How to Un-Suck Your Core Workout

by Betsy Lane

– Even if you squat, bench and deadlift: you could have a weak core

– Weak core = back pain

– You’re probably setting yourself up for a bad back with your current core training

– The core should be trained to resist movement (stability) rather than create it
(mobility)

-Just because you shouldn’t do sit- ups doesn’t mean you can’t have a 6- pack.

First off, what the heck is the core anyways?

By now, the fitness and non- fitness enthusiasts alike have heard of the importance of
training THE CORE. However, most will self- prescribe hours of sit ups and/ or
crunches as a means to achieving this noble “core training” goal. I intend to give a
different perspective on how to train this mysterious core, with some more effective
methods, while simultaneously helping you to prevent low back injuries.

Cable- crunching- gurus and weighted bicycle crunch lovers are going to just scoff at this
article at first glance- (“no crunching?!”) but hang with me. I’ll go into the EMG specifics
of the exercises later in this article, to show you that you CAN build a scientifically-
founded 6- pack without stressing out your spine in your pursuit. Unfortunately, a lot of
lumbar (low back) flexion (rounding) can result in back injuries.

The “core” is not just the middle of your body, and it is not only your 6- pack muscles.
Anatomically, it does include the beach body muscles, but also includes your pelvic floor
muscles and those surrounding your spine. It is the “structural center of movement,” as
Mark Verstegen would say in his book: “Core Performance.” It provides support for your
hips, shoulder, and spine. Your core is literally the foundation for your limbs to move
efficiently, and to allow for optimal energy transfer.1 In its most basic element, it is
intended to resist movements, not to create them. If something makes a move to throw
off your balance, you want to be able to activate your core muscles in response, to resist
the perturbation (some external force attempting to move you from your current
position.

Stuart McGill, professor of Spine Biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, explains

that certain areas of the body generate power, while other areas are meant to create
stiffness. For example, when jumping off one foot, the power generation comes from the
hip, but then gets transmitted up through the core, all the way up the chain to the
shoulders. Therefore, in order for the energy to be transmitted, your core has to be able
to produce that stiffness. If the core was not stiff, the energy transfer up the chain is less
optimal, and other areas of the body must compensate for that. For instance, more stress
would be placed down the chain, towards your knees and/ or upwards, towards the
spine, resulting in knee and back pain down the road.2 McGill explains: “that’s why the
great jumpers actually train for core stiffness. They don’t do exercises like heel raises,
which wouldn’t do a darned thing.”3 But even for a recreational lifter, in his or her
mission to produce the most alpha squat you’ve ever laid your core- envying eyes upon:
If the core is weakened and hip stability is lacking, the low back and knees will try to
pick up the slack during movements such as jumping or squatting, instead of allowing
you to efficiently drive through the glutes and stiffening the core.

ANATOMY CLASS

Very basically: we have three layers of abdominal muscles. The top layer is our
rectus abdominis (the six-pack muscle), which runs vertically from our ribcage to our
pelvis. In the middle, we have our external and internal obliques, which run diagonally
from our lower ribcage to our pelvis. And finally we have the transverse abdominus
(TrA), which runs horizontally beneath the other layers.
northpolehoops.com

Spinal muscles: multifidus and erector spinae

thansworld.com

A paper by Panjabi, 2000, describes the stabilization system of the spine with 3 pillars;
neural control, passive, and active systems. Passive stabilizers include bones, discs and
ligaments, whereas the active control includes the muscles surrounding the spine.
Basically, this model proposes that all 3 of those systems are interwoven, such that when
one of the systems are compromised, the other systems will try to pick up the slack, so to
speak, in order to keep you upright and stable. The “neutral zone” is the area where your
muscles are the key stabilizers; moving outside of this zone will begin to place more
stress the passive stabilizers, such as the discs and ligaments. If those passive stabilizers
are damaged or weakened (this can happen with repeated flexion or heavily loaded
flexion, such as with crunches or rounded back deadlifts), the muscles have to do more
work, which expands the neutral zone and eventually causes instability.4

The erector spinae and multifidus are key stabilizers of the spine, and they must be able
to stabilize around the neutral zone; therefore, the stiffness of these muscles will
determine the stability of the spine. These are extensive and powerful spinal extensor
muscles that cover the back from the base of the skull to the top of the sacrum. In people
with chronic low back pain, these muscles are actually overactive at inappropriate times,
in order to pick up the work for their passive counterparts.

