What Are Core Muscles?

When you think of your core muscles what is the first thing that comes to mind?

When my coach asked me this question I quickly replied “abs”. It turns out that there is more to core muscles than just the abdominal muscles. When starting an exercise program it is important to know what exactly it means to strengthen your core. It’s not about getting six pack abs- but about strengthening your core to support and connect your body.

The core muscles are the muscles used to stabilize the body. Core muscles are important in maintaining proper posture. They also allow your body to move fluidly and help prevent injury. Many of the core muscles can’t be seen. They are hidden by other muscles. I am literally in the process of retraining my body to use my core muscles. For many years I have used the “wrong” muscles and my core muscles have become weak. Thus, I ended up with lower back pain.

So what are the core muscles?

Abdominal Muscles: Although we all strive to have that nice defined abdomen, the rectus abdominus is not the primary abdominal muscle when we are talking about core muscles. The rectus abdominus is the muscle we can “see” that gives the six pack look. However the transverse abdominis is important in core strength. You can’t see it since it is under the other abdominal muscles. The transverse abdominis supports the spine.
Back Muscles: There are many back muscles involved in the core. Back muscles stabilize the spine. One muscle that might surprise you as a core muscle in the back is the lats! The lats are important in shoulder movement as well as pelvic movement.
Pelvic Floor Muscles: The pelvic floor muscles help stabilize the lower abdomen and work with the transverse abdominis.
Glutes: The glutes are large muscles that tend to be under worked. For myself, the quadriceps want to take over and do most of the workload. However, the glutes and hamstrings help stabilize the pelvis. When the pelvis moves, the lower back moves. Strengthening my glutes and hamstrings is helping me overcome my quad dominance.

When you think of core strength, think about how your body functions. Yoga is a good place to start with developing core strength! Yoga works many of the core muscles as a unit creating stability and function. I found this article helpful in describing the many different muscles involved in core strength.

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Renae Chiovaro

Renae is a married working mom of two handsome boys. She works as a registered dental hygienist by day and blogs here at How to Have it All by night. She enjoys cooking from scratch, working in her vegetable garden and functional training.