Personal trainers must understand the core part of the muscle training method

    The concepts of “core power” or “core stability” are becoming more and more popular in the fitness industry. They are often seen in various fitness magazines or articles. Its popularity has a direct relationship with modern life. Automated production replaces manual work, computer games, soap operas make people's activities less and less, so those muscles that can support our body and protect us from injury during exercise are getting weaker, in other words, our core Stability is decreasing. In the health club, there are many people who are in contact with the coach, and the performance is affected. This article will introduce some methods to enhance the core stability of the members through unstable training.
What is core muscle and core stability?  
     First we need to understand what is the core muscles.

     The core muscles are the muscles that surround us around our torso , including the abdominal muscles, the hip muscles, and the muscles that connect the spine and the pelvis. When our hands and legs are active, these core muscles help the body stay stable and keep the body upright. Some people call these muscles " Power House ". Because the whole body is arranged like a sports chain, and the core part connects the upper and lower parts of the human body, which seems to be a bridge. If there is a problem with this "bridge", it is likely to cause problems in the upper / lower half body and even the entire kinematic chain.
     There are two parts of the core muscle that require special attention. One of them is the transverse abdominis: it is the deepest muscle in the four abdominal muscles. Its muscle fibers are transverse, so when it contracts, it looks like a belt, compressing the internal organs and supporting the back. Strong abdominis muscles play an important role in preventing back injury and improving athletic performance. There is a good way to understand where the deep abdominal muscles are. When you laugh, the part of the lower abdomen that contracts inwardly is the transverse abdominis. Contracting the transverse abdominis muscles, you can imagine pushing the navel against the spine and pushing it inward.
In addition, the pelvic floor muscles are very important in the core muscles. These muscles are connected to the bottom of the pelvis and are made up of layers of muscles. When these muscles are tightened, they can increase the pressure in the abdomen and help contract the transverse abdominis muscles, thus stabilizing the body. Tightening these muscles feels like you are going to the bathroom, but you can't hold back when you are not going. You can imagine that the bottom of the pelvis muscles is like an elevator. It rises from the first floor to the second floor and then rises to the tower. Then it slowly descends one layer and returns to the first floor. Through this kind of imagination, you can effectively practice tightening these muscles.
Core stability benefits  
(1) Core stability and movement
     In all sports, balance and muscle development are very important, and core stability is very helpful for all athletes. For example, the strength of strong arms and legs is important when swimming, but when the limbs are strenuously moving, they are inseparable from the strong core. Or imagine the moment when a tennis ball hits the ball, when the muscles that help stabilize and control physical activity are the core muscles. And some sports have very high requirements for core stability, such as sports that require good balance of the body, such as mountain biking and skiing. Some physical collisions, such as football, football or hockey, also require good core stability.
Unstable training can enhance athletic performance  
     Recent research has shown that training with unstable surfaces can enhance the stimulation of the core muscles and improve the stability of the body. Rutherford and Jones believe that the training of the fitness ball can improve the synergy between the assisted muscle and the stable muscle.

(1)   In addition, the Ivy League study in the United States shows that using the fitness ball for short-term core training can achieve better trunk balance and muscle stimulation than on the ground, improving proprioception and coordination.

(2)   Can better stimulate the nervous system control of the body during exercise.
     Of course, in training, it is not enough to train core stability, because many sports projects require speed and explosiveness, and this mainly requires fast muscle fiber contraction in the body. However, the general core stability training is a slower, controlled approach, and this can mainly train slow muscle fibers. Therefore, the instability training method can not be used for strength and explosive training. Researchers suggest that strength and stability should be combined for training. Because most sports projects need to combine the two to have better performance. The unstable training method can provide similar challenges to the nervous system.
(2) Core stability and daily life
     Core stability is also important for everyday life: you can maintain your body posture and prevent injuries when you take heavy loads, such as when you take a heavy shopping bag or iron your clothes. Worldwide, 80% of adults have experience with low back pain and have become a major factor in lost time. Whether you are sitting, lying, playing, or working, as long as these core muscles work properly, our spine can be maintained in the ideal relative position, and the pressure on the tissues surrounding the disc, ligament, etc. will remain safe. Within the scope of this, it is very difficult to find low back pain. Australian scholar HudgusPaul described the core muscles as the natural iron coat of the human body, and it is true!