Strength & Stability Starts with Your Core (Part. II)
How to strengthen your core and automate using it.
The “Centenarion Decathalon” is a term Dr. Peter Attia coined in his book, Outlive. The idea is to think about yourself when you’re 80, 90, and even 100. What do you hope to be still able to do physically? It doesn’t have to be flashy. What are some basic things you take for granted now that you would still like to do then?
In his book, Attia gives several examples that may seem trivial. Three of them are hiking 1.5 miles on a hilly trail, opening a jar with your hands, and being able to climb four flights of stairs in 3 minutes. Sounds simple, right? But how many people do you know in their 80s and 90s who can do these things?
I contend that everything we do begins with ensuring we strengthen and maintain a durable core that can support the movements we perform and the spine we need. In part one, I discussed how a strong, engaged core enhances each of our physical capabilities. But how? And, more importantly, how do we train our core to be strong?
A Foundational Layer of Core Strength
In Automated Processes, we discussed the importance of automating muscle activation to improve your gait and posture. We don’t want to have to think about engaging our core all the time. For instance, when we tire, it’s easy to make slight mechanical mistakes. Accidentally relaxing the core during a single weighted squat, for example, could lead to additional compression on the spine and an entire day or two of lower back pain, or worse.
How do we a) properly engage our core and b) automate its activation? Returning to our sitting example in Solving Tension-Related Neck and Shoulder Pain. Here is the 3-step process we discussed for sitting upright to minimize the tension and muscular imbalance in your neck:
Step 1: Simultaneously do the following three things: Inhale deeply, expand your chest, and roll your shoulders back. Feel your chest pulling away from your sternum in the middle of your chest. Observe how this will pull your chin upward and straighten your spine.
Step 2: While holding this position, attempt to contract the LRT muscles: Lats, rhomboids, and traps. It may be impossible at first, but that is perfectly okay. This is yet another reason why strength training is invaluable. If you can feel them, observe what they do to your scapulae; notice how they hold your shoulders back; feel how they align your cervical spine (neck) with your thoracic spine (middle and upper back).
Step 3: Exhale slowly and let your shoulders sink. However, attempt to keep your chest expanded. In strengthening our back muscles, it’s crucial we not let the chest collapse into its shortened position. The back muscles need to remain engaged and not be allowed to lengthen.
Let’s enhance this process by integrating your underlying core cylinder. This concept is called diaphragmatic, or belly breathing, and it’s the foundation of building a sturdy, automated core.
Step 1: While you’re maintaining the upright posture from before, try to mentally locate the region of your body stemming from the top of your hips to the base of your sternum and from your belly button to your spine. This is your core cylinder.
Step 2: Once you’ve located the cylinder with your mind, brace it as if you were clasping a giant belt around your waist. Avoid sucking in your abdomen. Sucking in stretches your core muscles, making them weaker and incapable of stabilizing your spine.
Step 3: While keeping your core cylinder braced, focus on your breathing. Take deep breaths in through your nose, feeling your abdomen expand, your core brace, and your chest remain still.
Step 4: Exhale slowly, keeping your core braced and feeling your abdomen collapse to its neutral position.
Step 5: Practice inhaling and exhaling for 4-6 seconds each, for 5-10 repetitions, twice each day.
If you’d like to make it more advanced, you can practice this process when you’re walking or holding a plank. As you practice, pay attention to your ability to relax your extremities—it should increase dramatically over time, making it easier for you to engage your core without having to think about it.
The Golfer, The Yogi, and The Trail Runner
As you’re developing your foundational, automated core strength, you also need a training program that suits the type of core you need. Are you at risk of falling? Maybe you need to improve your ability to stiffen your spine. It’s almost winter, and shoveling snow is a major cause of back pain. Maybe you need to strengthen your rotational and anti-rotational strength.
In a future article, I plan to discuss how to design specific training programs. But, since we’re hyper-focusing on our core muscles this week, we’ll stick to our spine and hips. A strong core can mean many different things. Where to begin is to ask yourself, “What movements do I do most often, and how do I need my spine to be able to accommodate them?”
A golfer, a yogi, and a trail runner each need to stabilize their spine and control their hips in very different ways.
A golfer needs to have exceptional mobility through their hips, lumber, and thoracic spine to generate power while sparing pressure on the shoulders and lower back.
A yogi needs unparalleled isometric, or static strength to hold positions for a long period of time while also having a very mobile spine.
A trail runner needs to have outstanding control of their spine, using their core as a suspension mechanism, similar to a car, to absorb the impact of uneven surfaces.
What should their training programs look like so they have a core and a spine that can support their movements? Think about what the core cylinder needs to do in each of those activities. Because a golfer needs to build rotational strength in their core, while building anti-rotational strength to support the rotation of their thoracic spine, their program will include a lot of those movements. Meanwhile a yogi’s program may include many variations of planks as well as exercises that position their body similarly to their poses. A trail runner’s program will most likely include a lot of core exercises on even surfaces such as a stability and bosu ball.
Foundation and Materials Matter
While the core is essential for strength, posture, and preventing injury, it is primarily a tool for amplification. To conclude my skyscraper metaphor from part one, if TMDs and Braces are the core of a skyscraper, two other elements that enable the colossal structures of today are the strength of the foundations and the advanced materials.
We need to train our entire body properly to achieve our goals, whether we’re performance-oriented or simply want to be able to hike a hilly trail or climb the stairs without panting at the end. The core is not enough by itself, but it does enhance the strength of the surrounding structure if trained and used properly.
If you would like help learning how to train and strengthen your core to suit your specific goals, please leave a comment below. If you found this article helpful, please hit the like button, as it helps me grow this publication.
Curiosity Corner
Podcasts:
Articles:
Parthenon Analogy — Ellen Fishbein
A Transformative Experience — Ellen Fishbein
Why Business Leaders Make Lousy Politicians — Adam Grant
The Dangers of “Repressed Special” - Part 2 — Tom Morgan
The New Battle for the Middle East — Foreign Affairs
The Perverse Consequences of Tuition-Free Medical School — The Atlantic
New! & Longer Living Through Chemistry — Gary Taubes
Failure of resveratrol to improve metabolic health is another nail in the coffin for the alleged “anti-aging” compound — Peter Attia
Not Typical — Farnam Street
Other:
