Avoiding
Muscular Imbalances: The Key to Safe and Effective Core Training
Provided
by American
Council on Exercise
The word “core” gets thrown
around a lot, and there is a lot of variation in exactly what most people mean
when they use the term—and how to properly train it. As a health and exercise
professional, you know the importance of developing muscular fitness in the
core musculature, but are you completely clear on what muscles make up the core
and how to train to avoid imbalances? And are you following a safe progression
of exercises when it comes to core strengthening?
Like many of your clients,
you may have a few questions about this all-important area of the body. Well,
here are some much-needed answers…
The
Core Musculature
The
core is divided into two separate
units, each unit having its own
unique purpose. Knowing the function of each unit and what muscles make up the
core will help guide you in designing safe, effective exercise progressions for
your clients.
“The
inner unit is mostly used for fine segmental stabilization of the spine,”
explains Eric Wilson, a personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist
based in Apex, N.C., “whereas the outer unit provides
more mobility, gross stabilization and motor control during high-intensity
exercise, such as deadlifts, throws or sprints.”
While
some experts differ on the exact muscle groups included in the core, there is a
general consensus more or less. “The inner unit is composed of the transverse
abdominis, [the posterior fibers of the internal] obliques,
diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles and lower-back muscles, including the
multifidus, longissimus and iliocostalis,” explains
Wilson, who was named the 2016 Biomechanics Method Corrective Exercise
Specialist of the Year. “The outer unit is composed of the rectus abdominis, spinal erector muscles, external and internal obliques, quadratus lumborum, and
technically even extends down into the glutes, hip flexors and hamstrings.”
Unit
Imbalance
It is not uncommon for the
outer core unit to be stronger than the inner unit.
“The inner-core muscles in
many people are weakened for several reasons,” explains Samantha Clayton, owner of Samantha Clayton
Fitness and a former Olympian. “A sedentary lifestyle of sitting at desks all
day means that these essential muscles are no longer being challenged with
activities of daily living as they were in the past. Secondly, people training
for recreation in the gym often neglect these muscles
and train the ‘mirror muscles,’ creating imbalances over time.”
Clayton, a mother of four,
including a set of triplets, cites another cause of core unit imbalance:
pregnancy and childbirth. “The outer core is affected, too, but the pelvic
floor is especially a problem area. I can share from personal experience that
the inner-core muscles are especially weakened with pregnancy and require
rehabilitation post-pregnancy in order to regain their former strength. You
just have to say ‘jumping jack’ to a new mom and the thought alone will have
her running to the bathroom."
Wilson believes that there
is another reason for inner and outer unit muscular imbalances. “I have also
found through a lot of personal experience that it is not so much the strength
that can be the issue, but the lack of neurological recruitment of inner-unit
muscles,” she explains. “The brain is not used to needing to fire the muscles
as rapidly or efficiently and this can cause more injuries to people than just
the lack of strength itself, as the spine is not quickly stabilized when
movements are initiated.”
Too
Much Too Soon
As Clayton points out, many
people tend to work the “mirror muscles”—the ones that can be seen on the
outside of the body—and often the anterior muscles more than the posterior,
especially where the core is concerned. There is also a tendency to progress
through core strengthening faster than the exerciser may be ready for,
introducing advanced exercises too soon. In this case, because the outer unit
is stronger or more advanced neurologically, it takes over and the inner unit
is neglected, further exacerbating the muscular imbalance between the two
units.
“Your core is [made up of]
muscle,” says Dustin Raymer, MS, fitness director for Structure House in Durham, N.C., “and like any other muscle,
it needs a starting point and then you can work your way up to heavier or more
intense training. If not, this could lead to [injury].”
Key Points
to Remember
- The core is divided into two separate units, each
unit having its own unique purpose. Knowing the function of each unit and
what muscles make up the core as a whole will help guide you in designing
safe, effective exercise progressions for your clients.
- While the inner unit is mostly used for fine
segmental stabilization of the spine, the outer unit provides more
mobility, gross stabilization and motor control during high-intensity
exercise, such as deadlifts, throws or sprints.
- It is not uncommon for the outer core unit to be
stronger than the inner unit.
- There is a tendency to progress through core
strengthening faster than the exerciser may be ready for, introducing
advanced exercises too soon.
- Because the outer unit is generally stronger or more
advanced neurologically, it takes over and the inner unit is neglected,
further exacerbating the muscular imbalance between the two units.
- One of the most effective ways to train the inner
core is to constantly think about bracing the core while doing other
exercises that require higher stability, such as squatting or overhead
pressing.
- The core’s foundation—the inner unit—must be strong
before progressing to building on it.
- It is your responsibility as the health and fitness
professional to help your clients build a strong foundation of stability,
mobility and strength—and not just develop “mirror muscles” that look good
but result in poor functioning.
