The Core

During most WODs you will hear us make reference to core stability and the importance of initiating movement from a stable trunk or "core" as we are so fond of calling it.

..."belly button to the spine"
..."tight core"
..."tighten it up"
..."initiate X movment from the center of your body"

Familiar sounding, eh? We thought it would be useful to give you a bit more information to give context to the shouting.

The core, consists of all the muscles in your abdominal and lower back areas. This includes all the abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus, internal and external obliques, transverse abdominus and intercostals) as well as the muscles associated with the spine (the erector spinae group) and the hip flexors (iliacus and psoas, collectively known as the iliopsoas).

These muscles all work in harmony to provide stabilization for your body and to transfer power from the legs to the upper body and vice versa. The core muscles also function to keep your insides in, where they belong!

Weak core muscles contribute to all kinds of problems in the body, the most prevalent of which is lower back pain. By strengthening the muscles that help support the spine and improve posture, you can dramatically decrease the symptoms of lower back pain.

In other words, if your core is weak, nothing else can be strong.

check out this amazing use of core strength:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxahEjt6dG4