Core training isn't doing sit ups, crunches and other spine bending exercises because these movements are done at the expense of your spine. Overtime, as these exercises damage the spine your core strength and stability will reduce. Core training means following two fundamentals;

1. The torso is designed to prevent movement
2. The limbs are designed to produce movement

Why Sit Ups & Crunches are not core training

These two exercises violate the first fundamental because they bend the spine. Side bends, back extensions and twists are the same, they produce movement of the spine rather than prevent it. These exercise slowly diminish the structures of the spine that lead to injury. This doesn't mean your spine cannot or should not bend, twist or extend but under the load of an exercise it increases the risk of injury. 

The 2 fundamentals are based on how your body is built

I have pulled these fundamentals from thin air, if you look to your anatomy it begins to paint a picture of how y...

When you want to exercise your abdominals or core, it’s common to turn to sit ups, crunches and twists. After all, these are the exercises we’ve all been taught for years. And yes, perhaps you’ll see some benefits, providing you’re doing them correctly. But there is a trade-off – sit ups, crunches and twists can actually cause damage to your spine. 

There is a better way, however, and in this tutorial I show you how. 

What’s the problem with sit ups, crunches and twists?

There has been a tendency in the fitness industry over recent years to focus on body building techniques for core training, and even for rehabilitation. That is focusing on muscles individually and working them hard to strengthen them. But this is not how our bodies are design to work. We don’t use one muscle at a time, we use combinations of muscles to perform particular movements. This means that when we isolate a group of muscles to train them, we are in danger of using them in a way they were not intended, and i...

Many exercises are called core exercises but so few actually are. Sit-ups, crunches, twists and back extensions all get called core exercises but they are actually individual muscle exercises. To be called a core exercise they have to do more than work one muscle.

Change what you think core exercises are

A core exercise works many muscles and keep your spine healthier. They also Bring the muscles of your core together into one unit. Sit ups, crunches, twists and back extensions split to core into muscles. You would think these individual exercises would bring your core together but it’s not the case. If you want to find out why please watch the video above.

There are different types

Core exercises that bring your muscles together into one unit are:

1. Static core exercises
2. Dynamic core exercises
3. Movements

These three categories work together to bring your torso and limbs together into one body. If you want to find out what they are Watch the video above.

They progress natural...

If you enjoy health and fitness, you might have come across the terms ‘Core Strength’ and ‘Core Stability’. In general, many people might be under an impression that both the Core Strength Stability means the same. It is no surprise if someone uses these words interchangeably. Therefore, missing the subtle difference between the two terms.

Core Strength

Kraemer and Knuttgen define the term ‘strength’ as the force a muscle or a group of muscles can generate in a specified movement pattern. Therefore, a person who is able to produce a better movement has more ‘core strength.’

It’s appropriate to refer to the core strength as core endurance. This includes the time you are able to hold in that movement pattern i.e. duration of the position. If you are able to perform the same task repeatedly over a period od time or a day, you have more core strength for a specific task. If you are able to resist fatigue, you will be recognized as having more core strength, but not necessarily core stab...