Core Strength Will Make You succeed in Your Sport

All movement comes from your core

Whether you are a professional athlete, a weekend warrior, or simply an active person, as you age, your body requires more maintenance to keep going. Using a car analogy, a new car hardly needs any work to run. The older the car gets, the more maintenance it needs to simply perform normal functioning.

As an active human, you might find that you recover more slowly than you did when you were 20. You need more warm up and cool down, just to be able to play like you used to. Your body becomes less forgiving when you have poor mechanics, and this can often lead to injury.

The repetitive movements of certain sports or activities can wear on you over time, but that doesn’t mean you are powerless to do anything about it.

Building core strength is one of the best things you can do, both to support your sport or activity, and for living your life in general. As I wrote in “Having 6 Pack Abs Doesn’t Mean You Are Strong,” a strong core is not just an aesthetic. Core strength is functional and supports your body in everything it does.

What is The Core?

Your core is not just your “6-pack,” but includes all 4 abdominal muscles (Rectus abdominis, Transversus abdominis, Internal Obliques, and External Obliques), your pelvic floor, your glutes, inner thighs, spinal muscles, and your hip flexors. When these muscles work together, you find stability and power in all of your movements.

Think about a golf or tennis swing. If you just swing from your arms, the ball isn’t going very far. Plus you’ll probably strain your shoulders. If you swing from your core by moving your pelvis to initiate the movement, you get a lot more oomph and the ball goes farther and faster.

Crunches aren’t the best way to strengthen your core. Unless you crunch mindfully, you’ll end up with neck pain from yanking on your head (it’s not pretty). Crunches can be a good exercise when done properly, but they only work the abdominals in one direction and don’t do much else. Because many sports and activities require movement in multiple directions, only doing this one exercise has limited benefits.

What the core muscles do

Rectus abdominis, aka 6-pack abs

Whether you can see them or not, we all have this muscle. Mine is under a layer of “insulation,” but they are quite strong. The purpose of this muscle is to bend the torso forward, like in Cat pose, or in a crunch. It runs vertically and brings the ribs toward the pubic bone in Spinal Flexion.

This is the most superficial of the abdominal muscles, meaning it’s closest to the skin.

Transversus abdominis

This is often referred to as the “lower abdominals,” although technically it covers the entire abdominal region between the pelvis and the ribcage. The muscle runs horizontally and its main function is stabilization (which is why it is so important), but is also used for coughing, sneezing, and defecating.

This is the deepest of the abdominal muscles, meaning it’s furthest away from the skin.

Internal and External Obliques

These muscles work together in opposition to rotate the spine. When you twist, you can feel these muscles working under the ribs and above the opposite hip. These muscles run diagonally from the ribs on one side to the midline, and from the anterior hip on the other side to the midline. The left External and right Internal Oblique work together and vice versa.

These muscles are layered between the Rectus abdominis and the Transversus abdominis muscles.

Pelvic floor

This is an area of muscles that help you resist gravity. Gravity pulls your internal organs toward your feet, and these muscles keep everything in place (hopefully). The group includes the Levator ani (made up of 3 other muscles), the external anal sphincter, and the Coccygeus.

When you activate the pelvic floor, you are lifting the base of your pelvis upward. These muscles help with posture, urinary and bowel function, as well as sexual and reproductive function. They make up the foundation of the pelvis.

Spinal muscles

The Erector Spinae group (of 3 muscles) runs vertically along either side of the spine and allows us to stand vertically, to bend backward (Spinal Extension), and to bend to the side (Lateral Flexion). When you slouch, these muscles get weak and painful, and it becomes harder to stand up straight.

Back pain is often due to these muscles being weak. Strengthening these muscles can stabilize the vertebrae, which is especially important with disc problems. Most adults over 45 have some level of disc degeneration in the Lumbar (lower back) spine, so strengthening these muscles is key to longevity in any sport.

