5 Components of Core Stability
Core Integration
Your core is a complex series of muscles, extending far beyond your “abs.” It is incorporated in almost every movement in the human body.
These muscles can act as isometric or dynamic stabilizers for movement, transfer force from one extremity to another, or initiate movement itself.
There is 3-dimensional depth and functional movement in all 3 planes of motion, (sagittal, frontal, and transverse). Many of the muscles that initiate these movements are hidden beneath the exterior musculature that people typically train; including the transverse abdomonis, multifidus, diaphragm, pelvic floor, and many others. Recruit the intrinsic strength, the deeper muscular support from the inside out.
Planes of Motion - When we divide the body into left and right halves using an imaginary line we get the sagittal plane. Any forward and backward movement parallel to this line occurs in the sagittal plane.
- With the same imaginary line, divide the body into front and back halves and you have the frontal plane. Any lateral (side) movement parallel to the line will occur in the frontal plane.
- Last, but certainly not least, we have the transverse plane, which divides the body into top and bottom halves. Movement parallel to the waistline, otherwise known as rotational movement, occurs in the transverse plane.
The core most often acts as a stabilizer and force transfer center rather than a prime mover. Yet consistently people focus on training their core as a prime mover and in isolation. This would be doing crunches or back extensions versus functional movements or asana. By training that way, not only are you missing out on a major function of the core, but also better strength gains, more efficient movement, and longevity of health. We must look at core strength as the ability to reduce force with respect to core stability which is the ability to control the force we produce - oppositional energies cultivate balance and strength, organic energy/muscle energy.
5 components of core stability: strength, endurance, flexibility, motor control, and function. Without motor control and function the 1st 3 are useless.
5 actions of the spine: flexion, extension, lateral flexion, rotation, axial extension. We should include the integration and healthy range of motion to properly warm the body from the center, out.
Using core stability to protect the spine and surrounding musculature from injury in both static positions and dynamic movements is intelligent kinesiology/exercise. Second, we want to effectively and efficiently produce and transfer force during dynamic movements (transitions) while maintaining core stability <the ability to shift your weight around without throwing yourself with momentum>..
Higher core stability = Lower risk of injury
