What Is The Best Exercise For Developing Core Strength?

What Is The Best Exercise For Developing Core Strength?

by Howe Russ

In fitness communities it is quite easy to get lost in the latest gimmicks and fads. When looking for the best core exercise you might find it impossible to see around suspension trainers, kettlebells and body weight moves which most gym users find too difficult to do.

In fact, most gym users are so sure that the greatest core developmental exercise is a body weight move they would place money on it, such is the tendency for trainers to label body weight training with buzz phases like 'engage your core' and 'functional training'.

In fact, the best exercise for achieving a well balanced midsection was recently discovered to be the Front Squat. That's right - the variation of the squat everybody overlooks!

The barbell squat is the proven king of the gym, despite being the exercise most gym users overlook in favor of constantly hitting their arms and chest. Take the relatively small number of people who actively barbell squat on a regularly basis and halve that figure to get an estimate of how many gym users use this lesser known variation, where the bar sits on the shoulders in front of the neck as opposed to behind. It's a great move for strengthening the erector spinae.

Researchers from the UK recently looked at the core strength gains possible from front squats and they compared it to a favorite body weight move, the swiss ball superman. The findings were so surprising that the study itself went on to be featured in a July 2011 edition of the Journal Of Strength And Conditioning.

Both exercises are great for developing core ability, but front squats actually recruited 5% more muscle activation in the erector spinae than the superman on a swiss ball.

Despite the fact that they had already shown a 5% strength increase, it was also noted that front squats in the study were actually performed using no weights at all. Just an empty barbell was used. By adding further resistance you would engage the erector spinae even further, making them far more effective than the superman overall.

The increase in strength was due to the fact that front squats stimulated the erector spinae muscles considerably. These are the muscles which sit around the spine and play a major role in overall core strength and ability.

Do not be fooled by fitness fads and trends, which have seen terms like 'functional fitness' and 'core strength' conjure up images of people doing push-ups in parks, holding yoga moves like the plank or buying expensive suspension trainers to exercise while hanging from trees. Sometimes, the oldest tricks in the book are still the most effective and true success comes from learning how to marry those old principles to some of the new developments which have also stood the scientific test, such as high intensity interval training.

What is the best core exercise overall? The latest research points you beyond the yoga mat and, instead, in the direction of that loaded barbell in the corner of your gym where front squats await you on your next leg day.



Your writer: Top <a href="http://russhowepti.com">south shields personal trainer</a> Russ Howe PTI wrote today's post. Learn his <a href="http://russhowepti.com/the-best-exercise-for-developing-awesome-core-strength/">best core exercise</a> for strength and tons of weight loss tips via his fitness and muscle building blog today.

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