Getting to the Core

You’re an athlete.  Heck, maybe you’re a triathlete.  You train.  You swim.  You bike.  You run.  It’s the triathlon trifecta.  Maybe you’re incredibly organized with your training programs, you know when you’re running, how far, the route, even the playlist on your iPod.

So, here’s a question.  How’s your core?  Is it strong like an oak tree trunk or more like a piece of steamed asparagus?  You might be surprised at how much your answer can impact your performance.

Core training is something of a buzzword these days.  In a nutshell, it is any exercise that targets the abdomen, lower back, spine and hips region using free weights, balance equipment like BoSu and Physioballs or just your own body weight.  Plank poses, lunges, crunches, inchworms, scorpions and other exercises named after insects can all add hidden strength to your workouts and ultimately improve your overall race performance.

Before I get into the arguments in favor of core training, I need admit something first.

For years and years, I swore off strength training.  There were times I dabbled in it and felt it was too hard and didn’t really offer any benefit to my running performance.  Plus, I believed it didn’t burn as many calories.  I simply had no use for it.

Since I started running in earnest in 1984, I had one serious injury over 20 years.  I was beginning to think I was invincible.  But as I started to age (a four letter word in training, sometimes), I started to sense that all my sports-specific training was only getting me so far.  And, I started to think long-term about how I wanted to continue to train and compete for another 20 years at least.  Grudgingly, I joined a gym and started working out in earnest with a trainer who focused on core workouts and shaped my program to improve my race performance and prevent injury.

For the last four years, strength and core training has been the base of my training.  Consistent core training has, without a doubt, made me stronger, faster and less injury-prone.  It’s true, I have to cut back a bit on my cardio training (mostly running), but the results have been worth it.  I am a more efficient athlete both in terms of time spent training as well as my results.

The key principle behind strengthening your core is that these are the muscles that help you generate power, maintain balance and, in a word, move.  Running on a treadmill is great, but a road workout on an uneven, possibly pot-holed road, is another issue altogether.  Speaking from personal experience, a run in the past that might have resulted in a stumble, twisted ankle or worse, my body now shrugs off as a minor balance adjustment.  My ability to transfer weight, increase power from one foot to another, and change direction, while controlling my balance, has increased dramatically since I began core training.

Besides the injury-prevention benefit, having a strong core can have a direct impact on your performance in a road race or triathlon.  These large muscle groups help to stabilize your body and provide a solid base for your limbs to leverage into extra power.

So, consider adding a regular core workout into your training.  Whether you’re swimming, biking or even playing golf, a solid core is the foundation upon which peak athletic performance is built.

Lynne Tapper is a USAT Level I Triathlon Coach and Co-Head Coach of Team Training New England

Photograph by Lorraine Greenfield, professional photographer and amateur triathlete.