Fitness Tip Tuesdays: How To Workout Your Core

Fitness Tip Tuesdays: How To Workout Your Core**image courtesy of Pop Sugar

Last week, I posted about about how to prepare yourself for a race, 5K, marathons, etc. This week I am posting on several exercises you can do to strengthen yourself and (hopefully) become a better runner. I believe the core of the body is one of the most important areas that, not just runners, everyone should work out.

You might wonder what exactly your core is. An article I found from breakingmuscle.com states that "your core is a complex series of muscles, extending far beyond your abs, including everything besides your arms and legs. It is incorporated in almost every movement of the human body.
Our core has three-dimensional depth and functional movement in all three planes of motion. Many of the muscles are hidden beneath the exterior musculature people typically train. The deeper muscles include the transverse abdominals, multifidus, diaphragm, pelvic floor, and many other deeper muscles." To read more about your core, please visit breakingmuscle.com

I found an article on Bodybuilding.com labeled "5 Core Workouts For A Tight Midsection - A Beginner's Guide." In the article, Alex Stewart, from Bodybuilding.com, goes over the anatomy of the human core and lists five workouts to help you strengthen yours. Here is his explanation of the anatomy, function and ways to exercise the core:

Abdominals:

Rectus Abdominus:

Location: Covers the area from sternum all the way down to the pelvis bone. 
 Function: Pulls the upper torso to the hips.
Exercises: Crunch or Sit-up.

Oblique:

Location: Side of the waist.
                 - Internal Obliques
                 - Transverse Obliques
                 - External Obliques 

Function: Tilt and twist the torso.
Exercises: Side Bends and Decline Oblique Crunches.

Intercostals:

Location: Between the side of the rib cage. It comes into play when you flex the torso and twist from side to side. 
Function: Elevation and depression of the rib.
Exercise: Air Bike.

Serratus:

Location: Between front abs and lats. 
Function: Pulling of the scapula forward and around like in the motion of throwing a punch.
Exercises: Barbell Pullovers and Cable Crunches

** Alex also states that "The core is made up of primarily fast-twitch muscle fibers...hard, heavy, and explosive bouts of exercise will stimulate fast-twitch fibers a lot more. core training should be in the moderate rep range for best growth. No more endless reps of crunches and sit-ups like you've done in the past. Focus on sets in the 8-15 rep range."



Here is a sample of one of the core workout programs he shares in his article (Below, click each workout to see a video of how to perform each exercise):

Sample Core Workout 1:

1) Cable Crunch: 1 set of 30 seconds + 15 seconds rest
2) Side Bends: 1 set of 30 seconds + 15 seconds rest
3) Crunches: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
4) Reverse Crunch:3 sets of 10-15 reps

There are pictures in the article of each exercise. If you would like to read more of his article and see more exercises to workout your core, please visit Bodybuilding.com.




Tune in next Tuesday for more running, fitness and exercise tips on Fitness Tips Tuesdays!

Also, check in tomorrow to see my third installment on Product Review Wednesdays!