Developing the Core (Sport Performance Series by NSCA)

224 Pages·2013·13.84 MB·English

Developing
the core
National Strength and
Conditioning Association
Jeffrey M. Willardson
Editor
Human Kinetics
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Developing the core / National Strength and Conditioning Association and Jeffrey M. Willardson, editor.
pages cm. -- (Sport performance series)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Exercise. 2. Abdominal exercises. 3. Abdomen--Muscles. I. Willardson, Jeffrey M. II. National
Strength & Conditioning Association (U.S.)
GV508.D48 2014
613.7'1--dc23
2013019510
ISBN-10: 0-7360-9549-7 (print)
ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-9549-5 (print)
Copyright © 2014 by National Strength and Conditioning Association
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Developing
the core
Contents
Introduction vii
PArt i Essentials of Core Development
1
Core Anatomy and Biomechanics . . . . . . . . . 3
2
Core Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3
Core Muscle Activity During Exercise . . . . . 31
4
Core Development Exercises and Drills . . . . 41
5
Core Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
iv
PArt ii Sport-Specific Core Development
6
Baseball and Softball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
7
Basketball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
8
Football . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
9
Golf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
10
Ice Hockey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
11
Soccer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
v
vi ■ Contents
12
Swimming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 63
13
Tennis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
14
Track and Field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
15
Volleyball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
16
Wrestling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
References 189
Index 198
About the NSCA 206
About the Editor 207
About the Contributors 208
Introduction
One of the most important priorities for all athletes should be to ensure
adequate conditioning of the core musculature. In recent years, there has
been considerable literature in both the popular media and scientific jour-
nals on the importance of these muscles for effective movement and sports
performance. It should be recognized that the core of the body includes both
passive skeletal and active muscle and neural components. A crucial role of
the core musculature is to maintain the stability of the trunk. In this regard,
the early literature regarding core muscle training stemmed from physical
therapy and athletic training settings, for alleviating low back pain and cor-
recting faulty posture.
For healthy people, core muscle training is theorized to improve sports
performance by enhancing the stiffness of the trunk, thereby providing
a platform that enables greater torque production in the upper and lower
extremities. In other words, a stable trunk enables athletes to push, pull,
kick, or throw with more force. However, greater torque production is of little
value without the neurologically orchestrated steering and transfer of torque
through the skeletal segments. Therefore, core muscle training for athletes
is not necessarily focused on developing maximal strength so much as on
developing greater motor control. This is achieved through an individualized
progression of exercises that involve a variety of core muscle recruitment
patterns similar to what might be encountered during sports competition.
The majority of strength and conditioning professionals have always advo-
cated prescription of less stable standing movements with free weights (and
cables) versus more stable seated movements on machines in the prepara-
tion of athletes. A major disadvantage of such machine-based training is the
limited trunk stabilization requirements and nonspecific postures relative
to most sports skills. In the last decade, there has been increased emphasis
on prescribing exercises that position the body (through various stances and
postures) to enhance the motor control requirements of the core musculature
and create the optimal combination of trunk stability and mobility that is
movement specific.
This book is the first to comprehensively address several key issues related
to specific training for the core musculature. It brings together an excellent
group of sports scientists and practitioners to provide the most cutting-edge
and accurate information available, beginning with a foundational chapter
to establish the anatomical definition of the core based on current scientific
vii
viii ■ Introduction
consensus. Most strength and conditioning professionals would agree that
the abdominal and low back muscle groups are considered core muscles.
However, this book addresses the function of several other core muscles,
including those that connect the trunk with the upper and lower extremities
as well as the neurological integration and the biomechanical contribution of
the core muscles in creating efficient movement.
One of the key issues in prescribing appropriate exercises for the core
musculature is establishing a person’s level of core muscle function, includ-
ing the ability to stabilize the trunk and to move the trunk. Assessment and
training include both isometric and dynamic actions that can be progressively
combined with actions of the upper and lower extremities. Developing the Core
includes the latest scientifically validated and reliable battery of testing and
assessment procedures that can be readily incorporated into most training
settings. Exercise prescription can then be based on the level of motor control
and a person’s specific weaknesses.
A key issue with core muscle training is that the exercise modalities rec-
ommended in physical therapy or athletic training settings may not provide
a sufficient stimulus for greater adaptation for healthy people. Therefore, the
principles of overload and progression are key factors to consider in pre-
scribing core muscle exercises. This book includes discussion of studies on
core muscle involvement and the safest methods to load these muscles, with
progressions and general prescriptive guidelines that can be applied with
people of all athletic abilities.
Finally, Developing the Core includes specific core muscle prescriptive rec-
ommendations for 11 different sports. Different training phases and objec-
tives are represented to effectively address core muscle training. Each sport
section includes well-organized tables with prescriptive variables and photos
of the recommended exercises for easy comprehension and application. In
summary, this book represents the greatest compilation to date of applied
knowledge based on scientific consensus to effectively train the core muscles
for improved sports performance.
PART I
Essentials of
Core development
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