PLANK (VIDEO)
The buzz word “core” refers to perhaps the most
misused and misunderstood muscle group of all
time. The “core” refers to the muscles that run the
length of the trunk and torso. Most gym-goers “work
the core” with a series of predictable movements.
Sit-ups, crunches, ab machines, ab pulldowns...
notice a pattern? They’re all abdominal workouts,
but the core is much, much more than just the abs.
What about the lower back? The hip flexors? The
obliques? Heck, even breaking the core up into in-
dividual parts at all completely misses the point.
Everyone wants the six-pack, the beach muscles,
and they completely miss the fundamental purpose
of the core: to provide a stable base for the rest of
the body. That’s right, the core is a stabilizer; it can
contract (sit-ups, knees-to-elbows, leg lifts), but its
primary role is to maintain rigidity and uniformity.
The best way to “work the core,” then, without tons
of equipment, is through plank progressions.
The Five Essential Movements cont’d 34