I loathe the word “core”. It is one of those words that the fitness industry has taken and beaten with a foam roller until there isn’t anybody who can recognize what it used to be, much like “functional” and “stability”. In fact, I’m pretty sure all three of these words were beaten to a pulp at the same time. And yet, the masses still buy into these deformed words like they came down from Heaven. There’s nothing wrong with training your “core”, so long as you can give a proper definition of what your “core” is and why what you are doing is “training” it—all of it. This aside, almost everybody doing “core” exercises on the BOSU and trying out new plank variations to work their “core” is missing what the actual core of their training should be. So here it is—Self Made C.O.R.E. Training.
Your training should be mostly crude, straight up. Barbells, dumbbells, plates, bars, and open space. Basic lifts and body weight movements, keeping it simple and crude. Cable and machines can be very effective if you actually understand the physics behind it, i.e. moment arms, force arms, friction, etc., but guess what, you don’t. Stick to the basics and leave the cables to someone who actually knows how to manipulate lines of force and understands why you would want to do so.
O: Operose
- Big John Henry--the man came to work.
It took me nearly a week to find an O-word that would fit the theme of this article but I finally found one. Operose means done with much labor, which is something that I believe should reflect your training. When you come to the gym, come to work. Be serious about why you are there and get ready to put forth a serious effort. This has to do with the mental side of training as much as the physical. Whether you are talking about a 6-month goal or what you are trying to hit that day, come with a blue-collar mindset that it is time to work, then get after it.
R: Resistance
No, your weekly routine of spinning, yoga, Zumba, Pilates, and elliptical are not cutting it. Your body was meant to lift things, heavy things. If there’s something wrong with your body go get yourself checked out. Don’t be an idiot and go lift heavy because, “Charlie told me to,” and end up hurting yourself. But as soon as you are cleared to do so, move some weight, get some hormones pumping, and start feeling human again.
E: Energy Systems
This is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make with their training: they train the same energy systems day after day. The runner crowd is most guilty of this, but lifters do it, too. You have to train both aerobically and anaerobically. No, the “sprint” you do at the end of your seven-mile run does not count. When was the last time you did full out, max-effort, balls-to-the-wall sprints with almost full recovery between each? If you are healthy enough to do so, I strongly suggest adding in 30-100 meter sprints to your weekly training. I would also suggest doing something a little more aerobic such as running hills or intervals of a little longer duration than then sprints. Utilize training in different energy systems to get the most out of what you do.
So there you have it, C.O.R.E. training from Self Made’s point of view. You can still work your quadratus lumborum, just make sure this training is the core of your training.
Charlie Cates, CSCS
Self Made®, Owner
Charlie Cates is a strength and conditioning specialist and the owner of Self Made® (http://selfmadefitness.com/) in Chicago, IL. He has worked with competitive and everyday athletes of all ages and ability levels, from 9-year-old kids to NFL MVP's. He can be reached via e-mail at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.
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