How to un- suck your core exercises:

1. Understand Why Core Stiffness Will Benefit You

Stuart McGill is truly the boss of this core stiffness concept, with piles of published
literature to back it up. If you can learn how to stiffen your core, you will get stronger,
reduce your risk of injury, and blow your friend’s minds with your insane intra-
abdominal pressure. I might have been kidding about that last one- no one else will
know, but you will, and that’s what matters.

Proximal stiffness, or voluntarily stiffening ALL of muscles between the hip and
shoulder joints simultaneously, produces higher limb speed and force. Strike force in
MMA or baseball or golf, is governed by this universal principle. Limb speed for
throwing, running, and directional change is a fundamental athleticism. While proximal
stiffness (the core) governs all of these athletic objectives it also reduces back pain and
injury by reducing the spine bending when loads are imposed. The spine loses its load
bearing strength as it is bent more away from its neutral posture. McGill even goes as far
as to pinpoint a weakened core as “the most influential variable that links pain and
performance.”2

Basically, if you don’t want to become stronger in all aspects, and if you
enjoy low back pain: definitely don’t worry about core stiffness.

Consider a 230 pound football athlete who benches, squats and power cleans with yachts
instead of barbells. At first glance, he would seem insanely strong, creative in his
programming, and well- conditioned; however, but he has back pain that limits his
training and performance. The moment you have him attempt to perform a single leg
deadlift, or alternating dumbbell bench press, his core muscles are unable to stabilize
the limbs moving away from his body to move the load. He crumbles like a house of
cards built atop a gym bench. Why is this? Again, the spine loses its “happy place” for
bearing loads when it deviates from neutral. Training specifically for core stiffness will
lend strength to the muscles which support the spine, and he can more efficiently resist
movement while he cleans and squats mini vans, and thus reducing his back pain.5

A 2012 study by Jones et al demonstrated evidence that patients with chronic low back
pain display altered patterns of activation of their spinal stabilizers during various trunk
loading conditions. The study found that in response to perturbations, patients with
exacerbations of their pain recruited distal and proximal muscles, rather than those
around the spine, to provide a trunk- stabilizing effect in anticipation of pain, and
reduce muscle activity in the opposing direction. This altered motor pattern may become
learned, and therefore more relatively permanent, as the body learns to react in this
fashion long after the painful stimulus has been removed. Basically, we know that core
weakness can cause pain- this study shows that back pain results in even greater core
weakness, as you may learn to intuitively AVOID stiffening the core to resist movement,
and also resulting in more pain, and more wear and tear on the joints above and below
your core. 6

2. Stop using abdominal “hollowing” to strengthen your core.

http://musclesite.blogspot.com/2014/02/shortcut-to-six-pack-abs.html

How many times have you heard “pull your belly button towards your spine?” This
exercise is intended to activate the transversus abdominus (TrA), which and has
previously been thought to be the most important core muscle, to isolate with the goal of
stabilizing the spine… and getting really jacked from doing crunches simultaneously.

Hollowing is totally fine if you’re training for a bodybuilding competition and you want
to practice “vacuuming,” to develop this motor pattern for when you step onstage,
pulling in your belly to make it as small as possible. But don’t expect it to do much in the
way of developing a rock solid Greek God- like midsection that persists beyond

In 2014, a few physical therapists decided to do some research and settle matters with
the “hollowing” gurus. They conducted a 6 week study comparing the effects of
hollowing vs. bracing exercises on the cross sectional area (CSA) of abdominal muscles,
AKA how much bigger the muscles became. Two groups performed exercises 3 times per
week for 6 weeks, for one hour each time. One group performed “hollowing” exercises
and one group performed “bracing” exercises. At the beginning and end of the 6 week
intervention, the cross sectional area of abdominal muscles was measured. At the end of
6 weeks, each group made some improvement in the CSA of external and internal
obliques, rectus, and TrA; however, the bracing group showed a statistically significant
difference in the left rectus abdominis, both internal obliques, and both external
obliques; whereas the hollowing group showed a statistically significant difference in the
cross-sectional areas of the left and right transversus abdominis. 7 It is important to note
that all abdominal muscles in both programs did see an increase in CSA, but only the
ones noted above were considered statistically significant.
Basically, whether you are looking to increase your athletic performance… or to simply
prevent/ reduce back pain… or just to pick up chicks on the beach with your
scientifically founded 6 pack abs: don’t just train your TrA.

