Guest guest Posted February 19, 2001 Report Share Posted February 19, 2001 Roy Palmer asks, " There has been a lot of discussion on this topic of late about the usefulness of stabilising the 'core'. Does anyone know where this philosophy originated from? " I suspect it may have orginated from ph Pilates. He seems to have used the term, and it is still part of the vocabulary of the Pilates " movement. " Pilates is very hip right now...at least one certification organization for fitness instructors/personal trainers is pushing a watered down version of Pilates called " mat science " which blends in some common yoga. Supposedly this type of exercise develops " long, lean muscles " and improves the " stabilizing, CORE muscles. " (At this point, the " mat science " instructor usually points to her trunk so you know what she means by " stabilizing CORE muscles. " ) Go figure. I took an abdominal workout class recently with a very stylish teacher who informed us that basic crunches weren't " in " anymore. She explained that crunches strengthen the " six pack " and the " obliques " , but crunches don't strenghten THE CORE, and THE CORE is what really matters if you want a flat stomach. She stressed, " It's very important to stabilize the core. " (I should get to work on that right away. Heaven forbid that I should have any INSTABILITIES in my transverse abdominus!) By the way, the term " core " has also been batted around to mean " basic exercises " that you should regularly include in your fitness program. I think that use of the word may have been coined by Reebok. Suzanne Cart Dove Canyon, CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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