Core. The middle of an apple and not much more yet it’s the movement myth with main character energy.

Struggling with lower back pain? Strengthen the core!

Need better balance? Strengthen the core!

Lower joint issues? Strengthen the core!

The list goes on, the promises are endless. Yet when we weed it out what on earth are we talking about and does it measure up?

The aesthetics of a visual slim or muscled body is not an indicator of core strength.

The presence or absence of any pain is not correlated to core strength or else the ripped and fit would never suffer pain and injury and all the larger bodies would be riddled with pain.

Those who trained core would be pain free and those who never trained core would suffer – this simply isn’t evidenced and I suspect is a toxic diet hangover. Infact I think the only demographic core is specifically relevant for would be post partum and similar pelvic floor stuff, the ‘coke can’ idea being diaphragm to pelvic floor as core.

Most of the yoga asana that we claim to be core are actually hip flexor or other strength demands and why do we need to even teach or mention core strength if yoga is a ‘work in’not a ‘work out’ as we like to say?  Particularly if you feel yoga is currently competing with the popularity rise of Pilates, it’s a perfect opportunity to delineate the differences rather than try and replicate any similarities.

Why is the core/tum/trunk so discussed when its relevance is minimal? It’s associated with shame, fertility and issues, weight, age, health, abuse , change (just a few) so why highlight or discuss at all? Even Olympic weightlifters only use something like 4% core strength in those impressive ass to grass squats and research tells us that it’s actually leg strength that’s the big predictor of longevity and independence.

An easy fact to remember, one you can hang your hat on is back pain is 100% not due to a weak core.

Nothing needs to ‘activate’ or ‘strengthen’, these are outdated and long disproven ideas from the 1990s with no evidence in research.

Core work may be perceived to help because any resistance or strength exercise will but based on mechanism and moving, not fixing.

There is no superior exercise, modality or body part to focus on, pain is multi factorial and individual.

So enjoy your apple and put core where it belongs – in the bin.