PURE PERFORMANCE | BODY
While elite athletes are constantly aiming for improved performances , this motivation is also found in agegroup , masters and social athletes of all levels and across all sports - I dare you to disagree !
There are many factors that need consideration if you want to improve your sports performance :
- improving your skill of performance ( whether that be run technique or efficiency , cycle , swim , paddle technique etc ) - remaining uninjured and illness free so you can train consistently over a period of time . This in turn requires finding the ‘ sweet spot ’ of training volume and the right variations of training load - increasing all components of your “ fitness ”; that is speed , power , agility , flexibility , balance , strength and “ core stability ”. This is usually achieved via strength and conditioning ( S & C ) gym-based programs or home exercises .
Core stability exercises are invariably included in programs to make athletes better / faster / stronger .
But what really is “ core stability ”? And does it actually help you perform better ?
The concept of our ‘ core ’ means different things to different coaches , trainers , health professionals and even researchers . Much of the gym industry presents the image of our ‘ core ’ being our abs , with the idea that doing lots of crunches and abdominal bridge / plank holds will improve our ‘ core stability ’. This is a very limited view , and in fact , in some cases may be detrimental to sports performance if it creates patterns of bracing , breath holding and other movement patterns that are not specific to your athletic pursuits .
The original concept of core stability was actually morphed from an idea of spinal stability represented by the work of Panjabi in 1992 and then later Jull , Richardson & Hodges from the University of QLD . Panjabi was a mechanical engineer and bio mechanist from Yale University who analysed how the spine moved using Cadavers . His work proposed that the lumbar spine ( low back ) was stabilised in neutral positions by the interaction of passive elements ( such as joints and ligaments that join bone to bone ), active elements ( muscles and tendons that connect muscle to bone ) and neural elements ( our brain and nervous system control of the muscles ).
Within the elite sport strength and conditioning profession , the ‘ core ’ is typically ¬ referred to as any musculoskeletal structure that is encompassed by the abdominal and lumbar spine regions including the transversus abdominis ( deepest abdominal layer ), internal and external obliques , rectus abdominis , quadratus lumborum back muscle , multifidus deep small back muscle , gluteus medius and maximus , pelvic floor muscles , and the diaphragm ). An athlete ' s ability to contract these muscles and stabilise joints during movement - as well as limit unwanted movement – is referred to as control and stability . Elite S & C coaches will tend to focus on contraction and connection of the limbs to this ‘ core ’ to improve movement efficiency and therefore sports performance .
The definition of core stability that I believe relates well to sports performance is that given by Kibler and colleagues in 2006 , which is ' the ability to control the position and motion of the trunk over the pelvis and leg to allow optimum production , transfer and control of force and motion to the terminal segment '.
If we therefore consider that ‘ core stability ’ is the ability to position and use the torso , trunk and pelvis as a stable base so that the arms and legs can efficiently produce force to move and propel us , then we should be able to understand that improving our ‘ core stability ’ should make us more efficient athletes and help us perform better . Better ‘ core stability ’ should allow us to produce more force at the end of our limbs , i . e . to push harder into the ground when we run which will propel us forwards better , or allow us to press better on the water when we swim , and have less wasted energy ( i . e . less loss of force transfer from our body positioning our paddle in the water to the propulsion forwards by pressing the paddle against the water , or less sideways movement of our pelvis on our bike saddle which results in more force to push into the bike pedal to propel us forwards faster ).
Given this understanding , we need to move away from the concept of using a generic set of exercises ( such as abdominal plank / bridge holds or fit ball balance exercises ) to improve core stability and sports performance .
Core stability exercise programs for athletes need to focus on :
- improving body proprioception- understanding how and where to position parts of the body for optimal force production and muscle recruitment , and understanding how to reduce the effort used in movement ( note how the best athletes in their sport always make what they do seem “ easy ”)
- improving the ability to maintain a strong and stable position of torso , trunk and pelvis with different movements of the limbs
- developing ‘ reactive ’ stability of the athlete ; that is , the ability of the body to react to unexpected forces without using excess / unwanted muscle contractions and movements .
- being specific to the athlete ’ s sport , or weaknesses of the athlete , in relation to the sports skill .
The research tells us that only core stability exercise programs that are really specific to the demands of the sport will produce performance improvements . While completing a series of abdominal crunches and fit ball balance exercises has been shown to improve the ability to do crunches and balance on a fit ball ( plus give you nice hard-toned ab muscles ), this alone does not translate to racing or performing better / faster / stronger in your sport . As an example , a cyclist aiming to improve their time-trail performance would be better performing deep lunging-based exercises , with progression to split jump exercises , where they focus on maintaining good pelvis and trunk position rather than doing squats on a fit-ball .
So the next time you are doing your “ core stability ” exercises , consider how specific they are to the technique and skill requirements of your sport . Ask yourself what your racing , competition or sports performance weaknesses are and then talk to a strength and conditioning coach , a trainer , or a sports physio that understands your sport . Don ’ t waste time doing a core stability exercise program that is not going to ultimately help improve your sports performance .
MULTISPORT MAGAZINE | 39