No surprise to any of you that we don’t do crunches in the 30 Minutes of Everything® program, that we love the sandbag core exercises, and we seriously harp on form. Why? Because we focus on your CORE vs your abs so your daily life will be better. Simple, but let me explain.
Your abs are just your abs. They’re the muscles that make up the front & side area of your belly (for lack of a better word). They help you bend over and rotate. Beyond that, they’re not so functional in daily tasks that require you to do more than bend over (because you have to stand back up again, right?). Whereas your CORE is a much bigger area! Your core covers the area from the rib cage down to your glutes on all sides of your body and incorporates your back muscles. The ENTIRE middle of your body is your core. This area works together to keep you upright, to resist motion so you don’t fall over, to bend over AND stand back up again, to rotate, to walk/run efficiently, etc. Because of this, your core is so much more important than your abs. Sure, if you just want to stand in the mirror and flex your six pack – go right ahead and crunch. However, also be prepared for some back pain down the road!
The link between your core and low back pain is astounding! Physical therapist, Sahrmann, states, “during most daily activities, the primary role of the abdominal muscles is to provide isometric support and limit the degree of rotation of the trunk…A large percentage of low back problems occur because the abdominal muscles are not maintaining tight control over the rotation between the pelvis and the spine at the L5- S1 level.” Basically, we need a stronger core to counteract rotational forces – our body turning or twisting. This we accomplish by training rotational movements (i.e. around the world with pivot, “shoveling”, rotational clean, etc.), multiple planes of motion, and cross-body patterns (i.e. dead bug, bird dog, etc).
When your body works to resist rotation and gain stability and control, you are really using your lats, abdominal muscles, and glutes. It’s a team effort that helps us move effectively and efficiently. In the picture above, she is grabbing the floor with her toes, squeezing her glutes which tie into her lats, and bracing her core to maintain her balance. Muscular team work!
In a nutshell, that’s why we don’t just work your abs. We want the total package!
