What is your Core?

I bet if you asked the American population what consisted of your core muscles - 99% of them would say, "Your Abs." Well that is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! Imagine removing your legs and arms. There you have it - your core. Okay, so you want to know what muscles really consist of your core, well here they are: the pelvic floor muscles, transverse abdominis, multifidus, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, erector spinae, longissimus thoracis, diaphragm, latissimus dorsi, gluteus maximus, and trapezius. (In English now: the pelvis, abs, hips, upper and lower back, shoulders and neck.) So when someone says, "I'm working my core", and are only doing abdominal exercises, they really are not working their core - they are simply working their abdominals. Functional movements are highly dependent on the core, and lack of core development can result in injury. In addition, the core determines a large part of a person's posture. The core muscles align the spine, ribs, and pelvis of a person to resist specific forces. They are very important for good performance during sports including running. Pilates and Yoga are great for developing a strong core.