Building strong core muscles has found its rightful place in the fitness industry today. A large number of trainers instruct their clients on training the core muscles, which include abdominals and those in the lower back. Building core muscle strength is necessary not only to ensure optimum sports performance but also helps people perform daily chores without discomfort.
Many people experience pain in the lower back when they have to bend. This is often due to weakness in the core muscles. Some physical trainers believe that several sessions should be devoted each week at the gym to exclusively train core muscles. Others believe core muscles can be strengthened using conventional weight training exercises with some variations.
Researchers from the Appalachian State University have reported that conventional exercises such as squats and deadlifts activate two major core muscles in the lower back more than three popular core muscle exercises.
Studies from Newfoundland have reported that the one-arm dumbbell shoulder press exercise significantly increased the activity of core muscles in the back. Similarly, performing dumbbell chest press with one arm significantly activated core muscles in the abdominals and back.
Trainers say that if a person regularly performs exercises such as squats and deadlifts, the core muscles will receive enough stimulation. Direct exercises such as plank, side plank and wood chops can be performed along with abdominal movements every week for maximum benefit.
Those who are into a serious weight training programme can perform a few sets of a basic barbell exercise followed by a few sets of a one-arm variation of standard exercises.
