ForeverStrong® Fitness

Core Strength: What are the Benefits of Strong Core Muscles and How Do I Get Them!?

Enhance Your Whole Body Health with Core Strength

Improving Core Strength has so many great benefits for your health! Great abs look good and building your core will contribute to your body’s overall strength and endurance, as well as balance and coordination. Strong core muscles allow your

spine to bear more weight which decrease your chances of injury while participating in sports or doing daily tasks. This leads to less lower back pain, which is something we love! And core strength helps keep other muscle groups from getting weak because of overcompensating for disengaged core muscles.

The Safest Way to Strengthen Your Core

While many exercises will strengthen your core, some are more or less likely to cause injury than others. The safest and most effective types of exercises that strengthen the core muscles are Isometric Exercises. Isometric training lowers the chance of injury which will keep you moving your body and building your overall fitness level. These types of movements also increase your core strength quickly and effectively.

Some examples of Isometric core strength building exercises include the Curl Up, RKC or Hardstyle Plank, Pallof press, Bird-dog or cross-crawl, Dead bug. Check out the videos at the end of this article for a demonstration. 

On the other hand, popular Exercises to Avoid are those that require repeated flexion and extension of the spine – especially with load. Crunches, Russian Twists, Abdominal Side Bend, Decline Sit Ups, Back Extension. There is a high risk of herniation with these exercises*. 

Most small group training, group workouts, fitness classes and group exercise programs don’t spend much time on form. It’s important to be properly educated on the perfect technique for each movement in your core strength training program. Whether you use traditional free weights, or kettlebells be sure to work with a personal trainer who is certified with the tools they are using and is staying current with exercise science research.

8-Week Core Strength Program begins February 4, 2018

Over the next 8 weeks, will be utilizing the isometric core strength movements that have been proven to have the greatest core strength improvement based on the research from the leading back health researcher Dr. Stuart M. McGill*. We invite you to join!

If you are interested in learning more about our 8-Week Core Cure Program or ForeverStrong, call us at 301-452-5547 or email kelly@trainforeverstrong.com.

ForeverStrong Personal Trainers have helped hundreds of people in Howard County and the surrounding areas lose weight, tone up, and get real core strength. Our neighbors in Highland, Clarksville, Columbia, Burtonsville, Olney, Ashton and Silver Spring love their personalized training program. Unlike group fitness classes, each client receives a personal training program here.

We’d love to help you too!

Dr. Wiji Jones of Morrison Chiropractic in Clarksville, MD demonstrates proper form for the following Isometric Core Strength Training Exercises:

Hard Style Plank, Bird Dog, and Side Plank

Torsional Buttress

Suitcase Hold, Stir the Pot, Inverted Row, Rack Walk, and Palloff Press

*Research References:

Effect of Long-Term Isometric Training on Core/Torso Stiffness; Lee, McGill,
2015.

Intervertebral disc herniation: studies on a porcine model exposed to highly repetitive flexion/extension motion with compressive force; Callahan, McGill 2001

Strength Training Is Great, But So Is Injury Prevention

We’re not sure who originally said it, but good habits are as addictive as bad habits, and they’re a lot more rewarding, too. Naturally, exercise is a prime example when it comes to a positive habit with a high potential for reward. At Train Forever Strong, our strength training gym in Maryland is dedicated to providing you with personalized training and group training services that will progressively help work your way to achieving and mastering your fitness goals.

While exercise is a healthy habit, it is crucially important to train safely and prevent any injuries from occurring. That’s why our strength training gym wants to make sure that you know some of the basic ins and outs of exercise and strength training, and how they relate to injury prevention. Check it out!

Two Classes of Injuries

Essentially, there are two basic classes of injuries that we’re concerned about: traumatic injuries and cumulative injuries. Traumatic injuries are freak accidents that occur through sports activities, fitness, or even general daily life, like twisting your ankle getting off the bus or getting into a car wreck.

Cumulative injuries, as the name suggests, occur over time. Cumulative injuries are related to tissue damage that occurs as a result of repetitive strain over a given period of time, such as through running, biking, or other activities that repetitively use the same muscle groups over and over again. Cumulative injuries can creep up without you noticing them, and also may be related to poor posture, faulty movement patterns, improper training, improper gear, and so forth.

General Physical Preparedness

To successfully prevent or at least mitigate any chances of physical or sports-related injury, maintaining general physical preparedness is necessary. What this refers to is maintaining a baseline level of fitness so that you can respond to physical challenges without any harm. Let’s take a quick look at some parts of general physical preparedness.

Flexibility

Seriously, don’t run or exercise without stretching before and after! To avoid any injuries, you’ll want to make sure that all major joints, including your spine, have a full range of motion and sufficient muscle length.

Proper Form

If you’re unsure about how to use a piece of equipment or execute a certain technique correctly, please don’t be bashful. Improperly exercising is what commonly leads to traumatic or cumulative injuries for many people. Sure, you might feel a little embarrassed asking, but we guarantee that it’s much better than hurting yourself.

Use The Right Intended Equipment

This might sound silly, but make sure that the things you’re using to work out with are actually intended for what you’re using them for. Save your stylish shoes for a nice occasion or for work, and use cushioned, high-impact athletic shoes for those cardio activities.

Pushing and Exceeding Your Limits

Exercise is addictive for many people, and sometimes that addiction leads to over ambition. Don’t continue running or putting weight on muscles that clearly already hurt. While it’s good to hurt and and be sore to a healthy extent, putting excess stress on hurting muscles can lead to deep bruises and breaks that may or may not heal.

Do It Right at Our Strength Training Gym

With Train Forever Strong’s team of seasoned, knowledgeable fitness professionals, we’re here to make sure that you’re on a safe, incremental fitness path. We know that increasing your cardiovascular endurance, core strength and overall strength takes time and should not be rushed to allow your body to rest and recover. Why risk any chance of sports or fitness-related injury? Contact the strength workout experts at Train Forever Strong today!