The Truth About Isolated Core Training for Athletes

Strength and conditioning programs of all sports, levels, and populations train the core in some way. Some do this through isolated, direct core training such as planks, sit-ups, etc.; others do this through large compound movements such as squats, cleans, deadlifts, etc. This article will explore the spectrum of core training from isolated, direct core training to the use of explicitly large, compound movements.

What is the core?

Before we discuss how to best train the core, it is important to first understand what makes up our core. The core is a group of muscles that work to provide various, essential functions for daily living and athleticism. Major muscles of the core include the transverse abdominis, multifidus, internal and external obliques, erector spinae, diaphragm, pelvic floor muscles, and rectus abdominis, with minor muscles including the lats, traps, and glutes.

Images courtesy of Human Kinetics: https://us.humankinetics.com/blogs/excerpt/build-your-core

Through these muscles, the core provides various functions that help athletes produce force, keep the spine safe, and bend the body in various ways necessary for sport. More specifically, the muscles of the core work to provide stability, protection of the hips and spine, balancing of load through the body as well as providing pressure for that load (Valsalva maneuver), and transference of force and power between different areas of the body. 

Importance of Training the Core

As previously mentioned, there are various functions of the core for athletes to train. Probably most important is improving their stability and balance through strengthening and learning dynamic trunk stabilization. Strengthening and improving stability allows the athlete to train power, or generate and transfer force through the body. This transference teaches the athlete how to utilize their full kinetic chain to elicit maximum athleticism, but also helps in reducing the risk of core-associated injuries such as the spine, and pelvis. Overall, almost every athletic movement requires the use of the core muscles. Throwing, running, change of direction, skating, tackling, catching, kicking, etc., all require core strength, stability, and control.

Training the Core

There are largely three ways to train the core; the first being direct, isolated core training.

1. This type of core training is the common core exercises we think of such as planks, Russian twists, etc. This way of training focuses on isolating the muscles of the core and performing exercises targeted at strengthening them. Most of these exercises focus on the isometric action of the muscles or a very limited range of motion of the muscles. Direct, isolated core training has been the most popular way of training the core for a long time and is not necessarily incorrect, it just may not be the most efficient way to train the core for athletes, Unfortunately, the benefits of isolated core training fall off quickly, evidenced by heavy, long duration planks that can easily be achieved. 
2. The second way to train the core is through participation in the sport itself. Working the core through the specific demands and movements required of the sport is about as specific as you can get in core training. This type of training allows the athlete to learn dynamic trunk control and stabilization in real-time while performing the movements required of their sport, enhancing the transferability of the supplemental training. This is usually a passive style of training since the athlete is not thinking of their core while at practice or in a competition, and you can’t (or shouldn’t) load the core while participating in the sport. 
3. Finally, the third way to train the core is through the larger, compound movements themselves. This method of training the core involves learning and understanding trunk control and bracing while performing compound movements such as a squat or a clean. This method may be the best of the previous two because we are training the core muscles under load while performing movements similar to the demands of sport. When looking at the needs of almost every sport, there is a large requirement for power or transference of power. Learning how to perform this transference, while maintaining bracing, as we see in cleans, allows the athlete to become more powerful in their sport, as well as improve on speed and agility. 

Looking at the three methods of training the core, with the main limitations and time restrictions most S&C coaches face in the weight room, the third method seems like the most logical, bang-for-our-buck method of training the core. If we take football for example, we have a high-intensity, high-contact sport, with a higher rate of lower back and body injuries. Taking an exercise such as a clean directly trains the needs of the core for this sport. Something like the clean requires strong bracing before the first pull so the transfer of power from the legs to the hips can help accelerate the weight for the athlete to release their core bracing to pull under the bar and brace their core again for the impact of the catch. 

These demands very closely mimic tackling (or being tackled) and prepare the player to be able to brace and transfer the force to have a successful tackle and not get hurt. This example applies to the whole core and most movements in sports. When we look at the obliques or transverse core training, we easily achieve that through single-leg movements like a safety bar split squat/lunge. 

Using compound movements to train the core is great for strengthening the core and teaching dynamic stability. We can further elevate this training by using kettlebells and medicine balls. Medicine balls are widely used in baseball and softball for rotational core power, mirroring movements such as pitching and swinging, but can also be applied with any rotational power sport. Kettlebells are unique since their center of gravity can change based on how the athlete holds it. This variation allows for a wide array of movements that not only train the core but also other muscles in synchronization with the core.

Conclusion

Throughout this article, we have discussed what the core is, its role in athletics, and various ways to train it. The main point of this article was that although direct, isolated core training is not wrong, it may be ineffective when we look at the use of the core in larger, compound movements like a clean or a squat and how much time we have to train athletes each week. We may not need to directly train the core, and if we are looking at the needs of the sport, we shouldn’t rely on training the core or any other muscles in isolation, because no muscles ever work in isolation. Teaching our athletes trunk control and control of their bodies in general, allows for better transference of force through the body to elicit more power and more athleticism. Removing isolated core training from your programs, and focusing on mastering the large, compound movements, will allow for better time management in the workout, and a more efficient athlete.