Today we are going to discuss your “core” and why is it so important.
First, let’s get technical and discuss the muscles that make up the core. There are several muscles in the anterior (or front) posterior (or rear/back) part of the core.
These Muscles Include:
Anterior
- Rectus abdominis (AKA the “six pack”) is a long flat muscle that goes from the ribs to the groin; you use it to flex your spine, bend sideways, and stabilize your upper body.
- Transversus abdominus (the “corset muscle”) is a deep abdominal muscle below the “six pack.” This wraps around from front to back on either side of the body. It holds internal organs in place, helps with breathing, and helps support the pelvis/lumbar region (low back) during movement.
- Internal & external obliques (on either side of the “six pack”) run diagonally down and in from lower ribs to pelvis forming the letter V. Both are involved in flexing the spinal column, bending to the side, rotating the trunk, and compressing the abdomen. Both do side bending to the same side, but the external oblique on the left rotates the trunk/spine to the right, whereas the internal oblique on the left rotates the trunk/spine to the left.
- Hip Flexors (consist of the psoas major, minor iliacus, and the rectus femoris: part of the quadricep and main muscle) are used to flex your hip. The hip flexors are a group of muscles used for flexion of the legs and trunk (bringing them together). These muscles are technically not core muscles, but they facilitate movements during several exercises.
Posterior
- Erector spinae is a group of muscles that run more or less the length of the spine on both sides from the sacral region beneath the lumbar vertebrae (lower back) up to the base of the skull. These muscles extend through the lumbar (lower back), thoracic (middle back), and cervical regions (upper back/neck). These muscles work to straighten the back and provide for side-to-side rotation.
- Gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus (the “glutes”) are a group of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. The three muscles originate from the ilium (hip) and sacrum (“tail bone”) and insert on the femur. These muscles are used for extension, abduction, and internal/external rotation of the hip joint.
- Hamstrings are a group of 3 muscles that run from hip to the knee in the posterior, or back, of the thigh. These muscles are used to flex or bend the knee and extend or straighten the hip. These may not necessarily be considered part of the core, however, many exercises that are done for posterior core muscles described above, may involve the hamstrings.
- Latissimus dorsi (the “lats”) are the largest muscle in the upper body. They are a pair of large, roughly triangular muscles covering the lower part of the back, extending from the sacral, lumbar, and lower thoracic vertebrae to the armpits. Their function is related to movement around the shoulder joint. Like the hamstrings, they technically not really part of the core, however they are often used in exercises for posterior core muscles.
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