Don’t waste your time with abdominal hollowing.

Core stiffness is mainly induced through muscular activation to stabilize the spine and
reduce the risk of injury during athletic movements or reduce pain during everyday
activities that provoke pain.

3. Welcome to abdominal bracing: Officially un-sucking your abs

workout:

Stability > mobility!

Core stiffness during exercise means maintaining muscular activation in an isometric

position.

The shoulder joints are designed to produce force through large excursions, but the
joints of the spine are designed to stop movement. Actually, the fiber orientation of the
core muscles are designed for short range movement, as opposed to ball and socket
joints, such as the shoulder. 8 Again, that being said, it isn’t a great idea to train the core
with a lot of flexion, or big movements to end range in general, such as sit-ups. Instead,
it would be better to train the abdominal wall and spine in the way they are supposed to
function – to stiffen and stabilize rather than create movement. Studies examining the
EMG of abdominal muscles during dynamic (crunches/ side bends, etc) vs isometric
exercises (like planks or the palloff press below) show similar muscular activation, with
much lower spinal loads.

So if you CAN reduce your risk for injury with your core training routine, and still reap
the same aesthetic benefits- why wouldn’t you?

DON’T: Side bends

DO THIS INSTEAD: Suitcase carry

A PROGRESSION: “Bottoms up” Kettlebell carry

Recall that the spine loses its load bearing strength as it is bent more away from its
neutral posture. Keeping your spine in its most neutral posture and challenging that
posture with static loading is a safer, but no less challenging, exercise method.

Plus, you’ll look really clever and inventive walking around LA Fitness with an upside-
down kettlebell.

DON’T: Crunches

DO THIS INSTEAD: Bird- dog

VIDEO:

Bird dog

Study looking at Dynamic vs isometric EMG:

Crunches= up to 30-40% MVC of external obliques and 50% rectus (6- pack muscle).

Bird dog= 30% MVC of external obliques, 40% rectus with MUCH less spinal loading.8

Also recall that the method of disc herniation is most often repeated flexion of the spine
(see 6 Tips for Keeping your Lower Back Healthy). Your spine probably isn’t going to go
up in smoke if you flex it, but let’s do as much as we can in a safer neutral spine posture
if we can be just as effective, if not more so.

DON’T DO: Russian twists

DO THIS INSTEAD: Stir- the- pot

seannal.com

VIDEO:
 Stir the pot

DON’T DO: Cable machine crunches

DO THIS INSTEAD: Palloff press

(elblogderockyrr.blogspot.com)

VIDEO:

Isometric rotation

As mentioned above, your abdominals aren’t moving through wide ranges and
producing forceful end range contractions. Therefore, don’t be surprised if you don’t feel
strong muscle pumps the same way you do when you train biceps. This doesn’t mean
they aren’t working. However, to create a super stiff core during the exercises, deeply
exhale as you contract. For instance, exhale as you push and hold during the Palloff
press above. Because your core includes the muscles of inhalation and exhalation,
focusing on breathing is especially important during abdominal exercises.

Betsy Lane

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/betsy.lane.7

Instagram: @mighty_mouse_fit

Refferences

1. Verstegen , M. Core Performance.

2. McGill, S. Low Back Disorders: 2nd ed. CAN: Human Kinetics. 2007.
3. Maggs K. Active Spine and Sport.
http://activespineandsport.net/uncategorized/super-stiffness. 2014.
4. Panjabi et al. The Stabilizing System of the Spine. Part II. Neutral Zone and
Instability Hypothesis. 1992. Journal of Spinal Disorders: 5 (4).
5. http://www.performbetter.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/PBOnePieceView?
storeId=10151&catalogId=10751&pagename=438
6. Jones S L et al. Individuals with non-specific low back pain in an active episode
demonstrate temporally altered torque responses and direction specific enhanced
muscle activity following unexpected balance. Exp Brain Res. 2012: 221(4)
7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944309/
8. Lee, B. Trainability of Core Stiffness: Studies of Core Training Methods on Naive
and Savvy Populations. University of Waterloo. 2013.