Stop Bracing Your Core for Every Exercise
In our opinion, “brace your core” is one of those overused cues in the exercise world. You typically hear strength coaches, trainers, physical therapists, and well-intentioned workout partners repeat this over and over with each and every exercise.
Are there times you want to consciously brace your core? YES!! Just head over to @t3strengthsystems and watch his athletes lift heavy stuff. You better believe that they are bracing their core to maintain stability and rigidity.
But this cue should probably be reserved for those heavier lifts…and here’s why:
If you’re teaching your body to aggressively brace your core and lock down your trunk for even light exercises, you’re essentially teaching your body a strategy of limiting movement. This can be an effective short-term strategy, such as in the above examples of heavy lifting, or even some heavy household tasks like moving a couch. But how often do these heavy activities actually take place?
Think about how this strategy will carry over into something like throwing or a golf swing…or even walking and running! With most daily activities, and most athletic activities, we want to demonstrate a level of fluidity. Being able to move throughout the world without creating a rigid spine is a sign of health and robustness.
It’s a sign that your brain trusts your body to move without fearing injury.
Think of someone who holds their breath, bears down, and turns red in the face when they are doing something simple like standing from a chair, bending to tie their shoes, or picking something light off the floor. Does that look like a body that can move well? Does that seem like a body that is resilient against injury? Does that seem comfortable??
People love to label certain movements as functional exercises…but maybe “functional” is more about the strategy used to complete an exercise than the exercise itself!
In closing, the strategy used to complete a task should match the intensity of the task itself.
If you’re picking up a 500 lb barbell from the floor…using a high threshold strategy like consciously bracing your core is definitely the way to go!
If you find yourself needing to use these strategies for simple, light activities, then we probably have some work to do! But the good news is…WE CAN HELP!
If this sounds like you, or if you want to learn more about this topic, please send us an email at info@rocptperformance.com, and let us know how we can help!
