What core exercises are the best? Is it one where you do it for a few minutes a day? A few weeks later, you’re left with a rippling abdomen that could cut glass? Or one where it’s somewhat challenging but comfy enough for you to do for several minutes at a time? Or maybe it requires special equipment, the more elaborate, the better?
Here, I’ll take a look at three of the biggest myths around core exercises and what you should be working on instead:
Myth 1: ‘ Good Core exercises’ work just the muscles you see on the front of your abdomen.’
This is a big one why most people don’t know how to activate their ‘core’ properly. If you’re a lifter, you may use a weight belt and think that that’s enough (It’s not). I used to think this way too and my core was very weak. Looking back, this explained why even after years and years and years of yoga, my mobility was pretty limited. I would over used my shoulders big time with arm balances and my back was very weak. Crunches are not enough. These work the Rectus Abdominis, the visible ab muscles. They don’t really help you with learning how to stabilize your spine when you’re lifting a load for example. Your ‘core’ muscles really are muscles on your front and your back.
These include – your Transverse Abdominis (TVA) which wraps around you, and is the primary stabilizer of the spine. Your scapular and your hip flexors. I would also add the Glutes, your Obliques and the Spinus Erectus. Strengthen these areas, learn how these muscles work together in proper neuromuscular patterning and watch your overall strength skyrocket.
Myth 2: ‘The more ‘core exercises’ you do, the better off you’ll be.’
Core training if it’s effective, shouldn’t take up too much time. Certainly, it shouldn’t be something you approach where you need to ‘max out.’ You should not be exhausted or sore afterwards. Instead, approach it mindfully and learn how to utilize it when you’re doing other activities. I like to think of my TVA tightening around my body when I’m strength training, for example. Or doing day-to-day things like opening a window.
Initially, it does take repetition to turn conscious movement patterns into subconscious movement patterns. In my other videos, I go over different exercises that target different key muscles in your core here. You want to do these exercises repeatedly but with awareness – don’t go for ‘the burn’ but for muscular activation. Once you activate the muscles, you can then strengthen them by intelligently progressing them. ‘More’ is rarely more when it comes to building strength and awareness.
Myth 3: ‘The more popular the exercise, the better it must be for you.’
In my gym, I see A LOT of suboptimal front plank holds held for time. Plank holds are good, don’t get me wrong, but they’re certainly not the best core exercise and with bad form with rounded upper back and sagging lumbar spine, don’t actually have any benefits.
Most people copy what other people are doing without actually taking the time to understand what they’re doing and if it is actually going to help them towards their goals. Blame those mirror neurons! (kidding).
Or human nature which tends to be ‘monkey see, monkey do’.
Your time is precious. Don’t be a sheep. I’d rather see people doing L-sits where your TVA really has to work to stabilize your spine. These do take a base-level of strength to do correctly and to feel the activation but are well worth sticking with. This way you’re getting much more benefit for the time you put in.
Bonus Myth: ‘Core exercises will burn belly fat.’
I had to include this as it’s a big one in the search engines as people seem to equate ‘core exercises’ with spot reducing belly fat. The sad truth is that no amount of crunches, planks or even L-sits will burn belly fat for you by themselves. The L-sit does have one distinct advantage in that because it is such a powerful TVA strengthener; being a ring-shaped muscle, it will tighten as it gets stronger. It’s not uncommon for people to lose a couple of inches around their waistline when their TVA is stronger. You can also get a little taller as the space between the bottom of your ribcage and your hip bones gets slightly bigger because of this contraction.
If you have belly fat you want to lose, you need to work on your nutrition and starting a good strength training program to build lean muscle. It’s boring and unsexy but a calorie deficit that is sustainable over time, is the best way to get rid of belly fat, regardless of what dietary regime you decide on. The majority of the time, a regime works for weight loss not because of what you’re eating (or not eating) but the fact you’re taking in fewer calories than your body needs, forcing it to use its fat stores.
