Strengthening the Core

The “core” of your body – the muscles in and around your back and abdominals – is crucial to your overall strength. Just as the core of an apple supports the surrounding fruit, so your overall body weight will not be well-supported without a strong core. Good posture, sitting, standing, and really any type of movement all require a strong core.

Core Muscles Work Together

If you suffer back pain, pain while sitting or standing, or persistent pain in the lower neck area, your core area could be weak, or you may have strengthened muscles in one area of your core while neglecting the others. The muscles throughout your core area work together, and strengthening just one area may put additional strain on the other muscles. So when you strengthen your core, it is a good idea to do a variety of exercises that will keep your core muscles wrapped tightly around your body to give it support.

The Muscles and How to Keep Them Strong

Starting at the top, the erector spinae muscles run from your neck to your lower back, and help provide good, upright posture. When these muscles are weak, your back will tend to slump or stoop, and eventually you will experience back pain as a result. One way to strengthen these muscles is to lie on your stomach with hands clasped behind your head, and slowly lift your head and upper body off the floor, then return to the resting position.

The rectus abdominis muscles are the famed “six pack” abs that so many people prize. Luckily, these muscles are just beneath the skin, so when excess fat is lost and the muscles are improved, they display quite nicely. Crunch exercises are a great way to strengthen these muscles, and the crossover crunch, where you twist to one side while crunching, will strengthen the internal oblique muscles, which lie just to the side of the rectus abdominis muscles.

Still farther to the side, near the outside of your body, are the external oblique muscles. Arm sweep exercises are quite effective at strengthening this important muscle group. Simply sit on the floor with knees slightly bent and extend your hands to your side. Lean back just a bit, until you feel your abs contract. Now, sweep your left hand back and twist that way with your upper body. Return to center and repeat the exercise on your right side. Remember not to twist too much, or the benefits of the exercise will be lost.

Deep within your core are the transverse abdominis muscles, or TVA muscles. These muscles are the closest to your spine and are critical for support, stability, and pain-free movement. A great way to strengthen these muscles is the plank exercise, where you keep your body straight while raised up on your forearms.

The core of your body is where all strength begins, and it is critical to all types of movement and strength conditioning that this portion of your anatomy be strong and healthy. A few minutes a day of focus on your core will pay benefits for years to come in improved posture and lower pain levels.

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The Matthews Method

Looking for stronger, healthier abdominal muscles? Or perhaps you exercise regularly, but are becoming bored with your workout and are looking for something different. Perhaps this is the time to consider the Matthews Method. This exercise plan was originally developed by Gary Matthews, an Australian who began his fitness career as a trainer with the Royal Australian Air Force. Over the course of several decades, Matthews developed personal training plans and began to share them with the Air Force. Below are summaries of his main guidelines:

Don't Train Beyond Your Limits

Your body has an exhaustion point – one should never exercise past this point. The effects of exercise – any exercise – will begin to show in reduced blood sugar levels after approximately 30 minutes. That is not to say that you should immediately stop at 30 minutes, but after such period additional strain is placed upon the body and increased recovery time is required after exercise. Hence, Matthews is advised to focus upon a high-intensity workout that lasts approximately 30 minutes and stimulates as many muscle fibers as possible during this time period.

Exercise Using Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is Gary's term for gradually increasing the “load” of the workout. For instance, if one performs 3 sets of 20 repetitions of a given exercise with 50 pounds of resistance. Within a week or two the body will have adjusted to this ‘load’. Without increasing the workout – through increased sets, repetition or resistance – the body will no longer gain the same benefit from the workout. Once the workout can be performed with relative ease, one of these factors must be increased. However, he warns that under no circumstances should technique be sacrificed. Perfect technique is one item that must remain constant, as it is the greatest protection against injury.

Allow Your Body Recovery Time

This is the one area that most exercisers ignore - muscles require recovery time after a workout and by not permitting same, one allows a high risk of injury. Muscle mass requires more oxygen than other organs or organ groups to function properly. Realistically, the muscles will not obtain the required oxygen during the workout itself; there is simply too great a demand upon the body. Thus rest time is essential to appropriately oxygenating the muscles.

Utilize Multi-Joint Exercises

Rather than doing a series of exercises that focus upon one muscle or muscle group at a time, Matthews advocates exercising several muscle groups simultaneously for a more invigorating workout. This effort results in an intense, short-term workout, which should be completed before blood sugar levels drop too low. It is hard work but the results are quite rewarding.

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