Let’s take a moment to reflect on a few simple actions that we do in our everyday lives. The start of the morning usually entails rolling out of bed, standing up, and walking to our next location in the house. It could be the bathroom, the kitchen, or scaling a set of stairs. After our morning rituals have been completed, we might embark on an activity that includes sitting down to read, heading to town to run errands, or going to our jobs. Workplace activities involve a variety of situations in which our bodies are in different positions, including sitting in front of a computer, commuting in a car for extended periods, or attending meetings via web conference. On the more physically demanding side, a workday might involve moving heavy objects on the ground, stocking shelves, or working with bulky equipment. The demands of balance, spinal stabilization, and core endurance are commonly overlooked necessities for these tasks.
A high majority of the working and retired population need their bodies to function properly so they can rotate from the torso, bend over to pick up objects, and get up and down from a seated position. These seem like simple movements every human should be able to perform without thinking twice. However, the repercussions of core weakness, in the form of deconditioned core muscles, overuse injuries, or neglecting the need to address a compromising musculoskeletal disturbance, are all too common.
A vital component of our body’s framework includes a series of connective tissues consisting of our bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. These components keep our body upright and allow us to exist in our everyday lives. Similar to large steel columns that hold together multistory buildings, our connective tissue is organized to keep our bodies upright and able to rotate, lengthen, and shorten through the thousands of movements we conduct throughout our everyday physical activity. Large steel beams, subfloors, and cross-members holding houses and buildings together are intricately designed to withstand forces from multiple sources. Buildings can withstand thousands of humans walking on multistory buildings, wind pushing the building from side to side, and even earthquakes that violently shake buildings without warning. The skeletal framework residing in the middle of our bodies operates similarly.
The center of the body includes the shoulder blades, spine, and hips. This area, located between the armpits and hips, can be identified as our core. The insertion point of the spine into the hips, along with the muscles that hold those joints together, has similar structural properties to those of steel beams, two-by-fours, and concrete that support buildings, maintaining the body’s upright posture. The difference between our body’s infrastructure and a building’s makeup is that our body isn’t held together by steel beams, cement columns, framing screws, and mechanically inserted nuts and bolts designed to withstand the stresses of natural disasters. Our muscles hold our skeletal framework together. Without strong muscles, our framework can collapse.
Understanding and appreciating the location of core muscles that support significant attachment points can help improve functional activities. For example, the spine consists of a series of vertebrae that stack on top of each other. Each one of these spinal bones has a small multifidus muscle that connects one vertebra to the other. These tiny muscles, which hold each bone in the spinal column together, maintain the upright position of the spine when standing. Other muscles that connect to the spine, such as the abdominal muscles, help rotate the torso.
A simple and effective exercise we conduct with our personal training clients that has an immediate impact on strengthening core muscles is the straight arm incline plank.
To perform the straight-arm incline plank, place your arms on an incline surface that is approximately hip height. While keeping your arms straight and your hands just underneath your eyebrows, lean forward in a plank position. Maintain this static position for a desired amount of time. You should feel muscular engagement in the front of the shoulder, chest, triceps, and abdominals. It’s essential to maintain a straight posture and avoid sagging in the lower back. Hold this position for ten to thirty seconds.
Unlike the metal and cement infrastructure of five-story hotels that can withstand a substantial amount of force, our core muscles are organic structures that decondition if neglected. However, the engineering of the human body promotes muscular growth after safe, efficient, and effective exercise has been applied to an area of skeletal muscle. Remember to prioritize core stabilization and strengthening exercises when participating in a fitness program. By exercising core muscles just one day a week, we can positively influence the body’s ability to maintain good posture, reduce the likelihood of injury, and stay strong throughout our everyday lives.
Sean McCawley, the founder and owner of Napa Tenacious Fitness in Napa, CA, welcomes questions and comments. Reach him at 707-287-2727, napatenacious@gmail.com, or visit the website napatenaciousfitness.com.