If you ask almost anyone in the health and fitness industry “What is the core?” the answer you will most likely get is the abs or the deep abdominals.  We must clarify that there is no such thing as “deep abdominal muscles.”  There are four abdominal muscles, all of which go no further than 2” deep into the body.  What is usually being referred to as the “deep abdominals” are the hip flexors, which we will be talking about later.

After hours and hours of research looking online and in medical/educational textbooks, I have yet to find a scientific paper stating that the core of the human body is the abdominal muscles.  What I have found is the definition of core, which, in this context, is the “The central or innermost part,” and the general consensus of the scientific community is that the center of the human body is the center of gravity.  The center of gravity in a person with good postural alignment is in the mid-pelvic region,⁽¹⁾  not the abdominal region.

The center of gravity will not be the same in every person.  The center of gravity is also dependent on the person’s mass.  Mass describes how the weight of a person’s body is distributed.  As a general rule, men have a higher center of gravity; they have narrower hips and a larger upper body.  Women tend to have a lower center of gravity because of slightly wider hips and a less developed upper body. We are still talking about only millimeters in difference, still in the mid-pelvic region.

Since the actual core seems to me to be the center of gravity, let’s look at what muscles are used to keep a neutral center of gravity according to NASA studies.  On the planet Earth, in order to keep an erect posture, your body uses the rectus femoris (one of your quad or thigh muscles), gluteals (butt muscles), lumbar and cervical erectors (lower back and neck muscles), and the iliopsoas (hip flexors).  The hamstrings and anterior abdominals are used in conjunction with these to create a balanced system.⁽²⁾

Balance in these muscles creates a neutral balance in a body and allows the body to have minimal muscular tension, which allows for an aligned body to stay perpendicular to earth’s gravity with minimal stress or effort for the body.  Any loss of equally distributed load bearing removes proper loading of the spine, long bones, and the balanced pull of the muscles on each other⁽³⁾ , which in turn, starts a compensation process.

So, as most martial artists have learned through their training, having a strong “core” is not about a strong stomach or being able to do hundreds of sit-ups or crunches a day.  It is about having equal strength and balanced tension in all of your muscles, especially the muscles used to help keep your body perpendicular to gravity.

⁽¹⁾  Wirhed 1984

⁽²⁾  Sandler and Vernikos 1986

⁽³⁾  Porterfield and Derosa 1991

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!