Strengthening core muscles and back:

So why is core muscles and back important in strength training?

It is important because these are the major muscles used for balance and stability in almost any sport. The core muscles are your midsection and lower back muscles. In almost any explosive activity there is a situation requiring the body to stabilize afterwards. Consider the footbal player kicking the bal towards the goal and then remaining balance afterwards. Or the dribler like Ronaldinho maintaining balance when dribbling in high speed trough multiple opponents. For those in martial arts the core muscles is the absolute most important muscles.

The best way to strengthen the core muscles is by constant repetition. This means training the abdominals over and over again. This is most easily done by crunches or sit ups. For a novice not trained a number of about 50 every day is best. Later the number of crunches is 150 to 200 for a strong midsection. There are many different kinds of crunches. The most typically used is the simple abdominal crunch where the arms are placed behind the head and the crunch is about 30-40% upwards towards the knees. Other crunches can be used also. To strengthen the back the most common is the back lift where the face and shoulders are lifted upwards. The best back training includes weights where the lift is on the shoulders or punching with weights.

The midsection or core muscles are necessary in most sports. Consider martial arts where most striking arts requires a rotation of the hips to deliver maximum impact in kicks. The midsection and core muscles is what transfers the force from the legs and hips trough the kicking leg. It further helps to stabilize the body during this movement. Core muscles is important also in grappling martial arts such as Judo since a strong core gives the body the strength to remain balanced even in positions in instability.

Most people despise training the abdominal muscles and that is a shame. Training the abdominals is probably the most important for total health. And with everything else repetition makes the training more enjoyable. The fact is that 100-150 crunches a day only requires about 10 minutes very day and the effects are great. There are many myths about strengthening the core. For example that it is necessary to go to a gym to train or that machines are necessary. There is a vast number of ways to strengthen the core in your own home. These include training the side abdominals the upper and lower abdominals and so on. The most important thing is to keep at it. Any abdominal or core training is beneficial if done properly for an period of time. This means at least 50 crunches a day for the beginner towards 150-200 for the more trained person.

The back is a very important part to train. More than any other muscle group it provides strength and resistance against shocks in sports and in general. The best way to strengthen the back is by making lifts continually. Lifting weights from the floor is a way to strengthen the stability of the back. Another is to draw the weight from above. The best back training is that which can be done by weights. If a person requires a certain movement where back muscles are involved then it is possible to add weights to that movement or resistance bands. This is a way of training the muscles in throwing and grappling martial arts such as judo and sambo practitioners use.

Some more advanced technicues for training the abdominals involve medicine bal crunches. Here the person who does the crunch use a heavy bal lifting from behind the shoulders to the knees, or with a partner taking turns. Some of the more challenging crunches is where the person inhales and then does the crunch keeping at 50% strain towards the knees for as long as possible each time. Then there are the vertical crunches where the right elbow is lifted towards the left knee and opposite. There is a number of abdominal training that involves lifting the legs from the floor towards the ceiling. These are done better by small movements than large and kept at some resistance. Then it is also an idea to lift the entire lower body by using the abdominals. To gain real strength do normal sit ups while a trainer hits the abdominals while the person does the crunch. This is especially for martial arts and striking sports.

Abdominals can be strong but not show if the body fat percentage is high. To lose weight effectively and reduce body fat there is a number of things to do. All sweets and chocolate must be reduced to a minimum and the same with soft drinks. Eat lots of rice with tomato or beans. This kind of diet will leave the person in a kind of hungry state which takes some time getting used to. After a while it will be more permanent and body fat is reduced. Remember that native people are surviving on very little meat in day to day life.

The benefits of strengthening these muscles are twofold. For everyday life it gives stability and robustness both for the body and mind. A person with a strong core is able to resist much movement towards that person without loosing focus. In sports this means maintaining balance and developing crushing speed and power in martial arts.

Sho-Ryu-Ken!!!