TRUTH IS IN THE TRAINING, MYTH #3: YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON YOUR CORE

January 3 | Posted by WeRun San Antonio | Featured, Lounge

On a recent Sunday morning, instead of a morning trail run and after a hectic week that lead to race directing our local duathlon (www.helofadu.com), I sat at the dinner table with my almond milk latte and one of my favorite magazines – Outside Magazine. Since the 1970′s Outside Magazine has been dedicated to covering the people, sports and activities, politics, art, literature, and hardware of the outdoors. Most of the time, Outside covers the sports and events that many of us in South Texas can’t relate to unless you’re an alpine skier, dog sledder, or rock climbing extraordinaire. But in their recent Health & Fitness Report, Outside tackles some of endurance sports long time laws of the land. Those of you that know me or have been coached by me may recognize some of these myths. I’m excited to see there is science behind debunking these “myths” and I hope you find it helpful. We will be posting a different myth buster every week. Tell us your thoughts on these myths. Do you agree or disagree?

MYTH #3: YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON YOUR CORE

Truth: Core strength is probably overrated, and you risk injury by focusing too specifically on it

First off, many athletes erroneously cling to the notion that six-pack abs are a sure sign of a strong core. More to the point, it’s unclear whether core-specific training benefits athletic performance at all. In one study, a group of collegiate rowers who added an arduous eight-week regimen of core exercises to their regular rowing workouts wound up with stronger, tauter cores. But they didn’t become better rowers: their performance levels remained the same. Similarly, researchers at Indiana State Universitymeasured core strength among a group of Division I varsity football players and then had them complete sets of standard exercise drills like shuttle runs. The researchers found almost no correlation between a supercharged core and athletic performance.What’s more, the crunch, that ubiquitous exercise that promises a solid midsection, is often harmful, because many gym rats are pumping them out with terrible form. When researchers simulated crunches using spines from pig cadavers, the spinal disks usually ruptured after a couple thousand reps. “Crunches are totally unnecessary,” says Thomas Nesser, a professor of physical education at Indiana State University.

Get over it: Core strength is important, but most people get what they need simply by practicing their sport. Common routines like squats, deadlifts, and kettlebell drills add plenty of core strength. And new studies show that running—long thought to provide little or no core benefit—does work your midsection. “Train for your sport and core strength will develop,” advises Nesser.

TRUTH IS IN THE TRAINING, MYTH #3: YOU NEED TO FOCUS ON YOUR CORE

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