- The core is not just about aesthetics: it involves the abdominals, glutes, hips and back, and is critical for stability and control.
- A weak core can cause hip and back pain, poor posture, and difficulty maintaining balance during movement.
- Strengthening the core improves posture, prevents injuries, increases efficiency in movement, and supports the body during running and daily activities.
Having sculpted abs doesn’t always mean having strong muscles. In some cases, muscle definition is only superficial, overlooking the deeper and surrounding layers. The core is a much broader and more complex system: in addition to all the abdominal muscles, it includes the muscles of the hips, glutes, and lower back.
For runners, it’s especially important to have strong muscles that support them during their workouts. A strong core means not only training your abs but also the network of obliques and stabilizing muscles around the spine, which contribute to overall body control and stabilization during movement.
When these muscles work together, they stabilize the torso while the arms and legs move more efficiently and fluidly. As a result, a strong and stable core becomes one of the primary factors in injury prevention.
How to tell if you need to strengthen your core
Sometimes, the signs of a weak core show up in unexpected ways. ” For example:
- if you have pain or experience any discomfort in your hips at the end of your workout, know that it could be because you are not activating the deep muscles in your hips, which are part of the core system. These muscles are critical to maintaining alignment because they connect the hips, and pelvis, with the spine. If they are weak it will be other muscles that are affected and overloaded, such as the hip flexors.
- if you have a tendency to assume a curved posture with a pronounced hump, the cause may lie in your core not being able to support your spine enough to maintain a neutral upright posture. If you feel you struggle to sit composed or stand up straight it could be due to a lack of activation of your core.
- if you have difficulty maintaining balance you may need to start performing targeted core exercises to strengthen the connection between your upper and lower body and regain full control of your body.
- if you have frequent lower back pain, it could be due to a weak core or a failure to activate it. The core muscles are responsible for stabilizing the spine. When this is not done, tension is created that leads to lower back compensation, which eventually causes soreness and fatigue, or at worst pain.