Core Strength
by Dave Parise C.P.T. MES FPTA
We live in a mechanized society, sitting all day bent over or standing, leaning forward with our backs rounded. This poor posture creates muscular imbalances, which create faulty movement patterns. In short, we cannot perform everyday movements or exercises with proper form and balance. By this time the muscles responsible for the movement begin to fail. We lose joint stiffness and mobility.
| All movements we perform require core strength, and stability. Strength and stability decrease when we have poor postural habits. Poor posture occurs when we are overexposed to furniture (we sit on our spines all day) and poor exercise techniques. We live in a mechanized society, sitting all day bent over or standing, leaning forward, with our backs rounded. This poor posture creates muscular imbalances, which create faulty movement patterns. In short, we cannot perform everyday movements or exercises with proper form and balance. The end results are muscles responsible for the movements begin to fail. We lose joint stiffness and mobility.
At one point in time someone started to recommend sports specific exercises. They did not look at the structure of the body or take into consideration that every muscle and joint has a specific function and motion, and must stay in that motion to function properly. More importantly we never learned how to stabilize or increase our ability to balance. When you learn how to train, for balance and stability, we increase the integrity of those muscles that are close to the spine that play an important role in intersegmental stabilization of the spine. STOP THOSE TRADITIONAL GYM EXERCISES! Gym exercises (machine based, fixed) do not apply to the body for two reasons. 1-The risk of injury from these exercises exceeds the benefit. 2- Also the way the resistance is applied to the exercise is not functional or efficient. “We are moving the joints one-way and applying the resistance another way”. Our bodies are a function of gravity, and gravity is fighting against our muscular system. We are wasting our time, and not stimulating the muscle optimality. We have discovered that from the beginning when exercise was introduced, they went to the gyms and learned from instructors, or athletes who genetically had the ability to develop muscle. They recommended exercises from their own personal experience, not exercises that would be beneficial. This high-risk information trickled into the personal training industry. It is all we knew at that point in time. “Unfortunately they keep on polishing the same apple expecting different tastes” We have learned it is essential to have core stability and strength. Why do we glue ourselves to a machine that is directing our body’s movements? There is no REACTION to the stabilizing muscles because the machine is holding you in place. This in turn will shut off any muscles that are responsible for core stability and strength. Three months of this type of fixed training environment (machines) will promote poor posture and recruitment patterns because you’re not challenging the muscles responsible for intersegmental stability. You start to migrate to a position of comfort rather than a mechanically efficient position.
Strengthening the muscles responsible to enhance your structure which in turn will improve your function.
“Your structure will dictate your function”™Dave Parise your Fitness Fixer |
