CORE STRENGTH BEYOND CRUNCHES Discover the Truth About Effective Ab Workouts
What is your core? You may hear the term “core” thrown around often, but where exactly is it, and what does it do? Your core is more than just abdominal muscles and includes muscles around your spine and pelvis. Your core muscles allow you to do most of the movements you make throughout the day, such as bending forward, rotating left and right, and holding yourself upright. When your core is weak, the muscles may not support you properly as you move about your day, which may lead to back or neck pain. As a result, if you suffer from backaches, try core-strengthening exercises to better support your spine. Try an alternative to crunches. Since crunches aren’t the best for core strengthening, it’s time you start trying
To say crunches are not fun would be an understatement. Repetitive and sometimes downright painful, this exercise has been touted for decades as the primary way to strengthen your core and get those picture- perfect abs. Well, new research suggests that statement isn’t 100% true. In fact, most trainers and fitness experts now discourage people from doing crunches. When done incorrectly, which most people do, you can cause damage to your spine and neck while gaining few to no results. Even if a person does achieve those prominent ab muscles through situps and crunches, they likely still have weak core strength. Those exercises only work your external muscles, not your inner core muscles. So, while they may be able to flex their abs, they likely couldn’t hold a plank for very long.
something different. There are plenty of core-strengthening exercises for every fitness level, whether you’re a beginner, injured, or a pro. In particular, Pilates is an incredible type of exercise that focuses entirely on core strength and will have you feeling stronger in no time. If you want to get started, try some easy movements at home. Planks, bridges, toe taps, and swimmers are all great ways to build your core strength. However, you should always consult your physical therapist about the best core exercises for your unique needs.
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“I have been treated at many different PT practices over the years, and I like Focus Physical Therapy the most of all of them. All of the therapists and assistants, and staff are great, very friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. And the office itself is aesthetically nice, with a good set up. Some PT places have all the tables set up next to each other in an open room, so you have little to no privacy. But here, each therapist has a semi private room so you can talk without other patients overhearing or seeing things. They offer many types of treatments, including hands-on, exercises, laser, and StemWave. I went in for help recovering from foot surgery, and made a huge amount of progress over my time there.” –Elizabeth Wright “Focus Physical Therapy dramatically helped with my rotator cuff recovery. The StemWave therapy is incredible and really relieved my pain and increased my mobility within a couple appointments. After 10 appointments I felt terrific and bundling the StemWave with physical therapy helped to strengthen my right shoulder and arm. The team at Focus is incredible! They are knowledgeable and personable. I highly recommend Focus PT and StemWave.” –Neal Patcha
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