Core training for injury prevention part 2
If you read the last blog you should now have a better understanding of what trainers and therapists mean when they talk about poor core stability or core weakness.
But let me summarise;
- The ‘core’ is a 3-dimensional space made up of the diaphragm at the top, the abdominal and oblique muscles at the front, the paraspinal muscle and gluteal muscles at the back and the pelvic floor and hip muscles below.
- The contraction of core muscles forms a safe foundation before other movements can occur.
- Core training should first identify where the problem lies. Lack of strength, endurance or incorrect contraction?
In this blog, I will discuss how to improve your core stability. Looking at common mistakes made wen core training either to rehabilitate an existing injury or prevent future injuries for people prone to suffer from back pain.
Then I will outline simple safe core exercises that can help improve your core and prevent further injury.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Incorrect diagnosis
- Incorrect form either because the exercise is too advanced for you or because you have not been taught how to perform the exercise correctly.
Core training
Step 1: Improve recruitment and muscle firing
- Anterior and posterior pelvic tilts to help promote awareness of the neutral position
- The abdominal bracing exercise.
Step 2: Improve core stability
Step 3: dynamic/ strengthening exercises.
- Balance exercises: standing on one leg, then standing on on leg and throwing and catching a ball. lunges, body weight squats
The above are just examples of exercises that can be performed. There are many variations but the important thing is to understand what the exercise you are performing is targeting and to only move one to the next step once exercises can be performed with correct posture easily.
