I have thought about this particular subject for a long time, and waffled back and forth about how I am going to approach this subject. This topic, in particular, can cause a lot of confusion and misunderstanding for the average person without a proper background in anatomy and kinesiology. I, myself, had trouble with this – not really understanding the concept (because it is still somewhat conceptual.) Before I begin, let me say this, “I just don’t believe one muscle is more important than another!”  There, I said it. That might come as a shock to many fitness professionals around the world, but honestly, I believe each and every muscle in its own right is equally important. This one statement is the zen thought of the true athlete and it might just seem to the average person as, well, a ridiculous statement. This applies to every one of the core muscle as well. NO ONE CORE MUSCLE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE OTHERS! However, as a group, the core muscles are responsible for energy transfer, stability, power, speed…and so on and so on. So, with this series of blog posts, I hope to explore many interesting things related to the core muscles. And, in order to do it rightly, I think I should answer the obvious question that I have been tiptoeing around. That is, what are the core muscles?

More that just the Abs

Yes, they are.  This is why it causes so much confusion!  I am about to list the core muscles not in any particular order.  True, most of  the big muscles are the abdominals but some of these may surprise you:

• Levator Ani – composed of the pubococcygeus, puborectalis, and the iliococcygeus
• Coccygeus
• Transverse Abdominus
• Multifidus
• Internal Obliques
• External Obliques
• Rectus Abdominus
• Erector Spinae
• Longissimus Thoracis
• Diaphragm

The above are just the major core muscles, some of the minor ones are the Glutes Maximus, Latissimus Dorsi and the Trapezius.  All of these work in conjunction with other muscle groups to help the athlete accelerate faster, levitate higher, lift heavier and brace for impact.  There are other uses, of course, and we might explore these in later blog posts.  For sure, we will explore some of the major enhancements with which the core muscles can help.  In future posts, I will also detail the origins and insertions, the primary actions of each muscle and the innervation of the muscles.  It might be a little too detailed for the average reader, but it might help someone in the long run.  For now, so long.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.