Having a strong core means more than simply having defined abs. In fact, training your core will improve your day-to-day life, the functionality of your most basic movements, and how your body reacts when you do even the simple things like sitting at your computer or on the sofa, according to Tracy Bray, a personal trainer and certified nutrition specialist. “It cannot be overstated just how important your core is to everything you do,” says Bray. “Yet many people don’t give it the attention that it needs when training.”
You’ve got to think outside the six-pack. According to Bray, functional core training consists of hitting your abdominals, obliques, spinal erectors, traps, gluteal muscles and rhomboids. “So when someone’s routine only consists of hitting their abs in various forms like sit-ups and crunches, they are only hitting a very small portion of what is actually their core,” she says. “And the worst part is, many of these exercises which only focus on improving the aesthetics of the core don’t really translate into any functional movements that people make in their day-to-day life.” That being said, your abs will still indirectly benefit when you do movements that benefit your entire core. We asked Bray for some help identifying a weak core as well as her go-to moves. Here’s what she had to say.
