Let’s have a little chat today about the core – what it is, the role it plays in exercise, and how we strengthen it. Recently in the fitness world, “Core Training” has been a new an popular phenomenon. Entire workout programs have been developed, countless exercise videos and devices have been fashioned, and the American public has seemingly devoured all of it. Unfortunately, we have also continued to devour our McDonalds, Burger King, and Krispy Kreme, to the detriment of our midsections. Core training can mean many things to many people, and it can certainly be over as well as under-emphasized, depending on the individual. I want us to have an understanding of what core fitness is and how it can benefit us on the tennis court.
What is the Core?
The ‘core’ is often used synonymously or interchangeable with the muscles of the abdominal area. That is a misperception of what the core is. The muscles of the abdomen include the rectus and transverse abdominus, and the internal and external obliques. Those are our ‘six-pack’ muscles. The other muscles of the core include the erector spinae (runs from neck to lower back), the hip flexors (located on the front of the pelvis) and adductors (medial thigh), the multifidus (runs along the vertebral column), the gluteus medius, minimus, and maximus, and the hamstrings. That’s a lot of muscles! So when we see the latest and greatest “ab-blaster” on TV, we can be assured that while it may work the main abdominal muscles, it isn’t going to effectively work all of the core muscles that we need to be stable and powerful. The core muscles are designed to do more than look pretty. They are crucial in doing simple tasks like walking, bending over, picking things up, lifting objects overhead, and are really engaged when complex activities like playing sports come into the picture. All of these muscles insulate and protect. delicate internal structures like the spine and organs of the abdomen, but they also play a much larger role when physical activity is called into play. The core is the conduit for energy transfer, from the lower to the upper body, it stabilizes the chest, back, and shoulders during intense physical activity, and it is also a base from which power is generated in many sports. Without it, we could not really do much, and without a strong core, we will underperform in tennis.Effectively Working the Core
As you can see from the multitude of things we demand of our core, it will take more than some simple crunches and sit-ups to get it into the shape we want. We don’t need to strive for the level of an elite Olympic gymnast to have a strong core, but we do need to consider all of those supporting muscles when we train. As you can probably surmise, core training is best covered across several different training intervals and different training days because of the multitude of different muscle groups affected. The good thing is, if you are already doing some degree of strength training, you are already working most of the core muscles! Squats and leg presses engage the hip flexors and adductors, as well as the gluteal muscles, and the abdominals to some degree. Chest exercises such as bench presses, flyes, push-ups, all engage the most of the abdominals and the erector spinae. Deadlifts and other Olympic powerlifts draw in the erector spinae, multifidus, and all the hip muscles.
I personally don’t do many crunches or sit-ups, because like Alton Brown, I don’t like ‘single-taskers’. My time in the gym is precious, and I like to get the most return for time spent working out. You won’t see many elite gymnasts doing these simple exercises, yet they probably have the most powerful core muscles on the planet. This is a result of their strength and agility training, and the focus on the transition of power from the lower to the upper body. Gymnasts develop tremendous leg and upper body strength,and maintain unheard of degrees of flexibility. They also involve their core muscles by performing tension and body weight bearing exercises such as hollows, arches, levers, and handstand drills. All of these elements force the core to tighten in order to maintain control of the bodyweight when placed in precarious positions, and produce degrees of core strength that has few equals.
So let’s back up and look at the big picture. We know that we want a strong core, and now we know that we need to involve all of the muscle groups of the core to achieve that. We have discussed in past articles the important role that the core plays in producing power and now understand that it can aid in preventing injury as well. I would encourage you to increase your focus on core training in your fitness regimen. We want to have total body fitness to be at the top of our game on the tennis court – that includes upper and lower body strength, flexibility, and core strength as well. Below are some resources to core training that you can incorporate into your workouts – mix some of these in and you will be adding fitness elements that will pay huge dividends on the tennis court. Don’t ignore the core!
There are multitudes of core workouts out there on the internet, these are only a sample – do a search and try some new stuff yourself. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box with your core training.
http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/core-strength-training.html
http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/36/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY5BtDBqNpE&feature=fvw (don’t try this at home!)