How to develop better control over your core
Last time we talked about how to get your spine into a neutral alignment reliably and quickly, but no workout is done without moving your body through space. How do you keep your neutral alignment while moving? Practice of course: you want to start with positions of lower complexity and master precise control there, before progressing to positions of higher complexity. As you move through this progression, your primary focus must be on precise control of the core.
Interestingly, these positions mimic the order of development we go through as we grow from infants to toddlers: first laying on your back, then crawling, kneeling, and finally standing, walking and running…
Position 1 - supine marching
Lay on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Get your spine into neutral alignment by imagining you have a chicken’s egg beneath your low back (right where your belly button is, but other side) and you want to make contact with the egg, but not crush it; this means you don’t want a “flat back,” but rather a slight arch. Place your hands on the sides of your abdomen and feel for movement there as you alternately march your knee up over your same-side hip. If you feel movement with your hands, slow down and try to eliminate any change of position in your core as your legs move.
Once you’ve mastered this supine marching challenge, move to quadruped position…
Position 2 - quadruped with arm/leg extension
“Quadruped” is a fancy way to say “hands-and-knees” position. You want to have your wrists right under your shoulders and your knees right under your hips. Next, get your “egg position” back in order, so slight arch in your low back. Then, alternately raise one arm out in front of you (i.e. overhead, relative to your torso position) without letting anything else move. Once you’ve mastered moving just the arms, keep your hands on the ground and try alternately extending your legs out long behind you (parallel to the ground). Don’t let your torso move. Once you’ve mastered that, try extending the opposite arm and leg at the same time.
Take the necessary time to master quadruped position before moving on. Could be 30 seconds, could be a couple weeks of practice…
Position 3 - kneeling to tall kneeling
Get in a kneeling position with your hips resting on your heels and your toes tucked under. Establish your egg position. Place your hands on the sides of your abdomen and feel for movement there as you move from kneeling to tall kneeling–raising your head up as high possible while your knees are still touching the ground (keep your torso upright from side view as your hips come up off your heels). Minimize any changes in core position and use feedback from your hands to tell you how you’re doing.
Once you’ve mastered that, move to position 4…
Position 4 - tall kneeling to lunging
Start in tall kneeling position with your spine in “egg position,” then place your hands on the sides of your abdomen and feel for movement as you bring one knee out in front of you and place your foot flat on the ground (as if you’re getting ready to press up to a standing position). Then bring the forward knee back under your torso, returning to tall kneeling. Repeat on the second side. Minimize any changes to core position. You will notice some necessary side-to-side movement; this is OK, but still aim to minimize changes to core position.
Once you’ve mastered that, move to position 5…
Position 5 - tall kneeling to lunging, to standing
Repeat the steps for position 4, but when you get to having one knee out in front of you, stand all the way up before reversing the steps to return to tall kneeling. Alternate sides while minimizing any changes in core position. This should be slow and controlled–precision is the primary focus.
Practicing these movements will increase the precision with which your brain and nervous system are able to control your core.
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