Core Stability Training
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Core Stability
Core stability training is where your deep abdominal and spinal muscles – which act as a splint around your spine – are worked and therefore strengthened.
The physical benefits are:
- Back health – strengthens the structures directly responsible for spinal health and injury prevention.
- Improved posture – the act of balancing builds postural awareness and strength.
- Muscle balance – ‘reversing’ muscle imbalances, which can cause back injuries and postural problems.
- Mobility and flexibility – to relax, release and rejuvenate the whole body
Following a core stability program offers you three components:
- Lengthens tight and short muscles – these may be preventing your body from moving freely, or restricting your body from falling into an ideal position.
- Strengthens the primary postural muscles of your body – this includes the muscles responsible for creating a strong, functional ‘core’ for your body.
- Improves your breathing technique – by learning how to use your diaphragm as the primary breathing muscle, you can bring your body into a position of perfect alignment.
Basic elements of the program:
The first important element is the ability to focus your mind. Achieving the correct level of concentration can sometimes seem difficult. As the body’s reactions naturally follow the movement of the eye, it is important first to relax your eye muscles, and make sure that your eyes do not wander around.
You must learn to use gravity to your own advantage. By bending and extending your arms or legs you can increase, decrease, control and stabilise your stretches by opposing the force of gravity. You can increase the effectiveness of your stretches and movements by using your ground point to work against gravity.
The centreline refers to your body’s position in relation to gravity. You should be aware of your centreline in every movement you make. When you are standing up, your centreline travels vertically in front of the spine from the top of your head to the bottom of your lower back. Working within your centreline will improve your agility by providing you with a reference point for all your movements, and improving your balance.
When you perform any movement, be aware of the parts of your body that are not moving – these will provide a stabilising force for your body. These stable areas will also provide you with a counter-balance for your stretches and movements.
Breathing is the true key to power, energy, vitality and life. Respiration brings oxygen to the blood in order to maintain metabolism and energy production. Breathing out (exhaling) cleanses the body of carbon dioxide so it is beneficial to empty the deepest parts of the lungs where waste gas tends to accumulate.
When stretching, breathing, or performing any movement, it is important to be aware of your centreline. Your abdominal muscles, together with your back muscles, create a corset-like muscle ‘band’ around your centre; connecting your ribcage and pelvis together and supporting your inner organs towards your centreline. Throughout the program you will become more aware of your core, and working with it will help to improve your every day posture in the long term.
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