Core exercises may not be the most fun to participate in, but they are highly valuable to the human body and highly undervalued. Although they may feel like some of the most difficult exercises, the long-term benefits these exercises will have on your body are often overlooked. But, it’s called the core for a reason — it’s the center where the rest of your strength stems from.
Here are the 5 reasons you need to keep your trunk strong:
To Ease Back Pain.
Daily activities constantly put strain on our backs; something as simple as sitting at your desk, if not done properly, can result in back pains. To counteract this issue, you could include core exercises into your daily routine, such as, wall sits.
To Improve Your Posture.
Your core is the center most part of your body providing you with stabilization. That being said it is no wonder that strengthening your core would help you in correcting your posture. One core exercise that can help you with your posture is leg lifts. Men’s help states that, “Strengthening the core will help correct bad posture by distributing weight evenly throughout the body.”
To Help With Your Balance.
Are you able to stand on one leg to stretch your quads and not fall down? If you find yourself struggling with this task you might want to add in a few core exercises into your workout routine after warming up your muscles. Exercises like the one legged squat or deadlift are good choices to help with balance. The Mayo Clinic states that, “Core exercises train the muscles in your pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen to work in harmony.”
To Prevent Injuries.
Nobody enjoys enduring physical damage to their body, to help you avoid this painful situation participate in some core exercises while training such as, lunges with a twist . Toughening your core muscles will help them be less susceptible to injuries. Athletic trainer Anastasia Doan of San Diego Mesa College says, “Strengthening your core is crucial to prevent all forms of injury. By training the core the rest of the muscles in the area including the hamstrings, glutes, abdominal and back muscles all work more efficiently and together. Risk of injury caused by over activity is reduced.”
To Strengthen Your Athleticism.
After exercising your core for the above four reasons you will start to realize that your body will be in better shape and that your strength and conditioning will be at a higher level that before you started these core exercises. Naturally you will become more athletic with a stronger core, allowing you to be more agile, quicker and able to compete in a game for a longer period of time. According to a study done at Indiana State University,
“The core and its relationship on athletic performance, is very simple: because optimal athletic performance is contingent upon many factors – total body strength, quickness, speed, endurance, etc. – make sure your training program is comprehensive, including core strengthening exercises.”