There's Never an Off-Season When it Comes to Core Strength!

With summer weather on the way out and cool fall temperatures on the way in, it’s important to remember that there's never an off-season when it comes to core strength!

Your core consists of multiple muscle groups that work to stabilize your spine, support your torso and keep your body balanced and stable. Not only is core stability important for professional athletes and weekend warriors, but having strong, well-defined core muscles is critical to the activities we all do daily as well.

Why Is Core Stability Important;

You engage your core muscles when bending forward and backward, twisting from side to side, and standing up from a prone or seated position. You even work your core when simply walking down the street, sitting in your car, or rolling over in bed.

Get to Know Your Core

Your core includes a complex collection of muscles that links your lower body to your upper body, such as:

• The transverse abdominis, which wraps around your spine
• Internal and external abdominal oblique that run along your flanks
• Rectus abdominis, located along the front of your torso

When these muscles are strong and well-conditioned, your spine is well-supported, you'll have exceptionally good balance, and your posture will be picture-perfect. Not only can a strong core help improve your athletic performance, but it can also make everyday tasks easier, safer, and more enjoyable.

Signs You Lack Core Stability

Because your core is made up of multiple muscle groups, recognizing a weak core can be difficult since it's challenging to isolate and test each of these muscle groups. Several signs can indicate your core stability needs work, including:

• Lower back pain not related to a known injury or medical condition
• Poor posture
• Difficulty moving from a seated to a standing position
• Bad balance
• Discomfort when standing for an extended period of time
• Pain throughout the hips and knees
• Foot discomfort
• Urinary incontinence

When your core muscles are compromised, your entire body is thrown out of alignment, and other muscle groups work to compensate for the lack of stability in your core. This is why back, foot, and hip pain is common among those with weak core muscles, and it also explains why a weak core leads to a lack of balance. And since the core includes pelvic floor muscles, another common but rarely discussed consequence of a weak core is urinary incontinence.

Improve Your Core Stability

In the past, we were taught to work on core stability by doing traditional, floor-based repetitive exercises such as sit-ups and crunches. While these moves had some merit, the fact is that doing these exercises often led to discomfort and even injury. Functional core stability exercises can be safer and more effective, and that includes the exercises that can be done using the AeroTrainer® exercise platform 

The AeroTrainer exercise platform can help developing and maintaining a core stability workout regime easy and enjoyable this fall.  Let's make a plan!

The information contained on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be medical advice. It also is not a substitute for regular medical care. Please consult with your care provider about your care options and for any medical advice prior to beginning or changing any physical training regimen. You should never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking medical advice or care because of any content presented as part of this site. Reliance on the information presented on this site should be utilized solely at your own risk.