9781422286951

Core Workouts

An Integrated Life of Fitness

Core Workouts Cross-Training Eating Right & Additional Supplements for Fitness Endurance & Cardio Training Exercise for Physical & Mental Health Flexibility & Agility Sports & Fitness

Step Aerobics & Aerobic Dance Weightlifting & Strength Building Yoga & Pilates

An Integrated Life of Fitness

Core Workouts

Z.B. HILL

Mason Crest

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D

Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2015 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3156-2 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-3157-9 Paperback ISBN: 978-1-4222-3195-1 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-8695-1

Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress.

CONTENTS

Introduction

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1. What Are Core Workouts? 2. The Benefits of Core Workouts 3. Core Workout Equipment & Safety 4. Making a Plan to Strengthen Your Core

23 35 47 58 60 62

Find Out More

Series Glossary of Key Terms

Index

About the Author and the Consultant & Picture Credits

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INTRODUCTION Choosing fitness as a priority in your life is one of the smartest decisions you can make! This series of books will give you the tools you need to understand how your decisions about eating, sleeping, and physical activity can affect your health now and in the future. And speaking of the future: YOU are the future of our world. We who are older are depending on you to build something wonderful— and we, as lifelong advocates of good nutrition and physical activity, want the best for you throughout your whole life. Our hope in these books is to support and guide you to instill healthy behaviors beginning today. You are in a unique position to adopt healthy habits that will guide you toward better health right now and avoid health-related problems as an adult. You have the power of choice today. We recognize that it’s a very busy world filled with overwhelming choices that sometimes get in the way of you making wise decisions when choosing food or in being active. But no previous training or skills are needed to put this material into practice right away. We want you to have fun and build your confidence as you read these books. Your self-esteem will increase. LEARN, EXPLORE, and DIS- COVER, using the books as your very own personal guide. A tremen- dous amount of research over the past thirty years has proven that the quality of your health and life will depend on the decisions you make today that affect your body, mind, and inner self. You are an individual, liking different foods, doing different things, having different interests, and growing up in different families. But you are not alone as you face these vital decisions in your life. Those of us in the fitness professions are working hard to get healthier foods into your schools; to make sure you have an opportunity to be physically active on a regular basis; to ensure that walking and biking are encour- aged in your communities; and to build communities where healthy, affordable foods can be purchased close to home. We’re doing all we can to support you. We’ve got your back!

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Moving step by step to healthier eating habits and increasing physi- cal activity requires change. Change happens in small steps, so be patient with yourself. Change takes time. But get started now . Lead an “action-packed” life! Your whole body will thank you by becoming stronger and healthier. You can look and do your best. You’ll feel good. You’ll have more energy. You’ll reap the benefits of smart lifestyle choices for a healthier future so you can achieve what’s impor- tant to you. Choose to become the best you can be!

— Diana H. Hart, President National Association for Health and Fitness

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Words to Understand capacity: The maximum amount something can handle. repetitive: Done over and over again. duration: The length of time that something lasts.

Chapter One

W hat A re C ore W orkouts ?

Y ou can do exercises for just about every part of your body. You can lift weights to strengthen your shoulders. You can run to get strong legs. You can even do stretches to keep your hands and feet healthy and flexible. What about the middle part of your body? That part of the body is called the torso. It’s the core of your body. The core is pretty much any- thing that isn’t your head, arms, or legs. Core means inner, or center. Think of the core of an apple or the core of the Earth. Cores provide

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Inside your torso—your core—are most of your body’s important organs.

Core Workouts

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stability. Other things are built around their cores. If you didn’t have a core, you’d just be a pile of arms and legs! Many exercises target the chest, stomach, and back, which all make up the torso, the core. Strengthening your core and keeping it healthy has a lot of benefits, plus core exercises can be fun. YOUR CORE PARTS Your core contains most of your organs, like the stomach, heart, lungs, liver, and many more. Vital functions like breathing, digestion, and pumping blood happen in the core. Your organs and their functions are protected by muscles and by your ribs and spine. Make Connections: Core Muscles Here are some of the main muscles that make up your core: • Transverse abdominals: Stomach muscles deep within the core. Abdominals connect the upper part of the core to the lower part. They also help you twist at the waist, and protect organs. • Obliques: Muscles that are located at the waist. They connect up and down the rib cage to help you twist and bend. There are some oblique muscles closer to the surface and some buried deeper. • Erector spinae: Tiny back muscles that are located up and down the spine. They help you stand up straight, twist, and bend. Many people have weak erector spinae muscles and end up with back pain. • Rectus abdominis: This is the muscle we think of as the “six pack” or abs. It is basically like two sheets of muscle running from the bottom of the chest to the lower abdomen. The rectus abdominis helps with breathing and contributes to bending.

What Are Core Workouts?

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Some of the body’s core muscles are shown here, including the muscles we usually call the abs. These muscles are important for breathing and for bending and lifting.

Core Workouts

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Core workouts, however, focus on the muscles in this part of your body, rather than the organs, bones, or other body systems. Core ex- ercises strengthen the core muscles. You use those core muscles every day, to bend over, to stand back up, to open the refrigerator, to get out of a chair. Most everyday movements involve the core to some extent. WHAT DOES EXERCISE DO, ANYWAY? We all know that exercise is good for us (even if we don’t exercise), but what’s less clear is what actually happens during exercise. When you move more, several things happen to the body. First, the lungs start taking in more oxygen, so breathing gets faster and deeper. Over time, exercise builds up lung capacity and the ability to take in oxygen. The heart also starts to beat faster and pump more blood. The muscles that are actually doing the exercise need more oxygen, so the lungs and heart work together to bring that oxygen to muscles throughout the body. The actual muscles doing the exercise work are moving more. They’re using up substances called glucose (basically sugar) and ATP (adenos- ine triphosphate). Glucose and ATP store and bring energy to muscles when they need it, so both get used up during exercise. The body needs oxygen to make more ATP when levels get low. Your bones and joints are also involved in exercise. When you’re exercising, you put a lot more pressure on your bones than you nor- mally do. You also put pressure on your joints, where your bones are connected to each other with tissue such as tendons and ligaments. The increased pressure builds up strength over time. When you’re exercising regularly, you may notice that you’re happier and can think better afterward. The increased blood flow in the body also reaches the brain, which helps it work better overall. The brain then releases chemicals called neurotransmitters. These neurotransmit- ters regulate our emotions. Exercise releases neurotransmitters called dopamine, serotonin, and more, which go along with positive emotions. That’s why exercise can improve your mood and help you feel better

What Are Core Workouts?

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Exercise doesn’t just make your muscles stronger. It also makes your circulatory system, shown here, work more efficiently. The heart pumps blood carrying oxygen and nutrients through the arteries, which carry it to every part of your body, including your brain. Exercise means that blood can reach all your body parts better—which makes them function better as well.

Core Workouts

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