The Best Core Training Methods: Focus on Stability, Rotation and Movement Coordination, or Just Lift Weights?

Core training has always been part of military PT and fitness testing. From crunches to sit-ups, flutter kicks, leg tucks and plank poses, the U.S. military uses many exercises to test core strength. But these only scratch the surface of the core system.

Your core is more than just abdominal muscles, and "testing the core" requires stability, movement (stretch, flex, rotate) and the power of lifting a weight off the ground to the overhead position and other planes of movement.

Defining the Core

The human core is a complex system of muscles and bones that extends from the hips to the shoulders, radiating throughout the spine. It's not just about your abs or abdominal muscles: More than 50 muscles are involved in this system, spanning the hips, spine and shoulders.

When we talk about "testing the core" with a two-minute sit-up test, we are hardly testing the "core." While the sit-up is a good test for hip flexor endurance and back flexibility, it's not a comprehensive test for the entire core system. Developing your core requires a holistic approach that goes beyond simple ab exercises.

Consider incorporating the following methods into your training cycles:

Stability

Balance and the ability to handle static loads require the core system to develop so you learn how to brace yourself moving through uneven terrain or carrying weight in various ways (backpack, by hand or by using both arms). Plank poses, farmer walks and one-legged balance exercises are best practices (and tests) for engaging the core during this activity. 

Any lifting of weight or equipment off the floor requires effective bracing to maintain core stability when loaded. Though many do not think of building the core system when doing squats and deadlifts, lifting weights is the best way to build the strength and stability of the core system. Stability is the foundation of the core system, and every movement from the hips to the shoulders will require coordinating these joints and muscles to be stable first, then flexible, mobile and strong.

How to brace: Breathe in, hold it and flex your abdominal muscles. Only do this for a few seconds during the lift, as you can get lightheaded if your breath is held for too long. You can breathe and remain flexed, but you must focus on not relaxing, especially while lifting or carrying weight.

Flexing and Rotating

There are many ways to use the core system to move the legs, torso and arms. The basic of these is a sit-up. You can lift your torso off the floor from the prone position by flexing the hips and bracing the abdominal muscles. Advanced movements involve using the core system to rotate left and right to create powerful and coordinated actions such as twisting, punching, throwing and kicking. Many people like to isolate abdominal muscles with a wide range of floor exercises. Flexing these muscles will make them stronger; the more repetitions you do, the more muscle stamina you build in the system. 

This type of training works well for two-minute sit-up tests the military special ops programs still require (along with hip flexor stamina). One way to balance this type of training so you do not create imbalances on the front and back of the spine is to add planking exercises for every repetition you do of ab exercises. For every repetition of ab-focused exercises, do a second in the plank, side plank or superman/swimmer exercise.

Movement Coordination

The core system is responsible for providing the stability of balanced movement, and power is produced and transferred through it from one extremity to the other. Considering the central nervous system's requirements to produce a powerful punch, the power starts from a stable position/stance in the lower extremities. That power starts with the connection from the feet to the ground and flows up the legs, through the hips and core, and into the arms and hands. 

This power-building process would not occur without a strong, stable, flexible core system. This type of movement coordination is best seen in tactical fitness tests like the Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT), which involves exercises such as the medicine ball throw, sled pull and farmer carry run. The deadlift is also a test that requires strength of stability and coordination of movement to be accomplished.

Lifting Weights

Lifting free weights (barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells) and using suspension trainers (TRX or rings) are true methods to develop the core as a system. Still, if you are trying to ace a sit-up test, you should do sit-ups, mainly to build the muscle stamina needed to handle a two-minute test. The lifting will strengthen the system so you do not develop core imbalances, which can lead to lower-back issues when doing sit-ups as your sole "core" activity.

Which is the best core test? My answer is all of them. The core can be tested in so many ways. There are strength and power tests from lifting weights (deadlift, squats, power clean and jerk). Muscle stamina tests such as plank poses, sit-ups, flutter kicks and even push-ups require core engagement for periods that turn stability and strength into muscle stamina and endurance exercises. Toe touches and hip/shoulder rotations can also test flexibility, mobility and stability. Power and coordination can be tested using medicine ball throws overhead or from both sides of the body. Balance and stability can be tested using unilateral stances and movements such as the one-legged Romanian deadlift.

There is a joke in the fitness world that "every movement is a back exercise if you do it wrong enough." While it is a joke, it is also true that simple movements such as picking up a pencil from the floor can lead to a back injury. Learning to engage the core system with bracing before any movement, lift, throw or kick has to become a subconscious thought process. The only way to get to that level is to train using a variety of activities that include calisthenics, lifting weights, stretching, balancing and just moving more throughout the day.

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