Wilson agrees. “I see many
people who are progressing into extremely difficult ab exercises, such as
sit-ups, ab rollouts and hanging leg rises without having an understanding of
form or coordination of the exercise,” says Wilson. “While I understand the
allure of wanting great-looking abs, it is usually done at the cost of spine
health.”
Clayton echoes the
assertions of both Raymer and Wilson, saying that while attempting advanced ab
work too soon may not be a problem initially, it will catch up to your clients
over time.
“It's a catch-22 for many
trainers. The stabilization work that is essential for building a balanced body
is quite often the least exciting and less ‘sexy’ part of a workout. Because of
this, trainers don’t want to bore their excited new clients by having them do
exercises that don’t really feel like exercise—or, to be more precise, what
they perceive exercise should be based on the media's depiction. It takes
almost a deconditioning process of the mind to get someone on board with doing
the little things that will make a big difference in the long run.”
Safe
Progressions
One of the first lessons you
can teach your clients is that they can actually work the core muscles
throughout their workouts—and should.
“One of the most effective
ways to train the inner core,” explains Raymer, “is to constantly think about
bracing the core while doing other exercises that require higher stability,
such as squatting or overhead pressing.”
“My mindset for the core is
that your core is always working,” agrees Clayton, “even when you’re doing the
fun stuff like squats, step-ups and lunges, so make your clients aware of how
to maximize their efforts.”
Clayton uses the mantra
"Locate, Activate, Move” to help her clients understand how to activate
their core muscles. For example, she has a client stop and “locate”
the transverse abdominis muscle, “activate” by pulling the belly button through
to the spine, and then finally “move” and perform the exercise.
You could also encourage
your clients to perform a Kegel—a contraction of the pelvic
floor muscles—before doing a jump squat. “It's simply a ‘tighten your safety
belt’ approach to movement,” Clayton explains. “I encourage trainers to think
of creative ways you can encourage this new ‘body aware’ training method of
using good form and starting all movement in your mind before taking a single
step.”
As far as actual core
exercises, think of the inner unit as the core’s foundation, which must be
strong before progressing to building on it. “My favorite progression,” says
Wilson, “is to start with coordination, then stabilization and then strength.”
As an example, Wilson
teaches every client the cat/cow exercise from
yoga. “I want to make sure they can feel the muscles that control their pelvic
position,” he explains. “This is a huge foundation exercise that carries over
into a large majority of the exercises we do in the gym. Once they have
mastered the pelvic control, I then work on segmentally controlling the spine,
making sure they can tilt the pelvis, lumbar spine and thoracic spine
independent of each other [while] in the quadruped position.”
To initially work the spine
stabilizing muscles, Wilson focuses on the pelvic floor muscles and transverse
abdominis. These exercises can include prone ab vacuums, bird dogs and
wall sits with arm raises. “Once they can perform these correctly, we can
progress to plank, first starting on the knees and then
progressing to on the toes, eventually adding some weight onto their hips.”
Beware of making a client
hold a position, such as the plank, for a designated length of time. For
example, if you tell a client to hold the plank for one minute, but after 10
seconds, the abdominal muscles are no longer engaged, you’re defeating the
purpose of the exercise.
Wilson urges trainers to
work their way backward. “For instance, if you know that in three months, your
client wants to be able to hold a two-minute plank, you can work your way
backward and set out a game plan to get there. Have certain thresholds and
goals along the way, such as making sure the client can hold a plank for 30
seconds on their knees without the spine buckling. The first time they try to
progress, watch their form like a hawk,” Wilson urges. “As soon as you see
their back start to buckle or the shoulders sink, stop them and explain what
happened and ask if they could feel when the abs gave out or when their form
broke. This not only helps the client to understand what improper form feels
like, but also reinforces the principle that you never want to perform an
exercise with improper form.”
Clayton suggests you ask
yourself the following questions when deciding whether or not to progress a
client to the next level of difficulty with core work:
- What
is the standard for this exercise?
- What
is the client's goal?
- Can
they do the exercise safely?
- Is
the client stable when doing it? Do you detect instability?
- Are
there weaknesses that need to be addressed?
- Is the exercise
comfortable for the client or is it too difficult? If so, do you need to
choose something else that accomplishes the same goal?
Don’t forget that it is your
responsibility as the health and exercise professional to help your clients
build a strong foundation of stability, mobility and muscular fitness—and not
just develop “mirror muscles” that look good but result in poor functioning.
“Inspire, motivate and be
creative,” encourages Clayton. “Get your clients to where they want to be by
building confidence with layered movements.” And take the time to educate your
clients about the reasoning behind your approach, so they understand the
progression and why it’s important to build a strong foundation before moving
on to other, more advanced exercises.
AUTHOR
Carrie Myers
Carrie Myers has been in the health and exercise field for over 30 years and has been a freelance health and fitness writer and editor for over 23 years. She has a BS in exercise science and health education and is working on her MS in health psychology. She is also a certified master life and health coach, a published author, and owner of CarrieMichele Co.
As an eating disorder conquerer, Carrie empowers women toward body positivity through total self-care.