Your core can give you more than Instagram worthy photos. Aside from having that enviable appearance, you’re better able to move with ease while performing tasks that require physical strength. In short, a strong core makes you look fantastic and do fantastic things.
Your abdominal muscles include all the other muscles in your body, except for the extremities.
It’s important to have strong muscle abs to help stabilize your torso and maintain good posture. Strong abs and back muscles also help you to prevent injury and lower back pain, which is a common health issue of millions of people worldwide.
A strong core gives you a healthy foundation for a healthy spine and a steady movement. Core strength is important because some people can build strong muscles without having core strength, which can cause an imbalance in muscle development. Having a strong core allows your muscles to exert maximal force for maximum performance and helps you with endurance.
Core training should be part of your workout regimen. Even if you say you prefer cardio, you still need a strong core to help with your movement, whether you’re running or swimming. Basically, there are lots of important reasons why you need to strengthen your core. They include the following:
To improve breathing
Breathing is a natural activity your body does. This simple activity of inhales and exhales holds the secret to your optimal health. But because this comes normally, most people come to ignore the way they breathe. Shallow breaths signify stress while deep, relaxing breaths are calming.
Aside from keeping you alive, breathing helps you with two things: it allows the proper supply of oxygen to all parts of the body, and it also helps get rid of toxins and waste products out of the body. Both bodily activities are important during workouts. When you breathe poorly, your diaphragm and other organs aren’t relaxed, which is not good because these parts should sit in the proper position.
Experts say core training and proper breathing should go hand in hand to ensure workout success, which in a way improves your breathing, especially when you breathe from your diaphragm. In a study, athletes who took an hour of relaxation and deep breathing after completing an intense workout were found to have lower levels of stress hormones.
To reduce injury risks
Since abs act as a foundation for the movement and function of the body, strengthening it enables the group of muscles to work efficiently and effectively.
No matter how simple your movement can be, such as picking up your child or washing the dishes, these movements benefit from strong core muscles. Even if you seem to use only your arms and shoulder strength, you prevent straining them when you have strong abs.
To attain balance
Yoga poses like dolphin pose, plank, four limb staff pose, and other core-strengthening yoga poses can help you become steady and attain balance. A balanced body is important to support you in certain activities like crossing a slippery street or rock climbing. But when you have poor balance, you increase your risk of injury and accidents.
Even though poor balance can be caused by other factors like vestibular dysfunction or neurological deficits, you can still improve your balance by increasing your core strength.
To improve athletic performance
Sports like soccer, basketball, football, boxing, and others need athletes who have a healthy spine and strong core muscles. These sports need strong limbs, which are best supported by a strong core.
In this case, core exercises like crunches or sit-ups may not be helpful since the body isn’t exposed to an unstable environment. Bilateral and unilateral free weight movements should be your best bet because they activate core musculature that produces force essential for athletic performance.
To improve posture
People who have good posture appear confident and sure of themselves. Even without knowing what they do in their spare time, you will get a hint these people are doing something that makes them who they are. This is because, when you’re on a fitness journey, it shows in how you sit, stand, and move.
A strong core helps with your posture by supporting an erect spine. When your pelvis tilts forward, it will result in poor posture, which can be easily corrected through core strengthening exercises. These exercises help strengthen your lower back, leading to good posture.
To improve running ability
Don’t think that running requires only strong limbs. No. While it’s important to put more attention on your leg muscles, your core need not be overlooked. A powerful core is necessary for all body movements, including running.
In fact, one study found that runners who went through six weeks of core strength training had significantly reduced their time running 5,000 meters. Their strong core kept their torso upright and allowed their lower back muscles to work and coordinate more smoothly.
To prevent lower back pain
If you’re among the millions of people who constantly complain of lower back pain, try to strengthen your core and see what happens. Though lots of factors contribute to lower back pain, don’t let this prevent you from considering your core. You may look for the cause of the issue.
When it doesn’t require serious medical attention, giving core strengthening a go may help reduce the chances of having one in the future. The Power Wheel exercises may be the best place to start.
To improve flexibility
Because a strong core also helps strengthen the lower back, this means there would be ease of movement for your ligaments and muscles. A strong and stable back allows you to have a greater range of motion and flexibility.
To reduce your waistline
Most people aim for a slimmer waist. It does look good aside from making you healthy. Core strength training helps burn belly fats and those around the waist.
As people age, stubborn fats tend to gather at the waist and can be a cause for increased risk of serious health issues. But you don’t need to arrive in this place. While still young, aim for a slimmer waist and keep that off by embracing core strength exercises.
