7/27/2019 Developing Real Core Strength
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Developing Real Core Strength
2007-11-21
*** I'm confident that almost all readers of the PDA newsletter
are interested in developing strength by moving big iron, big
rocks, big implements, 'big whatever'. But have you ever thought
about moving some big weights with the middle ofyour body? I mean
real strict, real heavy sit-ups; holding a 150 pound dumbbellhigh
on your chest - actually holding it just under your throat (and
keeping itthere) - while you raise up to push your elbows into your
thighs and hold that position for a slow 'one thousand and one'
count. Then to slowly lower yourself back to the floor using your
abs - where you take a big breath just like you would a PR squat
attempt before knocking off rep number 2 of a truly gut-wrenching
set of 10.
What I have just described is one exercise that ***I have been
practicing, and teaching for a majority of the 33 years that I have
been under the iron. It blowsaway anything that can be performed on
one of those cute little stability ballsfor thousands of reps (and
of course 'feeling the burn') when it comes to building real
strength in the middle of the body. And if you want the ability to
geta 200-pound Atlas stone overhead, or rise up from the bottom of
a squat with 500pounds you are going to need real strength 'in the
middle'.
Think about this for a minute. If you have been performing your
core strengtheni
ng work for many, many reps - why? Probably because you have
been mistakenly taught, read, or heard that the abs need to be
trained for 'lots of reps'. Becausethe muscles of the abdominals
are made up of a different fiber composition (moreslow-twitch) than
that of the quads for instance - well this is just flat-out wrong.
How can I make such a bold statement? Experience.
Think about how you define strength for a minute. Not a
complicated college physiology text definition. I want a 'from the
trenches' definition.
It's how much weight you can lift - period. Now before all you
exercise fizz majors get your shorts twisted I know that you can
define strength in a number of ways. But what I want to do is to
point out that absolute strength (one rep strength) carries over to
all other qualities of strength - even endurance strength.
And the reverse - endurance strength - like that which is
developed with the "feel the burn by doing 500 reps on the cute
ball routine, doesn't carry-over whenyou have 400 pounds on your
back.
*** Let me run with this example for a minute to make my
point.
*** Endurance strength is the ability to perform an activity for
a long durationand maintain initial strength abilities - like a
marathon runner. Do you realize that the winning marathon runner is
the one who produces the most average force per foot contact
throughout 26 miles? How do you increase the potential for more
force production? Increase strength - absolute strength. I know
you're thinking: "Wait a minute John, you're telling me that if a
marathon runner increases his one-rep max on the squat he will run
faster? How?" Because the marathoner wil
l then have the neurological ability to profuse more force. Now
to get this newstrength/force to work for him, he will have to
practice running - running veryfar. The bottom line is that
performing strength training that increases you absolute maximum
strength is one of the best ways to improve your endurance
activity. Track coaches have become aware of this. They now have
their 'distance runners' work on sprinting as they realize that it
is one of the fastest ways to improve their VO2 max which makes the
distance work easier.
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