One of those trendy fitness words that people like to use without understanding what they are talking about is the core. Functional training is also a very misused word in the fitness industry.
A common fitness misconception is that the abs are all that make up the core. Specifically, the part of the abs that you can see when you look in the mirror. Actually, the core is everything except the arms and legs (front and back of body.) Thus, crunches arent the only way to train the core.
Unfortunately, in the gym trainers often refer to the abs as the core. Dont get me wrong, the muscles of the abdominals are a big part of the core. Furthermore, training the core is important for just about everything in life such as movement efficiency, athletic performance and for spinal protection.
Train the core correctly and aesthetics will come as well. As in sports when you take a tumble youll want to get back up with ease. Also a weak core leads to injury.This is just a short list of the many reasons to train the core properly.
As a tip, since all movement starts at the core it is a good idea to train the core at the beginning of a workout it also keeps the whole body activated during the workout. Examples of core exercises: planks, Supermans, medicine ball twists and lateral bridge.
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