Core Power

I know, I know. Stop showing half naked pictures on the internet. I should, but I worked so hard to attain my physique, which has pretty much disappeared in the last 6 months due to my crazy lifestyle, that I want to use it to draw attention to the power of the core. The picture of me at my peak physical fitness is just a draw to teach you the more important benefits of a strong and healthy core.

I started lifting weights when I was a junior in high school. I had just finished my second year of varsity basketball at Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento and that season really showed how weak I truly was. So, first thing I did after the season was hit the weights. Up until my junior year of college, I stuck with weights and some sport cardio, but never really focused on a great physical body overall. I couldn’t get under 200 pounds despite being in fairly good shape. I could bench over 300 pounds, but my core was a tree trunk— thick and tough but no definition and definitely not healthy.

At the end of my junior year of college, I began focusing on that overall strength and the results were incredible. I had fewer injuries and quicker healing time. What I did was the one thing I should have been doing since my early years of high school…focused on the core.

The core region of your body mainly includes (in laymen terms) the stomach or abs, the obliques or side abs, and the lower back. Now, these areas were not previously unfit or weak, however, I was not maximizing their potential. The problem with not maximizing your core’s potential is not only that you will not have washboard abs, but that you could die from lack of strength, stability and general health in on of the most important areas of your body. Put it this way: You can live without an arm or a leg or all of your extremities, but without your core you’re dead. But for some dumb reason we always want to have bigger biceps or sexier legs. The smart way of thinking is, “I want to live until I am 90, have traveled the world, experienced life, and be happy.” To do that, big biceps and sexy legs won’t matter much as you will have probably died off from stomach cancer or some other disease that feeds on an unhealthy core.

The core should be much higher in becoming a more fit and healthy individual. I say around Step 2 or 3. The core will assist in almost every movement you make. The stronger and healthier it is, the less chance your vital organs will have problems, the better stability you will have (which will be a bigger deal as you age), and the better results you will see in other workouts.

Here are a few video tutorials I found and highly suggest implementing (I am not in any of them):

Just remember, if you want to live long, live well, and live happy, then the core needs some attention TODAY!

Click here to leave your best workout techniques or advice for others…

Have a good one…

Dave
LifeExcursion