Core Strength: The Key to Better Longevity in Any Sport

It all comes from your core

If you are an active person, and if you are reading this, you probably are, you most likely want to stay active for as long as possible. Unfortunately, as you age, your body requires more maintenance to do all the things you are used to doing. The repetitive movements of certain sports or activities can wear on you over time, as I wrote about here and here, but that doesn’t mean you are powerless to do anything about it.

Building core strength is one of the best things you can do, both to support your sport or activity, and for living your life in general. As I wrote in “Having 6 Pack Abs Doesn't Mean You Are Strong,” a strong core is not just an aesthetic. Core strength is functional and supports your body in everything it does.

What is The Core?

Your core is not just your “6-pack,” but includes all 4 abdominal muscles (Rectus abdominis, Transversus abdominis, Internal Obliques, and External Obliques), your pelvic floor, your glutes, inner thighs, spinal muscles, and your hip flexors. When these muscles work together, you find stability and power in all of your movements.

Think about a golf or tennis swing. If you just swing from your arms, you don’t get a lot of power, plus you’ll strain your shoulders. If you swing from your core by moving your pelvis to initiate the movement, you get a lot more oomph and the ball goes farther and faster.

Core strengthening is more than doing crunches. Plus, unless you crunch mindfully, you’ll end up with neck pain from yanking on your head (it’s not pretty). Crunches can be a good exercise when done properly, but they only work the abdominals in one direction and don’t do much else. Because many sports and activities require movement in multiple directions, only doing this one exercise has limited benefits.

What the core muscles do

Rectus abdominis, aka 6-pack abs: Whether you can see them or not, we all have this muscle. Mine is under a layer of “insulation,” but is incredibly strong. The purpose of this muscle is to bend the torso forward, like in Cat pose, or in a crunch. It runs vertically and brings the ribs toward the pubic bone in Spinal Flexion.

Transversus abdominis: This is often referred to as the “lower abdominals,” although technically it covers the entire abdominal region between the pelvis and the ribcage, The muscle runs horizontally and its main function is stabilization (which is why it is so important), but is also for coughing, sneezing, and defecating.

Internal and External Obliques: These muscles work together in opposition to rotate the spine. When you twist, you can feel these muscles working under the ribs and above the opposite hip. These muscles run diagonally. The left External and right Internal Oblique work together and vice versa.

Pelvic floor: This is an area of muscles that help you resist gravity. Gravity pulls your internal organs toward your feet, and these muscles keep everything in place (hopefully). The group includes the Levator ani (made up of 3 other muscles), the external anal sphincter, and the Coccygeus. When you activate the pelvic floor, you are lifting the base of your pelvis upward. These muscles help with posture, urinary and bowel function, as well as sexual and reproductive function.

Spinal muscles: The Erector Spinae group (of 3 muscles) runs vertically along either side of the spine and allows us to stand vertically, to bend backward (Spinal Extension), as well as bend to the side (Lateral Flexion). When you slouch, these muscles get weak and painful, and it becomes much harder to stand up straight.

Inner thighs: The Adductors bring the thighs toward your midline into Adduction. They work with the pelvic floor and Transversus abdominis to activate and support vertical posture. Engaging the Inner thighs helps you activate the pelvic floor and Transversus.

The Glutes: 3 muscles (maximus, medius, minimus) create Hip Extension (moving the thigh backward), Abduction (moving the thigh toward the sides of your body), and Femur rotation (rotating the thigh inward and outward). The Hip Extension gives your body power when walking, running, and pushing off with swinging a golf club or tennis racquet.

Hip Flexors: These muscles create Hip Flexion (moving the thigh forward) and include the Psoas, Tensor Fascia Latae, and the Rectus Femoris. These muscles move counter to the Glutes. The Psoas plays a part in some types of lower back pain because it runs from the Lumbar spine (lower back) through the body to the top of the Femur (thigh bone). When tight, it will pull on the lower back and make it painful to stand up from sitting.

The body is a Master Compensator

The human body can do incredible things, but it doesn’t always do them correctly. I often say that the body is a Master Compensator, as it will do the movement in the easiest way possible, even if that is to its detriment.

For example, when you walk, it’s common to walk without using the glutes. Unfortunately, if you do this enough, you will have tight hamstrings, tight hip flexors, and eventually lower back pain. Relearning to use your glutes when you walk is one of the best things you can do for yourself to stay out of pain. I go into a lot of detail on that in this post:

How Yoga And Walking Are a Powerful Pairing

Building intentional core strength will support your body in everything it does by strengthening the muscles that should be working, making them easier to access when you need them. The more you give these muscles your attention, the easier it is to find them later.

A few core sequences to play with

A few years ago I recorded a 15 minute Mindful Core sequence that addresses all aspects of the core in a mindful and intentional way. The video quality isn’t great, but the sequence is worth your time.

In this next video, I focus specifically on the Glutes plus other buttock muscles, first strengthening, then stretching. My dog, Homer, supervises from his perch.

I currently teach a 30 minute Mindful Core class every Friday morning online. Feel free to drop in anytime or take it On Demand!

Things to keep in mind

• Anytime you try something new, especially physically, it’s important to listen to your body. If you feel pain (sharp, stabbing, stressful), stop immediately. Let go of “no pain, no gain.” Many injuries happen due to this mindset, and as we age, we heal at a slower rate. Your new mantra is “Listen to my body.”

• Give yourself permission to rest when you need to. It’s not a race, you don’t need to do everything all at once. Even if you start with 3-5 minutes, you will benefit from that. Building slowly over time is a smarter way to go. Life is a marathon, not a sprint, and you want your body functional for the long term.

• Be intentional with your movements. Focus on the muscles that are working and be sure to contract them. As I said earlier, the body is a Master Compensator and will follow the path of least resistance. Just because you are doing a glute strengthening movement, doesn’t mean that your glutes are actually working. Intentionally contract the muscles you are working to get the most out of each exercise. If you’re not sure if they are working, place your hands on the muscles in question to see if they tighten when you use them. If you don’t know which muscles you are supposed to use, please reach out. I am happy to help.

Did you try the class videos? How did you feel after? Did they change your opinion about core strengthening? Let me know in the comments!

Yoga for Golf

If you are local to Massachusetts, join me in person for Yoga for Golf! Build strength, increase mobility, and improve your balance to enhance your golf game! Golf is a one sided sport that can leave you feeling physically uneven, where one side of your body is tighter than the other. The balanced movements of yoga help you develop strength and mobility on both sides so that you can continue to play golf for the long term. This 4 week series is open to everyone of all levels of experience. Click the button below for more information or to sign up!

Join me online

I offer online yoga classes for active adults over 50 who want to stay active with yoga! Join me on the mat from the comfort of your own home! I have live classes Monday through Friday, and all classes can be taken On Demand whenever you like! I have drop ins as well as subscriptions. Click the buttons below to check out Purple Room Yoga!