The Core Truth - The Truth About The "Core Training" Hype
by Jeremy Gentles, CSCS
For a number of years now, “core? training has been a hot topic in the fitness industry. It is difficult to walk into a health club, talk to a personal trainer, or read a fitness magazine without hearing about the latest and greatest in core training. This article will briefly discuss the definition of core musculature (or lack thereof), what is generally thought to be ‘core training?, and the truth behind the hype.
What is Core Training?
Many individuals associate core training with devices such as stability/Swiss balls, BOSU balls and balance discs. These devices and others similar to them provide an unstable surface upon which to perform strength training exercises.
So what exactly is your core musculature? A quick look at the literature or a Google search will reveal that there is not one consistent definition of what makes up your core musculature. Some authors include only abdominals while others also include the lower back and pelvic region. For practical purposes, you can think of your core region as your entire midsection.
There is no doubt that it is important to have a strong midsection, but is unstable training the best way to strengthen your core?
Problem 1: Force Production
It is thought that the benefit of performing strength-training exercises on an unstable surface vs. a stable surface is due to the recruitment of additional musculature needed for stability and balance when performing an exercise on an unstable surface. Research has indeed shown that strength-training exercises performed on unstable surfaces do recruit additional musculature vs. the same exercises performed on stable surfaces (1). However, research has consistently shown that when strength training exercises are done on both stable and unstable surfaces, unstable surfaces reduce the amount of total force you are able to produce, as well as the speed you are able to develop (1,2,3,4). Since the goal of strength training is to produce force, it seems that the regular performance of strength training exercises on unstable surfaces would decrease strength gains and the benefit received from a strength-training program.
It is quite clear that strength-training exercises performed on stable surfaces are superior to unstable strength training for the development of strength. Strike one!
Problem 2: Function
You will often hear “core training? and “functional training? mentioned in the same sentence. This evidently implies that training on an unstable surface will strengthen your core and in turn increase your functional ability. So, while this certainly sounds good, what functions or activities would unstable training better prepare you for?
An athlete’s training is supposed to benefit the sport they compete in. In order to do so, an athlete will perform strength-training exercises that have a positive impact on movements they perform during competition. In other words, many of the strength training exercises an athlete performs, to a degree, will mimic or compliment the movements they perform during competition. While you may not be an athlete, similar concepts do apply to everyday life. With strength-training you can better prepare yourself for the things you do on a regular basis. However, you should be able to ask yourself how your exercise program or specific exercises themselves benefit or enhance the activities you participate in regularly.
Let us take for example a dumbbell chest press on a stability ball; if you have not performed this exercise, pretend that you have for just a moment. Ask yourself, “What activities or movements that I perform on a regular basis are similar to a chest press performed on a stability ball?? Now, I can think of one activity that you do lying down, but that is beyond the scope of this article. Seriously, how often do you need to roll around on a big ball to get things done during the day? Do you move furniture while rolling around on a big ball? Will rolling around on a ball decrease your run times? Do you play on the floor with your kids while rolling around on a big ball? No, you do not!
Most actions we perform, whether it be walking, carrying groceries up stairs or playing sports, are performed on stable surfaces. It is difficult to make the argument, and the research certainly does not substantiate, that training on an unstable surface will do a better job at preparing you for a variety of physical activities, than training on a stable surface. Weight training, in particular free weight training, is itself functional. Strength training with free weights on a stable surface will better prepare you to lift one end of a couch, to pick your kids up off the floor or jump up to grab a rebound during a game of hoops.
Taking this a step further, consider balance for a moment. If you are running and you trip over an object you did not see in your path, it is your ability to produce and apply force properly and quickly that will keep you from falling to the ground. It is again important to consider that most of us run on stable surfaces. If you trip, in order to catch yourself, you need to be trained in a way that maximizes the force and speed at which you can produce force against a stable surface, not an unstable one. If you move too slow or cannot produce enough force to catch yourself, you fall.
It has already been established that strength training on an unstable surface reduces total force production and rate of force development (3). Frequent strength training on unstable surfaces can train you to actually produce less force and at a slower speed, increasing your risk of injury. Strength training on a stable surface will help you maximize the force you are able to produce and in turn make you more functional.
So, what is functional about strength training on an unstable surface? Well, unless you do a lot of surfing or like to jog in thick mud, probably not too much. Strike two!
Problem 3: Core Activation
There is no doubt about it, performing exercises on an unstable surface such as a Swiss ball does increase core muscle activity. With that said, standing up, walking, bending over or any other activities also activate core musculature. The question is not whether performing exercises on an unstable surface increases core muscle activity; it does. The issue here is that much of general public, as well many health and fitness professionals, believe unstable training is the best manner in which to activate and develop a strong core or midsection.
In a recently published study, researchers compared trunk muscle activity during several stability ball exercise and free weight exercises. It was discovered that free weight squats and deadlifts which are not generally considered to be “core training?, even at relatively low intensities, are more effective at activating core musculature than the stability ball exercises (5). Strike three!
Ok, There Is One benefit...Entertainment!
It is pretty funny watching people fall off stability balls in the middle of the gym; you know you have been there. In all seriousness, some of these devices can be fun to use and incorporate into an exercise program. If you do choose to use them, do so sparingly and with the intent of having fun rather than using them for “core? strength development.
Conclusion
There are a few people out there making lots and lots of money selling “core training equipment? that promises everything under the sun to include that shiny new six-pack. Unfortunately, those promises are not supported by any of the scientific literature. This is not to imply that every personal trainer or local gym rat is being malicious when they tell you that you must do stability ball exercises to develop a strong core. When it comes to anything fitness related, there is an abundance of misinformation out there and even the most well intentioned individuals are sometimes misinformed.
With all the gimmicks and exercise equipment on the market, nothing has been developed that is more functional and provides better results than a little bit of hard work and a set of free weights. It’s your journey, train for it!
References
1. Behm D., Anderson, K., Curnew, R. (2002). Muscle Force and Activation Under Stable and Unstable Conditions. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 16(3), 416–422.
2. Anderson, K., and Behm D. (2204) Maintenance of EMG activity and loss of force output with instability. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 18(3), 637–640.
3. McBride, J., Cormie, P., and Deane, R. (2006). Isometric squat force output and muscle activity in stable and unstable conditions. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 20(4), 915–918.
4. Koshida, S, Urabe, Y, Miyashita, K, Iwai, K, Tanaka, K, and Kagimori, A. (2008). Muscular outputs during dynamic bench press under stable versus unstable conditions. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 22(5), 1584–1588.
5. Nuzzo, J., McCaulley, G., Cormie, P., Cavill, M., and McBride, J. (2008). Trunk Muscle Activity During Stability Ball and Free Weight Exercises. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 22(1), 95-102.
