs

There are several misconceptions when it comes to talking about our core. One of the most common involves the idea, "If I do enough abdominal exercises the fat will melt off of my tummy." This is not the case however. Body fat is lost on a total body level as the result of the body burning energy. You cannot target a certain "zone" of your body and expect the fat to be burned off like a concentrated flame on a stick of butter. Fat is a form of energy the body uses primarily when aerobic exercise if performed. When fat is used as energy it is burned off the body and reveals the muscles underneath more prominently than if excess fat were present. Although excess fat may still be present in your current situation don't be discouraged. Core strength can and should still be developed even if there excess fat.

Another misconception is that the "core" is consisted of the oblique and abdominal muscles alone. The core is consisted of the muscles that stabilize the pelvis spine and shoulders. In order for a strong core to be built these many dozens of muscles must work together and be strengthened without neglect. Some that may be neglected are the hip flexors located on the above the quads. These muscles help move the leg forward in walking and they are very important in athletes who sprint because the faster these muscles move the leg, the faster you will go.

The abs and lower back muscles work together to perform various twisting motions and stabilization of the torso. There are a lot of abdominal exercises out there that concentrate on symmetrical movement (like crunches) while performing the exercises, but if you think about daily activities there are hardly any that are done that way. Most are done asymmetrically or off balance. Twisting or rotating exercises should be done to improve low back function and reduce the risk of acute injury. Strength of the core as a whole is essential for low back injury prevention and for many of the situations we're placed in daily.

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Body Weight Exercises for Resistance Training

There are many benefits to body weight exercises and training. One of the biggest reasons many people choose this kind of exercise is because it requires no machines or extra weights. Most people can lift their own body in one way or another in exercises like the push up, crunch, squat or pull up.

The degree of difficulty comes from the angle at which you perform the exercise. The push up for example can be performed on the knees for easier difficulty or for more resistance the feet could be placed on a weight bench causing the angle of difficulty to increase. The changing angle causes more weight to be concentrated downward on your arms because of gravity. The concept of adding more resistance can be applied to squats by simply doing one legged squats with the aid of a bench.

Different exercises can be combined and performed in intervals with short periods of rest between each exercise, or sets of exercises. This type of training is called circuit training and helps improve cardiovascular fitness along with muscular endurance. Circuits could be as small as four exercises or as much as 15 depending on how much work you're willing to do.

Although body weight exercises are simple and cost little to no money, adding weight training to your general exercise is recommended for developing a higher level of strength. keeping this in mind, all kinds of different types of exercises should be performed to promote total body health.


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Barefoot Running Part 2

Barefoot training also increases sensory awareness of the feet. Meaning your body can more easily percieve the impact of your feet when they make contact with the ground. Ultimately this leads to better stability and balance. Various sports that are performed without shoes (i.e. beach volleyball, martial arts, diving, surfing type sports, etc.) are shown to have a much lower risk of lower leg injuries due to the strength gained in training by these athletes in training.

Robbins, Waked, and McClaron (1995) observed in a study that sensitivity of the underside of the foot and foot position awareness play a huge roll in falls that involve the elderly. Shoes with a more than sufficient amount of padding reduce the overall sensitivity of the feet, thus causing imbalance and falls. It is recommended that elderly people wear thin hard-soled shoes while participating in physical activity.

As in all training programs, begin at a light to moderate intensity and work your way up to more vigorous exercise. It is recommended that the majority of barefoot training be done on soft surfaces such as grass or a treadmill to prevent the bottoms of your feet from developing superficial injuries. Beginning long distance or very rapid barefoot training without building up enough strength in your lower legs and feet can result in blisters or skeletal and joint injury and be detrimental to training. Instead start off doing common activities like housework, walking barefoot to the mailbox or just being outside at a park with your shoes off.