Are You Training Your Core Wrong? Here’s What You’re Missing

When I ask people what their "core training" looks like, the answer I get most often is; planks, crunches and maybe the occasional Russian twist. While these exercises do have merit, there's a lot being left on the table here. So, how do we make this "core training" better? Firstly, let’s look at what types of movements your traditional core musculature is responsible for.

Generally, the core musculature of the body is responsible for producing and preventing torso flexion, extension, rotation and lateral flexion. Flexion refers to the forward bending of the spine, as we typically see in a crunch or sit-up. Extension would, therefore, be the opposite. This backward bending of the spine is depicted well by a cobra pose in Yoga. Rotation is a fairly simple one to understand; this refers to rotation or twisting of the spine like we might find in a Russian twist. Finally, lateral flexion describes a sideways bending of the spine, much like in a side bend or oblique crunch.

All of these types of movements are produced by the muscles between the pelvis and the ribcage, which we would commonly refer to as "core" muscles. So, in order to really improve your core strength (and aesthetics) we should be hitting all of these types of movements. If you can't find examples of flexion, extension, rotation and lateral flexion (or the resistance of these movements) in your workout you may need to re-think your core work.