I think by now, many of you have established that this program and blog isn't your usual run of the mill fitness blog. I go into deep detail in every decision I make due to the obvious fact that not every person is the same; there is no "cookie-cutter" program out there that will deliver results.
Staying along that same premise, this week is dedicated to core training. I want you to take that idea of what you thought was core training (just doing crunches) and throw it out the window.
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My reaction most of the time when people say they know about how to train their core. |
I personally wanted everyone to just see and count the amount of musculature that your core actually accounts for. I found this great picture that illustrates just that in a simple point of view.

When you see people doing crunches, they really just target one muscle of the core: the rectus abdominal. Clearly, just by that illustration: that's just not enough.
My philosophy around training the core is revolved around the NASM OPT model and the phases of training: stabilization, endurance, and strength. If you revolve around those three paradigms of training, you can create a core with such dynamic strength that both your upper body and lower body strength and stability will increase by a threefold. Add in that you'll never have a lower back injury in your life again and I think the offer sounds too good to be true.
This Weeks Goal:
Utilize Your Core Three Times a Week
So this week, I am setting aside the following dates as open one-on-one practice
to get to know a few pull exercises that can benefit you, no matter the goal.
Here are the four days I will make available:
Tuesday, March 10th: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm (at the free weights office)
Thursday, March 11th: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm (ask front desk to contact me)
Friday, March 12th: 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm (at the free weights office)
Sunday, March 15th: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm (at the free weights office)
Remember you have to either submit a reply below with the date you want to come in or respond via email at jshapiro@ymcanyc.org.
Hi James,I"ll be at the LIC YMCA today about 4:30 pm, i will look for you or ask the front desk to contact you,if you are available for core training,any time is good for me,thanks George
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