Adductors/Inner thighs

The Adductors (inner thighs) “adduct,” which brings the thighs toward your midline. They work with the pelvic floor and Transversus abdominis to activate and support your vertical posture. Engaging the Inner thighs helps you engage the pelvic floor and Transversus.

Connecting to your midline helps you stand straighter and can also improve your balance. Your inner thighs are an important piece of this puzzle. However, if your Glutes are weak, the Adductors get tight and sometimes can cause knee pain. Strengthening both the Glutes and Adductors helps keep the balance.

The Glutes

These three muscles (maximus, medius, minimus) create Hip Extension (moving the thigh backward), Abduction (moving the thigh away from your midline), and Femur rotation (rotating the thigh inward and outward). The Hip Extension aspect gives your body power when walking, running, and pushing off with swinging a golf club or tennis racquet.

For some reason, as we age, sometimes we “forget” to use our Glutes. It’s called Gluteal Amnesia. Unfortunately, when these muscles decide not to work, others have to. The lower back, hip flexors, and hamstrings are the usual suspects. You’ll know you aren’t using your glutes when these other muscles start to hurt.

Hip Flexors

These muscles create Hip Flexion (moving the thigh forward) and include the Psoas, Tensor Fascia Latae, and the Rectus Femoris. These muscles move in opposition to the Glutes. The Psoas plays a part in some types of lower back pain because it runs from the Lumbar spine (lower back), through the body, to the top of the Femur (thigh bone). When tight, it pulls on the lower back and makes it painful to stand up from sitting.

These muscles can be weak as well as tight from sitting all day. Keeping these muscles stretched and strong helps them move better.

The body is a master compensator

The human body can do incredible things, but it doesn’t always do them correctly. I often say that the body is a Master Compensator, as it will do the movement in the easiest way possible, even if that is to our detriment.

For example, when you walk, it’s common to walk without using the Glutes (Gluteal Amnesia). Unfortunately, if you do this enough, you will have tight hamstrings, tight hip flexors, and eventually lower back pain. Relearning to use your glutes when you walk is one of the best things you can do for yourself to stay out of pain.

Building intentional core strength supports your body in everything it does. When you strengthen the muscles that should be working, it’s easier to access when you need them. The more you give these muscles your attention, the easier it is to find them later.

A few core sequences to play with

This is from a free event I ran this past December called Holiday Burnout Solution. I taught 3 Slow Flow Vinyasa classes, 3 Mindful Core classes (including this one), and 3 Stretch & Breathe classes. All classes were 15 minutes. Click here if you want the Holiday Burnout Solution Package with all 9 classes.

In this next video, I focus specifically on the Glutes plus other buttock muscles, first strengthening, then stretching. My dog, Homer, supervises from his perch. He’s a great yoga pooch.

Things to keep in mind

• Anytime you try something new, especially physically, it’s important to listen to your body. If you feel pain (sharp, stabbing, stressful), stop immediately. Let go of “no pain, no gain.” Many injuries happen due to this mindset. As we age, we heal at a slower rate. Your new mantra is “Listen to my body.”
• Give yourself permission to rest when you need to. It’s not a race, you don’t need to do everything all at once. Even if you start with 3-5 minutes, you will benefit from that. Building your strength slowly over time is a smarter way to go. Life is a marathon, not a sprint, and you want your body functional for the long term.
• Be intentional with your movements. Focus on the muscles that are working and be sure to contract them. As I said earlier, the body is a Master Compensator and will follow the path of least resistance. Just because you are doing a Glute strengthening movement, doesn’t mean that your Glutes are actually working. Intentionally contract the muscles to get the most out of each exercise. If you’re not sure if they are working, place your hands on the muscles in question to see if they tighten when you use them. If you don’t know which muscles you are supposed to use, please reach out. I am happy to help.

Click the button below to get on the waitlist for Yoga for the Lower Back coming in March 2026! I am offering a free one on one session to anyone who enrolls in the course during the first week!